How to install mods for Project Zomboid

This guide covers installing mods on your Project Zomboid server. For first boot and connecting, see Getting started with your Project Zomboid server.

Workshop mods install via two settings — one downloads them, the other enables them:

WorkshopItems=2392709985;2785928760;2196102849
Mods=ORGM;TrueActionsDancing;CommonSense

Each workshop item has a:

• Workshop ID (number, used in WorkshopItems)
• Mod ID (string, used in Mods)

Both are listed on the mod's workshop page under "Workshop ID" and "Mod IDs."

After editing both fields, restart. The server downloads the mods from Steam Workshop and loads them.

When a mod does not load

Start with the two IDs, because they are not interchangeable:

• WorkshopItems= is the download list and takes the numeric Workshop ID. The server fetches those items from Steam.
• Mods= is the enable list and takes the text Mod ID out of the mod's info.txt. The server only loads what is named here — this is the line that enables a mod.

Put a number in Mods= and the mod downloads but is never enabled. Put a name in WorkshopItems= and nothing downloads at all. Both fields are semicolon-separated, with no spaces.

Then work down this list:

• One Workshop item can contain several mods. Its page lists Mod ID: more than once — Workshop item 2732270391, for example, publishes both FRUsedCarsNoBus and FRUsedCarsNoHMMWV. Read the description before you paste: sometimes those are alternatives and you pick one, sometimes they are all required. Anything left out of Mods= is not loaded.
• Dependencies need their own two entries. A mod that needs another mod lists it under Required Items on its Workshop page. The dependency needs its own Workshop ID and its own Mod ID in your config — it does not come along for the ride.
• Check the build. Mods are version-specific, and a mod written for Build 41 will not necessarily load on Build 42.
• Read the boot output. Start the server with the Console tab open and watch it load the mod list; the same output is written to Zomboid/server-console.txt.

Map mods need a third line

A map mod is the one type the two fields above do not cover on their own. Map= decides which map folders the world is built from and it defaults to Map=Muldraugh, KY. A map mod listed in WorkshopItems= and Mods= but not in Map= will download and load, and its map will never be part of the world.

The value is the map folder name, which map mods publish on their Workshop page alongside the other two IDs. Raven Creek, the third Workshop ID in the example at the top of this page, publishes all three:

Workshop ID: 2196102849
Mod ID: RavenCreek
Map Folder: RavenCreek

Which makes its three lines:

WorkshopItems=2196102849
Mods=RavenCreek
Map=RavenCreek;Muldraugh, KY

Put the mod's folder before Muldraugh, KY. That is the order the game's own server settings screen writes when you add a map mod: new map folders go on top of the list, the vanilla map stays at the bottom.

If the map ships its own spawn points, add it to SERVERNAME_spawnregions.lua as well, or players will never be offered a spawn on it.

Can I add mods to an existing save?

Yes. Add the IDs to WorkshopItems= and Mods=, restart, and the world, the characters and everything built in it carry on. Back the save up first.

Removing a mod is the direction that hurts. A world that has already spawned a mod's items, vehicles or tiles can fail to load once the mod that defines them is gone, and a save that will not load is usually not recoverable — restore the backup.

Map mods are worth holding for a wipe, and their authors often say so outright: Raven Creek's page tells you to start a new game after every update to it.

Popular Mods

• More Builds: Hundreds of new building options
• Common Sense: QoL changes for inventory and crafting
• Brita's Weapon Pack: Massive weapon library
• ORGM Rechambered: Realistic firearms overhaul
• Authentic Z: Zombie variety
• True Music: Custom radio stations
• Hydrocraft: Crafting expansion (semi-deprecated but popular)
• True Actions Series: New player actions and animations
• Vehicle Spawn Quantity: Configure vehicle spawn rates

Important

Always test mods on a fresh save first; some mods are incompatible with existing characters.

What to Read Next

• Getting started with your Project Zomboid server for first boot and the basics
• Project Zomboid Configuration
• Project Zomboid Admin Setup

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