Mastering the Chaos: The Definitive Guide to Manually Installing Mods in Oxygen Not Included For many colonists, the cycle is simple: you download a mod from the Steam Workshop, it updates automatically, and you go back to suffocating your dupes in style. But what happens when you don’t use Steam? What happens when a Steam update breaks your favorite total conversion mod? Or when you want to preserve a specific version of a mod because the developer just removed your favorite feature? Welcome to the world of manual mod installation. While Oxygen Not Included (ONI) has a thriving Steam Workshop community, knowing how to manually install mods is a superpower. It grants you version control, access to non-Steam mods, and the ability to organize your mod folder like a digital architect. In this guide, we’re going under the hood. We’re going to bypass the launchers and the "Subscribe" buttons to get our hands dirty with file directories, manifest files, and folder structures. Why Install Manually? Before we start dragging and dropping, let’s understand why you would do this.
The DRM-Free Factor: You bought the game on GOG or the Epic Games Store. You don’t have the luxury of the "Subscribe" button. You need to install mods the old-school way. Version Locking: Klei updates ONI frequently. Sometimes, these updates break complex mods (like the classic "Twitch Integration" or massive overhauls). If a mod updates on Steam to fix a bug, but that fix breaks your specific save file, manual installation allows you to keep the older, working version of the mod. Troubleshooting: If you’ve ever been stuck on the "Loading..." screen with a mod conflict, knowing how to navigate the Mods folder manually is essential for debugging and deleting corrupt files.
Step 1: Locating the Core Directory Unlike some games that hide mods deep in system folders, ONI is respectful of your user data. Whether you are on Steam or GOG, the game saves its mod data in a unified location. You need to find your ONI User Data Folder . For Windows Users:
Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. Type %USERPROFILE% and hit Enter. Navigate to: Documents > Klei > OxygenNotIncluded . oxygen not included how to install mods manually
Alternatively, you can paste this path directly into your file explorer address bar: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Klei\OxygenNotIncluded For Mac Users: Navigate to: ~/Library/Application Support/unity.Klei.Oxygen Not Included/ For Linux Users: Navigate to: ~/.config/unity3d/Klei/Oxygen Not Included/ Once inside, look for a folder named mods . If you have never installed a mod before, this folder might not exist yet. If it doesn't, simply create a new folder and name it mods (lowercase is standard).
Step 2: Understanding the "Local" Folder Open the mods folder. Inside, you will likely see folders like Steam (where your Workshop downloads go). To manually install a mod, you will almost always be working inside the Local folder.
Path: .../OxygenNotIncluded/mods/Local Mastering the Chaos: The Definitive Guide to Manually
If a Local folder does not exist, create it now. This is the sanctuary for all mods that you manually curate. The game engine specifically scans this folder for non-Steam content.
Step 3: The Anatomy of a Mod Before you dump files in, you need to understand what a "mod" actually looks like to the game engine. A functioning mod is a folder containing files . It is not a single file. When you download a mod from a site like Nexus Mods or the Klei Forums , it will usually come compressed in a .zip or .rar archive. The Golden Rule: A valid mod folder must contain a file named mod_info.yaml or mod.yaml directly inside it. This file tells the game the mod's name, version, and description. The Wrong Way:
Local > ModName_v1.0.zip (The game cannot read zipped files!) Local > ModName_v1.0 > ModName > mod_info.yaml (Double folder nesting—the game sees a folder, but not the mod info). Or when you want to preserve a specific
The Right Way:
Local > ModName > mod_info.yaml (This is correct).