(Updated) How to MANUALLY install Stellaris mods v2.5+

[@TomsTutorials]

READ IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES WITH THE LAUNCHER!!! • If you are still having issues, try this (courtesy of Wonderer): Open the launcher-settings.json file with notepad , which is in the game directory, and change "distPlatform" to "pdx". It worked ! And this allowed me to enable my mods, which were disabled :-) • If that still doesn't work, try this: I forgot to mention in the video, but after you run the launcher, if you get some kind of error about steam its okay. Even if there's an error you need to run the launcher anyways in order to activate your mods. However, after that in order to play the game you need to then run Stellaris from the icon on your desktop or the EXE where you downloaded it. This is only for the people who are having issues with the launcher running the game.

[@slipcoin6106]

can you help me? {"message ID:"game.SteamInitializonFailed"}

[@Kadir67_471]

Same

[@TomsTutorials]

@@Kadir67_471 Have you checked your mod registry?

[@wonderer8302]

Hi all, I have found a fix for the launcher being disabled : Open the launcher-settings.json file with notepad , which is in the game directory, and change "distPlatform" to "pdx". It worked ! And this allowed me to enable my mods, which were disabled :-)

[@TomsTutorials]

@@wonderer8302 Thanks for your help Wonderer!

[@chloewebb5526]

I've been sifting through forum threads trying to figure this out for a couple hours, and this video finally explained exactly what I was doing wrong. Thank you so much!

[@tarael86]

What do I do if I dont have a "mods_registry.json" file in the installation folder? Instead, i have launcher-v2.sqlite. I found a forum post saying to delete it, but it just comes back whenever I start the launcher.

[@Arkantos]

For some reason, dowser din't work for me, but bootstrapper-v2 works fine.

[@TomsTutorials]

Hmm interesting. Thanks for sharing that, I appreciate it

[@harbinger7115]

olha só quem ta ai kkkk

[@Arkantos]

Que isso meu jogo não é pirata não mano hahaha

[@naratrax8566]

I have a few questions since I have a problem with this. 1.) I can't find any mods registry in the folder. 2.) When extracting, and there is no note ++ appeared any solution?

[@LordGameboy]

Tried everything, but still launcher wont detect mods

[@andersonpassos772]

Soluton: launcher wont detect mods... Write the word "mod" in the folder and not "mods", it sounds silly but it is really necessary.

[@jansenreolada1687]

​@@andersonpassos772 I double-check it but same thing happen. I'm using 2.8 ver

[@infinitedeathloop5517]

@@jansenreolada1687 don't bring the / in front of the mod. Just do mod/modname not /mod/modname

[@TheToby121]

fitgirl repack doesnt have the install files for dowser to work. You will have to download a different version.

[@LoneWolfe245]

Not sure if anyone will read this but i think i have found a way to get the mods to work, i have the GOG version btw, 1. remove the Launcher by clicking on the launcher installer window, located in your Stellaris directory and selecting remove. 2. Install the mods manually like in this video 3. Lauch Stellaris using the dowser.exe in your Stellaris directory 4. Scoll down in the Launcher and select the mods you want to play with. 5.Repeat steps when you want to add a new mod. Ps. if someone found a less tedious way, im all ears but for now this is how it works for me. Hope this helps :)

[@greenn7179]

I found a better way how to do it, just do it as in the video kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2SWoGmNdpyMack it works on stellaris too... :)

[@jaroslavdrobny4085]

Actually worked - After some fiddeling around, mods work now! Good tutorial

[@andersonpassos772]

Soluton: launcher wont detect mods... Write the word "mod" in the folder and not "mods", it sounds silly but it is really necessary.

[@bearagainstnoise]

This is the only solution that actually worked, after wasting a full day to make it work. THANK YOU!!!

[@Beta_Mixes]

How I wished KZbin had a program that just silenced music in these type of videos...god dammit. Thanks a lot for the tutorial mate, saves me from a lot of trouble, bless you and your work!

[@therabbitlord9710]

I have having problems when it comes to adding more then one mod, they keep overwriting their Descriptor.mod file, can someone please help me.

