📖 Stop Fumbling: Don’t Starve Mods Made Simple

🚀 Quick-Start Guide (All Platforms)

PC (Steam) – 30-Second Mod Install

Console – No Mod Support

Non-Steam or Offline

🎮 Installing Mods in Don't Starve (Single Player, RoG, Shipwrecked, Hamlet)

The base Don't Starve game and its single-player expansions (Reign of Giants, Shipwrecked, and Hamlet) share the same mod system. If you've got the Steam version, you have access to an entire Workshop full of mods. Here's how to get them running:

Steam Workshop Method (Automatic)

1. Subscribe to mods on Steam: Steam Workshop is the easiest gateway to mods. In Steam, go to the Don't Starve Workshop (you can find it via the game's Library page under "Workshop"). Find a mod you like – for example "Always On Status" (a popular HUD tweak) – and click + Subscribe. Steam will download the mod files immediately into your game's folder.
   Pro Tip: You can subscribe to multiple mods quickly. No need to restart the game for each – subscribe to as many as you want, then launch the game once after.
2. Launch the game and enable mods: Start Don't Starve. On the main menu, click Mods. You'll see a list of all subscribed mods. Newly subscribed ones will say "DISABLED" initially. Click each mod to read its description and ensure it's compatible with your DLCs (most Workshop mods are marked as compatible with RoG/SW/Hamlet – the mod page or description often lists this, or the modinfo file does).
   
   Now, tick the checkbox next to the mod's name to enable it. The mod's entry should highlight (and in older versions, show a green "Enabled" tag). You can enable multiple mods at once.
3. Apply and play: After checking the mods you want, click Apply or OK. The game may warn you about using mods (a disclaimer that mods are user-made content – proceed with "I Understand"). Then, start a New Game or Continue an existing one. Enabled mods will now be active in-game. Enjoy the new content or features!

Manual Mod Installation (Non-Steam or Custom Mods)

Manual mod installation means placing mod files into the correct folder yourself. It's actually what Steam does behind the scenes when you subscribe, so you won't be doing anything exotic – just copying files.

1. Download the mod files: Mods might be distributed as a .zip archive or a folder. Trusted sources include the Klei Forums (Mods section), where modders sometimes upload their work, or third-party sites like NexusMods. Ensure you download from a reputable source (mods are code, so stick to known community hubs to avoid malicious files).
2. Locate your mods folder: Navigate to your Don't Starve installation directory and find the mods folder. Common locations:
   Windows (Steam): C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Don't Starve\mods\
   Mac OS X (Steam): ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/Don't Starve/dont_starve.app/Contents/mods/
   Linux (Steam): ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/Don't Starve/mods/
   Standalone (non-Steam): Wherever you installed the game, there will be a mods folder (e.g., C:\Games\DontStarve\mods\)
3. Install the mod into mods folder: Take that extracted mod folder (e.g. "ExampleMod") and put the whole folder into the mods directory. The folder name becomes the mod's identifier (Steam often names these as "workshop-123456789" for Workshop items, but you can name a custom one anything, ideally something simple with no spaces).
   Important: Double-check the folder structure: it should be mods\ExampleMod\modinfo.lua (plus other files). If instead you have an extra nested folder like mods\ExampleMod\ExampleMod\modinfo.lua, that's wrong – fix the hierarchy so that modinfo.lua is one level below mods.
4. Enable the mod in-game: Launch Don't Starve, go to Mods menu. You should see "ExampleMod" in the list now (if not, the game isn't seeing your folder – recheck the path). Enable it by ticking the checkbox, then Apply. The game might tag it as a local mod. It will also warn if the mod is outdated or not from Workshop – that's okay, enable anyway (at your own risk).

👥 Installing Mods in Don't Starve Together (Multiplayer)

Don't Starve Together (DST) uses the same fundamental mod structure but adds multiplayer complexity. There are two types of mods here: Client mods (which only affect your own game view/UI) and Server mods (which affect gameplay and require everyone in the server to have them). DST's interface distinguishes these, and installing mods can involve a few more steps if you host servers.

Steam Workshop – DST Edition

If you're playing DST through Steam (the vast majority do), the initial mod subscription process is the same as single-player:

1. Subscribe to DST mods on Steam: Go to the Don't Starve Together Workshop on Steam. It's a separate hub from single-player DS (DST's Steam App ID is different). Subscribe to the mods you want. Popular picks include Geometric Placement (for base-building gridlines) and Combined Status (consolidated stats HUD). Steam will download these mods. You might notice the files go into a folder named workshop-<ID> under DST's mods directory (don't worry, that's normal).
2. Launch DST and find mods in menu: Open Don't Starve Together. Click Mods on the main menu. DST's mod screen will list mods under two tabs or sections:
   • Client Mods: These affect only your client (things like interface improvements, graphics tweaks). You can enable client mods regardless of the server you join; they don't need server approval.
   • Server Mods: These affect world gameplay (new items, monsters, balance changes, etc.). These can only run on a server if the host enables them. If you're not the host, you can't toggle these on yourself; you'll get them automatically when joining a modded server.

