How to Install Starfield Mods (Guide) 2023

How to Install Starfield Mods Using Vortex. Modding a Bethesda game has been going on for a long time, and Starfield is no exception. Even though the game is new compared to its predecessors, modders have already gotten their hands on it (before the official release) and are slowly starting to build mods to add more features to the game. Bethesda has said that mods will be fully supported, so learn how to set up your copy of Starfield mods. So that when good mods start coming out, you can easily download them and play them.

Before we move on, we need to take some steps, just like we did in our Baldur’s Gate 3 modding guide. This will make sure that we can go back to the original game files if we break them by chance. Also, keep in mind that Skyrim doesn’t have its own mod files like SKSE for Skyrim or FOSE for Fallout. We don’t talk about any of these files in this guide. Now, let’s get right to learning how to add mods to Starfield.

Table of Contents

Remember to Back Up Game Files Before Modding

First, make sure you have the most recent version of the game. Then, we’ll make a copy of the original game files so that if something goes wrong, we can put Starfield back to how it was. Now, here’s what you should do:

To find out what version of the game Starfield is, right-click on it in Steam and go to Properties.
Then, click “Updates” to see what version of the game you have. At the time of writing, Starfield’s early access build ID is 12051365.
Next, go back to Steam and right-click Starfield again.
Now, click Manage and choose the “Browse local files” choice.

How to Install Starfield Mods Using Vortex best to expert

Select everything in File Explorer and copy the files to a different place.

Lastly, make a different save file that doesn’t use the mods. You can’t change the names of saved files in Starfield, though. So, remember when you saved the game last so you don’t lose your progress.

How to Install Starfield Mods Using Vortex

Now that the backup is done, we need to put the Vortex Mod manager in place. It is a mod manager made by Nexus Mods that lets you install the best Starfield mods. You can see a list of these mods in the article mentioned above. Even though changes are still being made, we still need Vortex to install them. How it works is as follows:

Go to the page for Nexus Mod and download Vortex. It’s a one-stop shop for changing your game files since the software automatically figures out which game is installed on the machine. Make sure you have a Nexus Mod account before you start the download process.

Put Vortex on your computer and start it up. When you start up Starfield mods for the first time, a tool for making changes will appear on the right.
Choose Starfield, and then install the add-on. The mod manager will ask you to sign in to your Nexus Mod account, so make sure you are signed in.

Then, go to “Games->Select a game to manage” and look for “Starfield.” If you click it, you’ll be able to install the changes.

Next, go back to Nexus Mods and open any Starfield mods there.
When you install a mod straight from Nexus Mods, your browser will ask you to open the Vortex mod manager. Click “Open Link” and install the mods in the right way. Please make sure you follow the directions on the mod page.

If you follow the steps on the mod page correctly, you will have successfully changed Starfield and be able to play with the new features, shaders, or other changes you made.

How to Mod Starfield Using an INI Script

As of when this piece was written, several mods that change Starfield use a “ini” file in the My Games folder. Follow these steps if you want to do it yourself and do things like change the FOV in Starfield:

Open File Explorer and go to “My Documents” first.
Then, look for the folder called “My Games” and open it.

You can find the Starfield folder under this folder. Try it.

Then, at the top of the screen, click “View” and turn on the “File name extensions” option.

Now, right-click this folder and choose “New Text File” from the menu.
Name this file “StarfieldCustom” and don’t forget to add “.ini” to the end to change the name.

When you install a mod from now on, the mod author should have some ini script written in the directions on the mod page. Copy those scripts, then open your StarfieldCustom file and put them inside. Be sure to keep it. This should change your Starfield file and give you a different game experience than normal.