[@therabbitlord9710]

Nevermind i got it, i just added a number to them like Descriptor.mod(1)

[@stevanstankoviii-2989]

still doenst work says the path in this mod descriptor file is invalid,i did exactly how you did

[@2complicated4u]

Did you find a solution?

[@richdenton4805]

Thank you soooo much for this! Even with the Lem update, this worked perfectly (although the launcher works a little differently now).

[@Kadir67_471]

Pls I did everythink, every step anything! But the mods wont show up on the Launcher pls help! Edit: it worked, i think the thinq you need to do was (if you have the same problem) to reinstall the launcher and install it in the Folder where you have stellaris installed.

[@tauren2839]

Man, you a Hero!!!

[@jorgen7702]

thanks!

[@as011aa3]

@Rqa0 mods in system drive? try admin privileges

[@hawklight8613]

I know that this vid is old but if someone could possibly help that would be great , when trying to mod my game , my mod files I extract don't have a note pad file They instead have a audio file and even though my launcher does detect them they are unusable, any help please ?

[@zokhartclips]

So my mods appear and can be enabled in the launcher, but when I launch the game is just vanilla, no mods. Does this work for the 2.8 version?

[@zokhartclips]

I hope you find a workaround soon because I can't, and I've been fiddling with Paradox's mod hub and it's absolutely garbage.

[@user-vp1bs1yt8h]

@@zokhartclips The same happens to me! I added the mods from Paradox Mods, the same as I have done with CK3 and HoI4, using the Paradox launcher .. but it doesn't work for me in Stellaris! I can enable and place them in playsets but when I play there is only vanilla :c I do not understand what happens, and that I have played previous versions with mods for a long time, now I am with 3.1

[@revanhawke666]

As of 2.6, this method doesn't seem to be working, launcher simply doesn't recognize the mods or even updates it's mods_registry.json. Please do another video

[@TomsTutorials]

Alright I'll look into it and post a new video when i figure it out. Thanks for letting me know. God I just LOVE this new launcher. Its such a pain

[@revanhawke666]

@@TomsTutorials i hope you can find a way. there are seems to be some (like creating a custom mod then putting the downloaded mod's file in it) but they are mostly high effort and cant even be deleted without fucking with json files... and yes, fuck this launcher so much. why do they even messing with something that isnt broke beyond me... thank you for everything and your reply

[@darkhean1507]

there many ways to make mods works your way is the easy and guess the most standard to do it but for users off steam it may be wrong as if you download the game from the paradox launcher the mod folder will go: on where you install the game and "Stelaris plaza/mod" as tom show you only put the mod folder on the path so it should work fine with no problem i know its 2022 this video was on 2019 to 2020 but better late than never

[@irisudo7725]

i did everything but the launcher said the file location failed or didnt existed

[@Mei_Zcm]

i have the same problem, any solution?

[@reyhanalexander3574]

My launcher always come up with "saving mod load order failed. Please verify the launcher has access to your documents folder." What do I suppose to do?

[@imagenigraphics]

Okay. I'm using 2.6 version and I don't know how I fixed it but it worked. So far this is what I did: 1. Using the launcher-install.json, select REMOVE and uninstall. yes, select the REMOVE. 2. Open dowser and it will ask you to install Paradox (After Step 1-2, it will ask you to restart your computer. It did on mine. Please proceed.) 3. After restarting, start dowser and your MOD is "probably" still not there. No matter, open/start Stellaris using dowser. 4. Once Stellaris opened up, EXIT the game. yes, exit the game. 5. Start dowser again and your MOD will appear. Just it did to mine. I hoped this helped. Good luck!

[@MAJ0RTOM]

This worked for me, thanks.

[@MatheusTomaCuidado]

i have instaled my mods right , but they dont appear in the launcher

[@Sumire973]

I'm starting to suspect that the folder where the launcher actually reads the .mod file is set in another place., because when i did a test mod file from the launcher and i deleted it of documents mod folder the test mod was still visible in the launcher. I don't know what they were thinking, these changes makes manual mods installation unnecessarily complex, and it's especially annoying for GOG users, because they bought the game to enjoy it without DRM of any kind and most of the mods are on Steam Workshop.

