---
title: "Astroneer Mods: How to Install Them (and Run Them on a Dedicated Server)"
description: "Install Astroneer mods with AstroModLoader Classic or r2modman, which mods still work after Megatech, and how to add them to a dedicated server."
url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/astroneer/astroneer-mods/"
category: "Astroneer"
category_url: "https://www.gameserverkings.com/knowledge-base/astroneer/"
published: "2026-09-28T03:33:04.692Z"
updated: "2026-09-28T04:56:54.127Z"
source_format: "markdown"
site: "GameServerKings"
---

# Astroneer Mods: How to Install Them (and Run Them on a Dedicated Server)

Astroneer mods are community-made `.pak` files that change items, vehicles, power, planets and more. The game has no built-in mod menu and System Era does not support them. Its patch notes say plainly: *"We do not officially support mods"*. So you install Astroneer mods with a community mod manager, and each one needs a "mod integrator" step before the game will load it.

This guide covers the three things that trip people up:

- Which mods still work after November 2025.
- How to install mods on your own PC.
- How to put a mod set on a dedicated Astroneer server so your friends join the same modded world.

> [!NOTE] Checked against
> Astroneer **Patch 1.44.4** (16 September 2026), AstroModLoader Classic **v1.8.2.0**, and the AstroTechies modding documentation. The server steps match the GameServerKings Astroneer egg.

## First: most "best Astroneer mods" lists are out of date

In November 2025 the **Megatech update (1.36.42.0)** moved Astroneer from Unreal Engine 4.23 to 4.27. According to the AstroTechies modding FAQ, *"any mods that were last updated before November 21st, 2025 are incompatible with the latest version of the game"*, and anything built for game version 1.35 or earlier is *"guaranteed to not function"*.

In practice:

- **Check each mod's last-updated date** before installing it. Anything older than 21 November 2025 will not load.
- **astroneermods.space no longer exists.** The site was shut down in late 2024 and now redirects to a read-only archive. atenfyr's old mod pages are archived too, and are marked *"OBSOLETE, will NOT work on modern versions of the game."*
- **Expect breakage after each patch.** Astroneer has shipped a patch roughly every month in 2026 (1.37 in February through 1.44 in September). Each one can break a mod until its author updates it.

## Where to get Astroneer mods today

| Source | Manager to use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderstore (`thunderstore.io/c/astroneer`) | r2modman, Gale or Thunderstore Mod Manager | Install **AutoIntegrator** too. It is required for most `.pak` mods in these managers. Mods are tagged *Server-side* or *Client-side* |
| Nexus Mods | Vortex, with the Astroneer extension | The extension downloads AutoIntegrator for you |
| Direct `.pak` downloads (GitHub, Discord) | AstroModLoader Classic | Drag the `.zip` or `.pak` onto the window |

Every mod ships as a `.pak` file with a name like `000-FasterBatteryCharging-1.0.0_P.pak`. The `_P` suffix is required, and the game won't load the file without it.

## Installing mods on your PC (AstroModLoader Classic)

AstroModLoader Classic (AMLC) is the manager we use in this guide. Its folder layout is the one the server method below relies on. It works with the **Steam and Microsoft Store** PC versions and needs the **.NET Desktop Runtime 8.0**.

1. Launch Astroneer once and create a save, so `%localappdata%\Astro` exists.
2. Download `AstroModLoader.exe` from the AstroModLoader Classic releases page on GitHub (`atenfyr/AstroModLoader-Classic`).
3. Run it and drag each mod's `.zip` or `.pak` onto the window. AMLC stores downloads in `%localappdata%\Astro\Saved\Mods` and places active mods in `%localappdata%\Astro\Saved\Paks`.
4. Enable the mods you want. AMLC runs the **mod integrator** for you, which writes `999-AstroModIntegrator_P.pak` into the same `Paks` folder. Then start the game.

The integrator is not optional. The modding FAQ calls it *"an absolute requirement for playing with Astroneer mods"*. It combines changes from several mods to the same game files so they don't overwrite each other. You need to run it again **every time the game updates** and every time you change your mod list. With AMLC, opening the program does this for you.