   You'll see your subscribed mods categorized accordingly (the mod author sets a flag deciding if it's client-only or server-required). Enable the ones you want by clicking their checkboxes. Client mods will instantly toggle on. Server mods, if you're just a client on someone else's server, won't do anything until you host a world with them.

3. Hosting a game with mods: If you plan to host a DST world (whether online for friends or just offline solo), you need to enable mods for that server specifically:
   • Go to Host Game > set up a New World or use an existing world slot.
   • In the world customization screen, there's a Mods tab (alongside the Settings, Forest, Cave tabs, etc.). Click Mods and you'll see two lists: Client Mods and Server Mods.
   • For any Server Mod you want active in that world, click to enable it. A green "ENABLED" label will appear next to it. (Client mods can also be toggled here for your convenience, but those are just your local preference; enabling client mods here doesn't force them on anyone else).
   • Generate World or Save changes. The server will now launch with those mods.

   When players join your server, the game will check which Workshop mods are enabled on the server, and automatically download any they don't have. (They'll see a progress bar like "Downloading Mod 123456…" when connecting). This ensures everyone has the content needed. It's seamless when it works – but if a player has trouble downloading, see our troubleshooting later.

4. Play and enjoy: Once the server is up, mods will be doing their thing. Perhaps you'll see a minimap HUD on screen, or new creatures roaming about, depending on mods. Clients can also still toggle their client-side mods (like UI skins or geometry alignment aids) without affecting others.

🖥️ Dedicated Servers (Advanced, for DST Hosts)

Running a dedicated DST server (separate from the game client) is popular for persistent worlds. Installing mods on a dedicated server is a bit different since there's no GUI Workshop browser. Here's how to do it:

1. Use the dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua: In the DST Dedicated Server files, there is a script file (usually in the mods/ folder of the server installation) called dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua. Open that in a text editor. You'll add lines for each mod you want the server to download. The syntax:
   ServerModSetup("WorkshopID")

   Replace WorkshopID with the mod's ID number from the Steam Workshop URL. For example, Geometric Placement (DST) has an ID = 351325790 (just an example). So you'd put:

   ServerModSetup("351325790")

   on its own line. Do this for all server-side mods you want. Save the file.

   Now, when the server starts up, it will connect to Steam and download those mods into the mods directory (you'll see it create workshop-351325790 folders, etc.).

2. Enable mods with modoverrides.lua: Downloading isn't enough; the server also needs to load the mods. This is where the modoverrides.lua file comes in. In your server's cluster directory (the cluster is essentially the save/world configuration), find or create a file named modoverrides.lua in the Master shard folder (and in Caves shard folder too, if you have caves).

   This Lua file should return a table of mods to enable, plus any custom settings. Here's a simple example:

   return {
       ["workshop-351325790"] = { enabled = true },  -- Geometric Placement
       ["workshop-123456789"] = { enabled = true }  -- Example Mod
   }

   Each key is the workshop ID of a mod (prefixed with "workshop-"), and the value { enabled = true } just tells the server to turn it on. This corresponds to checking the box in a GUI.

   If you need to configure mod options, you can add a configuration_options sub-table. For instance, if a mod has a setting "Size = small/medium/large", you'd do:

   ["workshop-123456789"] = {
       enabled = true,
       configuration_options = { Size = "large" }
   },

   The specifics of options come from the mod's documentation. But most mods work with defaults if you omit config options.

3. Start the server: Launch your dedicated server as usual (e.g., via the command line or a server tool). Mods will download (the first time) and enable according to your config. If everything is set up right, your server is now running with mods. Clients who join will automatically download the same mods (from Steam) if they don't have them – this is handled by the server and game client.
4. Keep mods updated: You'll need to periodically restart the server to get mod updates. The server doesn't hot-reload mods during runtime. If a mod gets an update, the log on startup will say it's downloading a new version. If a mod is removed from Workshop or an ID is wrong, the server log will throw an error – watch the console for any "Workshop: Download Failed" messages.

🔧 Troubleshooting Mods

✨ Bonus Tips & Tools for Mod Users

Mods can do everything from quality-of-life improvements to total game conversions. Here are some extra tips and tools to enhance your modding experience in Don't Starve and DST:

Finally, remember that mods are meant to enhance fun. Mix and match to create your perfect Don't Starve experience – whether that's making it harder, easier, or just sillier. Want a full cast of characters from Terraria or Pokemon in your game? Mods. Want to turn DST into a farming sim? Mods. Just always double-check mod compatibility and backup your worlds, and you'll be golden.

📝 Recent Patch History

This table highlights how Klei's ongoing updates interact with the mod ecosystem – generally ensuring stability and giving modders more tools. Keeping your game and mods updated is the best way to avoid issues.