[@TomsTutorials]

Yeah, I think they wanted to hurt the pirate users but in the end they also hurt everyone else who bought it on a platform other than steam. It's also disappointing that this issue must be known by now, but they do nothing to simplify it. On the contrary, it seems like every few updates they make it a little more complicated

[@whyamihere555]

I did everything you told me to (except I already had 46 mods with the folders in a workshop/content/281990 folder I made before and the files in the mod folder, so I didn't do the "change path" part) but the registry didn't update.

[@obamna7734]

I may have been using computers and been gaming most my life but i am a total boomer when it comes to mods thanks so much man EDIT ok so like I'm big goof just use the workshop it's so simple

[@ncrusador]

omg i got so frustrated.. FINALLY worked!! i just tried to combo every possible solution i was reading in comments, and right before i gave up, i got it. i wish i could help others too but im so confused of what steps actually mattered from these 2 hours experimenting. Tiny Outliner v2 ! {i dont have the game through steam} [Sebtember 23th 2020] [Stellaris v2.7.2]

[@pudy2487]

the mods_registry file doesn't seem to want to update for me. It worked pre-2.6 so maybe there was a change that broke this method?

[@vanderosemaera1839]

Hi, i'm having problem, the launcher keep updating with internet each time, i mean the dowser launcher, and after i cant play there is a red triangular icon saying they cant be sure i'm owning the dlc... and the launcher not want let me play the ame and start.... and by defaut the downser doesnt even works it write a mistake error acces, i'm using the fitgirl repack crack and it's a gog game version type.... i downloaded a launcher installer but this one update online the launcher constantly and it kill my cracked game :'(

[@Steampunkrat12]

Dose not work. followed the instructions precisely, but they still refuse to work at all.

[@ivo-fv8xz]

what if the paradox launcher (desktop shortcut) tells me i don´t have stellaris?

[@rdgq.1265]

done everything ad ran the dowser multiple times but in the mods_registry.json the mods don't show up

[@TomsTutorials]

This method seems to have stopped working since version 2.6

[@maddorori817]

this was really helpful thank you! now I can finally make my Overtuned Necrophages :DDD

[@thealien2411]

my dowser.exe when i click on it, it doesnt do anything.

[@joebno3]

It keeps saying the wizard ended prematurely and no modifications have been made.

[@comradeeraenvoid]

I extracted it but there is no .mod folder what should I do?

[@Ariel_Rodrigues]

you fixed that?

[@regularpanda2514]

Why is steam workshop download not also giving me the .mod file? I am able to mod it with mods I got from sky mod but not steam workshop.

[@Kokorocodon]

To make it work, make sure you are placing both the folder AND the .mod file together in the mod folder.

[@Zury1ogen]

Just asking, I dont have the mod.json file, is not present after the install (GOG btw)

[@TomsTutorials]

Hmmm, I believe the mod.json files come with mods you download, NOT the game itself. Try rewatching the tutorial from start to finish, if you still have issues let me know and I'll do my best to help

[@Zury1ogen]

Thanks for the reply, but i found out how to make the mods work. Thanks anyways.

[@zaxtinhazelhof6006]

i dont have mod registry json

[@tommavares1516]

can no longer with version 2.6 release a new method please

[@kraidith2044]

All I had to do was uninstall the paradox v2 launcher and I can use mods easily again thank you yay!!!!

[@adamweyland8606]

When I extract I don't get a folder and .mod I get a bunch of random folders. How do you install multiple mods without overwriting the descriptor

[@nikolasx3334]

i cant find the mods regisrty.json folder somebody help

[@edbusta5982]

Idk what im doing wrong...the mod im downloading comes with 1 folder the .mod folder is in that folder i tried taking the .mod out of the folder and putting it next to it i renamed the folder to the string and going into notepad and doing the/mod/string thing but its still not showing up on the launcher.

