How to Use Nexus Mods With Steam Games

To use Nexus Mods with a supported Steam game on Windows, add the game to Vortex, download a compatible mod, then install, enable, and deploy it. Follow the mod author’s requirements for your game version and dependencies. If the mod requires manual installation or a separate loader, use that package’s installation and launch instructions.

Connect Vortex and select your Steam game

Start the Steam game once before configuring mods, then obtain Vortex from its official download page. This route applies to Windows games supported by Vortex or an available game extension. Detection alone does not mean a mod supports your installed game version.

In Vortex, select Log in, then complete the login on the Nexus Mods website and select Authorise. Open Games and select Add game on the detected game’s tile. If detection fails, find the game under All supported games, select Manual add, then Continue, and choose the game’s top-level installation directory.

With the correct game managed, read the mod’s installation requirements and follow the author’s directions for dependencies and installer choices. Match the package to the game version it supports. For a collection, also match its specified game edition and revision.

Install and deploy your first mod

Open a compatible mod’s Nexus Mods page and select Vortex or Download with Mod Manager. In Vortex, select Install, then Enable. Complete any package-specific installer choices using the mod author’s instructions.

Next, open Mods and select Manual apply (Deploy) to apply the enabled mods. Finish deployment before following the game’s required launch procedure. If the mod requires a separate loader, follow that loader’s instructions too.

A manually downloaded archive can still be installed through Vortex. Open Mods > Install From File and select the archive, or drag its ZIP, RAR, or 7Z file into the drop zone. After installation and activation, select Manual apply (Deploy); the archive layout must be compatible with the supported game.

Install a Nexus Collection

First, manage the collection’s specified game in Vortex and read its requirements. Select Add Collection on Nexus Mods to begin. Follow the curator’s instructions for the matching game edition, revision, and external dependencies.

With a free Nexus account, select Download for each requested mod and complete that download on the website. Repeat until the collection’s downloads are finished, then complete the curator’s instructions for any external dependencies.

An active Nexus Mods Premium account permits automated downloading of the collection’s Nexus-hosted files. Start with the same Add Collection control after checking the requirements. Complete the curator’s external-file and post-installation instructions even when the Nexus downloads run automatically.

Follow manual installation and loader requirements

For a mod that supports manual installation, download its archive and follow the author’s instructions for extraction, dependencies, and destination. Use the folder specified for that package, since installation destinations vary between games and mods.

For Cyberpunk 2077’s Steam edition, follow the publisher’s REDmod instructions to install the free REDmod DLC. Put REDmod-compatible packages in Cyberpunk 2077\mods; CD PROJEKT RED identifies these packages by their info.json manifest. Other Cyberpunk mods can require different directories.

To activate compatible REDmod packages, use the mod activation control beside Play in REDlauncher. Launch the game and allow deployment to finish. Older archive-format mods do not appear in the REDmod menu.

For Stardew Valley’s Windows Steam edition, download SMAPI through its official website when your mods require it. Extract SMAPI and run install on Windows.bat, then copy the launch command supplied by the installer. These steps apply to compatible SMAPI mods for that game.

In Steam, right-click Stardew Valley, open Properties, and paste the installer’s command into Launch Options, retaining its quotation marks and %command%. Launch Stardew Valley through Steam after setting that command. Use other loaders’ own launch instructions for other games.

Use Mod Organizer 2 for a supported game

For games supported by its plugins, obtain Mod Organizer 2 through the official Mod Organizer website. MO2 supports compatible Steam games and is maintained independently of Nexus Mods.

In MO2, open Settings > Nexus > Connect to Nexus. Select Authorise in the browser, then restart Mod Organizer after linking. In the Nexus settings, select Associate with "Download with manager" links to route Nexus manager downloads to MO2.

As an alternative to browser authorization, open Settings > Nexus > Enter API Key Manually > Open Browser. On the Nexus account page, locate the Mod Organizer 2 key; if it is absent, select Request an API key. Copy the key into MO2’s entry box and restart MO2.

