How to Install Mods on StarRupture

StarRupture has no official mod support yet, but the community has built a real scene on Nexus Mods — stack size increases, cheaper upgrades, rail fixes, HUD tools and more. Some of it runs on your server. This guide explains which, and how.

Caution

Back up your world before installing anything. StarRupture is in Early Access and game updates can break mod loaders. A mod that changes items or buildings can also make a save unloadable once it’s removed. See Creating Backups.

1. Know the three kinds of StarRupture mod

Mod type	How to spot it	Where it goes
Pak mod	The download contains .pak (often with .ucas and .utoc) files	Server and/or player PCs, in the Paks/~mods folder
UE4SS script or Blueprint mod	Contains a Scripts or LogicMods folder and requires UE4SS	Player PCs only
DLL / mod-loader plugin	Contains .dll files, requires AlienX’s Mod Loader or similar	Player PCs; see Mod loaders for the server

Most gameplay mods on Nexus are pak mods. Start there.

2. Server-side or client-side?

StarRupture is a server-authoritative game. That changes what a mod needs:

• Changes to game rules — stack sizes, crafting costs, building stats, rail speeds — must be on the server. Players usually need the same pak too, or their UI shows the old values and things desync.
• Pure HUD and visual mods — compass bars, timers, overlays, intro skips — go on player PCs only. Putting them on the server does nothing.

The mod page on Nexus normally says which. If it says “multiplayer-aware” or “dedicated-server support”, it belongs on the server. If it only talks about your HUD or camera, it doesn’t. When in doubt, install it on both.

3. Install a pak mod on the server

1. Download the mod from Nexus and check the version matches the current game build. Mods built for an earlier StarRupture version often crash the server on load.
2. Log in to the Nitro Panel and stop your server.
3. Open the Files tab and navigate to StarRupture/Content/Paks/.
4. Create a folder named ~mods if it doesn’t exist. The tilde is part of the name.
5. Upload the mod’s .pak file (and .ucas / .utoc if included) into ~mods. If the download is a zip, upload it, choose Unarchive, then move the pak files up so they sit directly inside ~mods, and delete the zip.
6. Start the server.

The mod filenames below are illustrative examples, not verified mod downloads. Use the filenames supplied by your chosen mod.

StarRupture/
└── Content/
    └── Paks/
        ├── StarRupture-Windows.pak       ← game files, don't touch
        └── ~mods/
            ├── BiggerStacks_P.pak
            └── CheaperUpgrades_P.pak

Tip

Pak mods load in alphabetical order. If two mods change the same thing, the one that sorts last wins. Rename with a zzz_ prefix to force a mod to load last.

4. Confirm the mod loaded

Watch the Console tab as the server starts. Look for a mounted-pak message containing your mod’s filename. This is an illustrative log example, not captured server output:

LogPakFile: Display: Mounted Pak file '../../../StarRupture/Content/Paks/~mods/BiggerStacks_P.pak'

If your mod’s filename isn’t in a Mounted Pak file line, the server never saw it — it’s in the wrong folder or the ~mods folder is misspelled. If the server crashes immediately after mounting it, the mod isn’t compatible with the current game version.

5. Tell your players what to install

Gameplay pak mods need to be on every player’s PC too. Players install them into the same folder in their game install:

Steam\steamapps\common\StarRupture\StarRupture\Content\Paks\~mods\

Share the mod author’s download link and the exact version with your players. StarRupture has no automatic mod syncing, so everyone has to match the server by hand. A player with a mismatched or missing mod will typically load in with wrong stack sizes or costs, and may desync or crash when interacting with modded content.

Note

Vortex has a StarRupture extension that installs pak mods to the right folder automatically. It’s a good way for players to keep their mods matching your server.

Mod loaders and DLL plugins

Tools like AlienX’s Mod Loader, UE4SS and the ServerUtility plugin (RCON, server query, security patches) work by injecting a .dll into the game process. On player PCs they install like any other Windows mod.

On the server they’re a different story. Your StarRupture server is the Windows build running under a compatibility layer on Linux, and DLL injection needs an override on our side to work. Ask support to confirm compatibility for the specific plugin.

If you want a DLL-based server plugin, open a ticket and tell us which one. Don’t upload .dll files to the server root yourself — they’ll be ignored at best, and can stop the server from starting.

Removing a mod

1. Stop the server.
2. Delete the mod’s pak files from StarRupture/Content/Paks/~mods/.
3. Have every player remove the same files.
4. Start the server.

Caution

Removing a mod that added or changed items can break a save that used them. Restore a backup from before the mod was installed if the world won’t load.

After a game update

Expect mods to break. When StarRupture patches:

1. Check each mod’s Nexus page for an update. Mod authors usually post within a day or two.
2. Remove any mod that hasn’t been updated — a stale pak is the most common cause of a server that crashes on start after a patch.
3. Reinstall updated versions, and remind players to update theirs.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause and fix
No Mounted Pak file line for the mod	Wrong folder, or ~mods misspelled. It must be StarRupture/Content/Paks/~mods/, tilde included.
Server crashes right after mounting a pak	Mod is built for a different game version. Remove it and check Nexus for an update.
Players see old stack sizes / costs	They don’t have the pak installed locally, or have an older version. Match the server’s files exactly.
Players desync or get kicked around modded machines	Same as above — a client/server mod mismatch.
Mod is a .dll or asks for a mod loader	Client-side only for now. See Mod loaders and DLL plugins for the server.
Everything broke after Tuesday’s patch	Expected. Remove mods, start the server, re-add them as authors update.

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Questions? Reach out on the support Discord or create a ticket.