[@vanderosemaera1839]

Ok i managed to figure out how to create the mod correctly in the mod folder and how extract and replace the downloaded mod file and content to the mod folder i created and renamed ect, now my only problem is the '( launcher) it just keep updating to the max level each time i reinstall it, i tried when i have steam connected, and steam logged out but same it keep updating himself the launcher... i can play the mod with the 15 dlc from the stellaris .exe but my problem is i want to play with MODS not just DLC but this damn launcher update himself constantly and not want start with mod and always say we are not sure you own the 15 dlc i dont understand why ...

[@Jesusisbob]

im having a stroke i keep getting missing descriptor file so none of my mods will work

[@tark8985]

distplatform to pdx thing didnt work for me any help

[@lordnathan1]

I can't figure it out. I have the GoG version. So i put the zip file in the mod folder then unzipped it then did as you said to change for the .mod the path to read the mod name. I honestly need help, if you're able to help me that be great. Stellaris has been the only game giving me issues with mods. Most games i can get it to work just fine. But when i load the launcher it shows the mod in the mange all mods tab but it won't let me enable it. It doesn't appear anywhere. I'm not good at this stuff

[@LoardiStudio]

thank you very much for your guide, I wanted to ask I did everything but when I go to start the game I get stuck on the writing Stellaris, I tried to remove everything I play and data folder but nothing, could you advise me how to do it? thank you 👍

[@MrMuzzijutt]

this is great after spending a lot of time this finally works. thanks alot

[@rodjakemasayon4037]

I installed this on December 2019 but unable to play and now 2 months passed I finally played this fcking game. The problem was that I didn't install the launcher at the stellaris folder and now I installed it in stellaris directory cause you mention it in the video and it work!. Gonna end this comment because I gonna fck this game hard hahaha. But anyways thanks for very detailed video 💯

[@Kokorocodon]

You sir! Are an genius! Have a good day!

[@neonkong7617]

I do not have a mod registry folder tho?

[@ludmilamanni8980]

when i opened dowser.exe i had an error told me that i didnt have steam open, but it was open

[@TomsTutorials]

Check mods_registry.json to see if its blank or not

[@ludmilamanni8980]

@@TomsTutorials its not blank

[@TomsTutorials]

@@ludmilamanni8980 Then try to run your game. I believe it will work

[@TomsTutorials]

Also, in my testing, the launcher only acted that way 'when steam was' up if you did something wrong in the process. If your mod doesnt work, i recommend starting the process again, from the part where I talk about uninstalling/installing the launcher

[@TomsTutorials]

I just realized I forgot to mention something in the tutorial. If you get that error and you did everything else right, its okay. But now you have to run the game like normal, without the launcher, and you will be able to play the game with mods. You can do that by clicking on the icon on your desktop, searching for it in the search menu, or running it from the EXE file which is in the folder you downloaded Stellaris in

[@andreskill15]

Hi 2022 here, finally after a while i was able to make it work, at launcher start you should create a new batch to play and you can select the mods to enable.

[@gameplayandreview]

I have a GOG version 2.6.3.2 Mod aren't displayed in the launcher!

[@muhammadapriputrakurniawan2222]

is there a way to change the directory for the mod folder? instead of reading it on "DOCUMENTS" it should be somewhere else. i coulda sworn i tried this with battletech, so it should be doable, theyre from the same developer anyway.

[@stalkinsdawkins3469]

Does this work on Mac or anyone with a Mac added mods to Stellaris?

[@lextutor4682]

Star Trek New Horizons mod is working (with Stellaris GOG version) but when I try ST:NH Romulans GUI mod it works in loading screen but when I try to load game from save or start new game then game crashes every time when loading up. I can see both mods in launcher but the Rumlans Gui crash the game when turned ON in loader. Any ideas how to make Romulans GUI mod to work on GOG Stellaris version with Star Trek New Horizons?

[@TomsTutorials]

My guess is the mod is outdated or you are missing some required mods. Double check then let me know if it works

[@jansenreolada1687]

is anyone did this method using 2.8.1? Pls, I wanna know if this method is still working for the new game patch.

[@antonc1777]

Tom, i have already done this process and when I open the mods_registry.jason it have the description of the mod, but when I run the game it does not work, i have the 10,000 star´s gallaxy and dont appear?. Can you help me? Thanks a lot.