Use Install Mod to install a downloaded archive, or obtain a manager download through Nexus and use the Downloads tab. Complete the package-specific installer, then enable the installed mod with the checkbox beside its name in the left pane. Launch the configured game or required loader through MO2.

Some files need separate installation outside MO2’s virtualized mod directory. Follow the package’s instructions for those files, even when you install the rest of the mod through MO2.

Use Wabbajack or Wrye Bash when required

For a curated list supported by Wabbajack, obtain the tool from its official project website. On Windows, open Gallery, choose a list, select its download icon, then select its play icon. Read the list’s README for its game requirements and installation instructions.

Set Installation Location and Download Location, keeping the installation outside the game folder, Wabbajack folder, and Windows-managed folders. Complete the installation and the README’s final steps. Downloads and the launch procedure depend on the list you chose.

If you already have a downloaded .wabbajack file, select install from disk and choose that file as Target Modlist. Continue with the list’s requirements and final instructions, including its specified game edition.

Wrye Bash can install compatible archives for supported Bethesda-engine games, including Skyrim editions and Fallout titles. Place the archive in [Game] Mods\Bash Installers, open Installers, right-click the package, and select Install.... Wrye Bash runs the package’s wizard or FOMOD if it has one and otherwise falls back to manual configuration of its sub-packages and plugins. Starfield support is partial, and Oblivion Remastered support is limited.

Uninstalling a Wrye Bash package removes its installed files, but BAIN does not automatically remove files altered after installation. To remove the package, right-click it in Installers and select Uninstall.

Fix deployment and check mod updates

If a Vortex-managed mod is not taking effect, check that it is enabled, then open Mods > Manual apply (Deploy). Revisit the author’s instructions for dependencies and the required launcher. Check the supported game version too, since Vortex detection does not establish mod compatibility.

To check installed mods for updates, open Mods in Vortex and select Check for Updates. The update icon either downloads the available update or opens the mod page when you need to select a file manually.

Update checks depend on usable metadata for the managed mod. Before selecting an update, check that it supports your game version.

Temporarily remove deployed mods and repair game files

Vortex’s purge action temporarily removes deployed mod files while retaining their managed installation, and redeployment restores them. To do this, open Mods > Purge Mods. Select Manual apply (Deploy) when you are ready to restore those files.

The purge action applies to Vortex-managed files. If you also installed files separately, purging does not establish that those files have been removed.

Steam verification repairs Steam-managed content. To verify your Steam game files after troubleshooting, restart the computer and open Steam. Right-click the game in Library and select Properties... > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files, then wait for verification to finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you still follow older Nexus Mod Manager tutorials?

Use Vortex or current NMM Community Edition instructions instead of original Nexus Mod Manager tutorials, which its community maintainer identifies as outdated and unsupported. You can obtain the maintained release through the maintainer’s NMM Community Edition page, and it supports Nexus’s Download with manager links for supported Windows games. Its community developers maintain it without Nexus Mods development, endorsement, or support.

Should you use the Nexus Mods App for a new setup?

Use Vortex for a new supported Windows setup instead of the discontinued Nexus Mods App. Nexus says existing App installations may continue working but will receive no updates or fixes. Moving to Vortex requires rebuilding your mod setup because direct automatic migration is unavailable.

Which Skyrim Script Extender download should you choose?

Match SKSE to your installed Skyrim executable version using the SKSE team’s download page. The team directs players using the latest Steam version of Skyrim to the Anniversary Edition build. Classic Skyrim and Skyrim VR have separate downloads.

Can you start modded Stardew Valley without changing its Steam launch options?

On Windows with SMAPI installed, you can run StardewModdingAPI.exe directly. To create a separate Steam launcher, open Games, select Add a Non-Steam game to my library..., then select Browse..., select StardewModdingAPI.exe, select Open, and select Add Selected Programs.