## Which mods the server needs

Each mod declares a `sync` value in its `metadata.json`. That value decides where the mod has to be installed:

| `sync` value | Install on the server | Install on every player's PC |
|---|---|---|
| `serverclient` (the default) | Yes | Yes |
| `server` | Yes | No |
| `client` | No | Yes, only for players who want it (minimaps, camera mods) |
| `none` | Ignored by sync | Ignored by sync |

A mod that leaves `sync` unset counts as `serverclient`, so assume both sides need it unless the mod page says otherwise. On Thunderstore, the **Server-side** and **Client-side** tags give you the same information. For example, *Faster Battery Charging* says *"This is a server-side mod."*

Mod managers only run on PC, so a modded server is effectively a PC-only server. Console players can't install `serverclient` mods.

## Installing mods on your GameServerKings Astroneer server

The AstroTechies docs describe three ways to mod a dedicated server. Two of them run a mod loader on the server itself. Your GameServerKings server runs the Windows server build (`AstroServer-Win64-Shipping.exe`) under Proton on Linux. The panel gives you a console and file access, not a Windows desktop, so neither of those loaders can run there. The third method is the one that works: build the mod set on your PC, then upload it.

1. **Build and test the mod set on your PC** using AMLC, as above. Load a world, confirm the mods work, and quit. Your PC's `%localappdata%\Astro\Saved\Paks` folder now holds the mod `.pak` files plus a fresh `999-AstroModIntegrator_P.pak`.
2. **Stop the server** in the panel and **take a backup** first. System Era warns that modded saves are likely to crash after big updates, so keep a clean copy.
3. **Open the server files** with the panel's File Manager or over SFTP. The server's own `Saved` folder lives inside the install at `Astro/Saved/`. This is the same folder that holds `Config/WindowsServer/AstroServerSettings.ini`.
4. **Create `Astro/Saved/Paks`** if it doesn't exist. Upload every `serverclient` and `server` mod `.pak` into it, **plus `999-AstroModIntegrator_P.pak`**. You can leave `client`-only mods out.
5. **Start the server** and have one player join and check a modded feature in-game.

This follows where AstroModLoader Classic installs mods on a dedicated server (`Astro/Saved/Paks`) and the AstroTechies FAQ's advice to copy your local `Paks` folder to the server. We haven't yet tested a modded pak set on one of our servers, and the server runs under Proton rather than on Windows. If the modded feature doesn't show up in game, contact support and tell us which mods you uploaded.

> [!WARNING] Re-upload after every Astroneer patch
> The server's **Automatic Updates** setting (Startup tab, on by default) updates the server each time it boots. When a patch lands, update the game on your PC, reopen AMLC so it re-integrates, and upload the new `999-AstroModIntegrator_P.pak` along with any mods their authors have updated. You can switch Automatic Updates off while you wait for mod updates. Your players' Steam clients will still update, though.

AMLC can also "sync" a player's mods from a server. That feature is built for servers running AstroLauncher. The GameServerKings egg starts the server executable directly, so share your mod list with your players instead: an AMLC profile export (select the profile and press **X** to save it as a `.zip` your friends can drag onto their own AMLC), or a zip of the `.pak` files.

## Troubleshooting

- **Server crashes or hangs on boot after adding mods.** Remove the newest `.pak` files one at a time. Also check every mod was updated after 21 November 2025, and that the integrator pak came from the same game version the server is running.
- **Everything broke after an update.** Rebuild the integrator pak as described in the warning above. If a mod hasn't been updated for the new patch, remove it until its author catches up.
- **Friends can't join.** Make sure each player has every `serverclient` mod installed, at the same versions as the server. Mismatched mod sets are the most common cause. For network-side problems, see the connection guide below.
- **Want to go back to vanilla?** Stop the server, move the `.pak` files out of `Astro/Saved/Paks`, and start it again. Mods that add new items can leave a save unloadable without them, so restore your pre-mod backup if the world won't load.

## What to Read Next

- [How to create a backup](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-create-a-backup/): take one before you add or remove mods
- [How to upload files via SFTP](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-upload-files-via-sftp/): the easiest way to upload a batch of `.pak` files
- [How to use your server panel](/knowledge-base/general/how-to-use-your-server-panel/): File Manager, Startup variables and the console
- [Astroneer dedicated server](/knowledge-base/astroneer/astroneer-dedicated-server/): the encryption setting every player needs, and the owner settings
- [Players can't connect to my server](/knowledge-base/general/players-cant-connect/): when the problem isn't the mods

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