[@TomsTutorials]

ill look into it right now

[@TomsTutorials]

Make sure steam is closed, then try this Go to where your stellaris.exe is and open laucher-settings.json and edit "distPlatform": "steam" , to "distplatform": "pdx" , then launch dowser.exe

[@antonc1777]

@@TomsTutorials thanks, I really appreciate it, l'll inform you if it works

[@TomsTutorials]

@@antonc1777 Yeah no problem. Let me know if it doesnt and we can try to come up with something :)

[@antonc1777]

@@TomsTutorials it works, thanks a lot!! ! Now I have to find mods version 2.5 exactly, do you know where can I found mod in some exact version.

[@gokkiyoutube]

Where do i get the .mod file?

[@Bonbayash]

How i do if i don't have the stellaris launcher?

[@TomsTutorials]

First check I suggest you watch the entire video, I probably talked about what you are confused about. Second, check to see which version of Stellaris you are using. If you are on version 2.5+ then this Will work, check the comments if you need more help. If your Stellaris version is BELOW 2.5, check my channel, I have a video on how to add mods for that. If none of this helps idk what to do. This should be enough

[@nesra8786]

In honor of your tutorial I shall grant my first leader the name of... Emperor Tom of the unmoddable empire!

[@TomsTutorials]

Lol thanks I'm really confused because many of the new comments still say that it works, so idk. Kind of figured it was user error. Ill try to look more into it to find out whats happening

[@kraidith2044]

I’m just sad I can’t do the simple way of booting up the game and it going to the launcher then activating however many mods I want but now I can’t do that for some reason and I have to do this which isn’t that bad

[@whitewolfdesigns]

thx man!!!!! working in 3.6 changing "distPlatform" to "pdx"

[@Ealdorman_of_Mercia]

Website is down..

[@hieuphungminh6690]

Does anyone meet an error when they try to install the launcher in the game directory? I can install it in the default folder but not the game folder itself.

[@TomsTutorials]

I havent encountered this problem yet. I'd suggest trying it and see how it goes. Please let me know if it works or doesnt work

[@stargun7235]

@@TomsTutorials yeah I have the same problem

[@joseeduardosalgado4250]

and when it doesn't have the .mod file in the tablet what do I do? I had problems with some mods like the Sins of a prophets trying to create it but they don't work and before yes, could you help me or where could I find the solution?

[@TomsTutorials]

Have you tried both ways of downloading the mod manually?

[@joseeduardosalgado4250]

@@TomsTutorials yes, but the document comes with the main folder of the mod, but not the .mod file, try the other method of the last version using the .zip file and the .mod file and in that way link them and it seems that somehow it works but I don't know if it's stable, excuse my spelling mistakes, I'm Spanish speaking and I'm not very good at English, anyway thanks crack.

[@TomsTutorials]

@@joseeduardosalgado4250 If the document comes with the main folder, you should be able to copy it and paste it where the .mod file is suppose to be, then change the path/archive to be the right location. Let me know if that works

[@keklord6074]

Thank you sir! it worked perfectly.

[@ionmaster7873]

Man, thank you so much, you helped a lot

[@jokubas4309]

Should this work with 2,6 version ?

[@mfobronze2193]

Dude my mds are activated but in game it doesn't work and I just don't know why what happened, because I did everything right, sorry for any mistake I used the google translator to send a message, my version is 1.7.2

[@TomsTutorials]

Check the pinned comment on this video, and try reading more comments if that doesnt help. This method IS working for people on latest version

[@webster0303]

Seems this is no good for the game pass version

[@luisphelipe7566]

Files do not have path = "workshop / content / 281990/1627919748 / sww2.zip"

[@TomsTutorials]

Yeah the path is incorrect. Instead of that path, do this one instead. "Stellaris/mod/1627919748"

[@TovenDo.O.Video-]

It's funny how now you have to literally hack into the game to install mods

[@seantyson9962]

How do you install star trek new horizons the .mod wasn't in the download

[@TomsTutorials]

Try downloading it from both of the sites I mentioned

[@jpi172]

NOT WORKING AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!

[@javierduran3467]

and what about the version 2.7.2?

[@TomsTutorials]

It should work. Check the pinned message if you are having trouble

[@babynepoo]

helppp.. I did everything, but still can't

[@illyrian44]

Mods dont show up

[@mrneko2506]

How i make descriptor for 2 mods?

[@darsi8724]

When I click "Play" the game doesnt launch, any tips on that ?

[@TomsTutorials]

Hmm thats odd. Check the comment that I pinned to the top of the comment section. If that doesn't help, try the process all over again from the beginning, following the video exactly, including which mod I got.

[@darsi8724]

@@TomsTutorials I already figured it out..thanks for your help

[@TomsTutorials]

@@darsi8724 Good to hear. Sorry for the lag, I wish I could have helped sooner. What was the issue?

[@darsi8724]

@@TomsTutorials Ive accidentally done it wrong, so with the mods enabled the game wouldnt even start, so I deleted everything and started over, and it worked

[@TomsTutorials]

@@darsi8724 Oh alright. Thanks for letting me know :)

[@Crow4o]

This is not working at all Stellaris version 2.7

[@TomsTutorials]

Check the comments. Some people have said it worked and shared how they did it. If it still doesn't work please let me know

[@Crow4o]

@@TomsTutorials I changed "distPlatform": "pdx", and now the dowser.exe is not giving me an error when starting but still no mods. What about the folder that I used to store mods Stellaris\workshop\content\281990 ? Not to mention there are mods that have no .mod file in them what do you do with those mods ? Like Planetary Diversity mod it has no .mod file in it.

[@091kevinkaonedy7]

i cant find the Mod.registry in my Stellaris directory :(

[@primerabel7366]

same here no mod.registry file

[@lextutor4682]

@@primerabel7366 Mod.registry file should be in your Documents folder - something like this ->(C:\Users\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Stellaris) if you didn't make some changes in Windows with location of user documents folder.

[@josepietro6438]

Por fin alguien que de hecho sabe de lo que habla. Gracias broo

[@dqlexander5923]

hola bro, se que te respondo despues de 2 años, pero podrias decirme como? no le entiendo mucho al ingles.

[@josepietro6438]

@@dqlexander5923 I just said "finally someone that actualy knows wath is talking about" I ment thanks broo for the video.

[@-kindredeternalhunter9907]

can i do it for cracked version ?

[@TomsTutorials]

Ye

[@-kindredeternalhunter9907]

@@TomsTutorials can u get me link, i cant launch game using dowser

[@Fantasest]

okay for ppl who doesn't work example : path="workshop/content/281990/2183865556/" edit : path=mod/281990/2183865556" still work 12/8/2020

[@johnsmith-zw2vm]

When I extracted the files they didnt come with the Text Notepad part and I tried 2 different mods on both of the links instead I got an Image for it?'

[@primerabel7366]

@tom can u help me or anyone who have any idea whats happening as im heaving this problem, the mods work and a big thanks to ur video as most of the people come here and it helps a lot. my mods work but any ships in any mod doesnt show weapons slots/empty Slots and cant be filled, shield and armour slots r fine but weapon slots r empty. i no this is not the place to ask this but as many people visit this video id appriciate any help. im usuing 2.6.3 version and yes the mods i use r updated to latest version. thanks tom for this video it helps a lot.

[@larkalfen9510]

honestly that new launcher is PAIN IN THE ASS

[@SomethingNameArchived]

Yea, unlike minecraft modloader which is far easier to install than in paradox games

[@giancarloribeirobrito659]

not work anymore

[@santiagoperotti1684]

Works fine for me, thanks a lot

[@leonardofonseca2897]

Thank you man

[@pidgey-4162]

bro i love u thx

[@dominiksalaga52]

Ty Bro it works.

[@gearzixx8827]

Cant just us winrar ?

[@TomsTutorials]

You can. I prefer 7zip so I included how to install it, if users dont have any program that can open zip files

[@Steampunkrat12]

So complicated to get mods to work. I hate it when games update.

[@stargun7235]

It's not working

[@TomsTutorials]

What issue are you having