How to Install Starfield Mods
🛠️ Prerequisites
🛠️ SFSE — Starfield Script ExtenderDownload ↗
🛠️ Community Patch — Starfield Community PatchDownload ↗
📦 Install Methods
1. Vortex (easiest)
- Install Vortex from the Nexus Mods website, log in with a free Nexus account, and in the Games tab select Starfield so Vortex points at the game folder (steamapps\common\Starfield).
- Go to the Nexus Mods page for any mod you want and click the 'Mod Manager Download' button so the archive lands in Vortex automatically.
- In Vortex's Mods tab click Enable on each mod; then open the Plugins tab and make sure every plugin (an .esm file) is ticked on — Vortex writes the plugins.txt list the game reads.
- If a mod's requirements say it needs the Starfield Script Extender (SFSE), install SFSE first by copying its files into the Starfield game folder, then set SFSE_loader.exe as the game's launch target in Vortex (Dashboard > the dropdown next to the Launch button).
- Click 'Deploy Mods' so Vortex places the files into the game's Data folder, then launch the game through Vortex using the SFSE button so script mods load.
- Whenever Starfield updates, check the game version against the SFSE version on the SFSE site and update both SFSE and any mods marked 'update required' before playing.
2. Mod Organizer 2 (most control)
- Install Mod Organizer 2 and create a Starfield instance, pointing it at the Starfield installation folder (steamapps\common\Starfield).
- Add Starfield Script Extender (SFSE) by installing it to the game folder, then register SFSE_loader.exe as a new executable in MO2 so you can launch the game through it.
- Download mods from Nexus Mods using the 'Mod Manager Download' option (or drag the archives in) and install them in MO2's left pane, clicking the mod's checkbox to make it active.
- In the right pane, enable each mod's plugin by ticking it, and drag plugins into the correct load order — mods that a file requires must sit above the mod that needs them.
- For loose-file mods (textures, UI, INI edits), confirm StarfieldCustom.ini in Documents\My Games\Starfield has the [Archive] loose-file settings so they actually load.
- Launch Starfield through SFSE_loader.exe inside MO2, and check the left pane for overwrite conflicts to choose which mod's files win.
3. Manual install (no mod manager)
- Open Documents\My Games\Starfield and create StarfieldCustom.ini if it does not exist yet — this is where the game reads custom INI settings.
- Add a [Archive] section to StarfieldCustom.ini with bInvalidateOlderFiles=1 and sResourceDataDirsFinal= so loose files in the Data folder are loaded.
- Install the Starfield Script Extender (SFSE) by extracting its files into the Starfield game folder so the SFSE DLLs sit next to Starfield.exe (keep the Data subfolder intact).
- Copy each mod's .esm plugin and any loose files into the game's Data folder at steamapps\common\Starfield\Data — not the Data folder under Documents.
- Open Documents\My Games\Starfield\plugins.txt and add the plugin's filename (the .esm with its full name) to the list so Starfield loads it.
- Launch the game with SFSE_loader.exe every time, because Steam's play button starts the base game without SFSE and script mods will not run.
- When two mods edit the same thing, keep the one you want to win later in the load order at the bottom of plugins.txt, and keep the SFSE version matched to the current game version after every update.
📦 Mod Managers
Most Starfield mods install through Vortex or Mod Organizer 2 — they handle file placement and load order automatically. Manual install means dropping files into your game's mod/data folder.
🛠️ Tool & Loader Guides
❓ Install FAQ
Do I need a mod manager for Starfield?
A mod manager is recommended but not always required.
What order do I install mods?
Foundations and script extenders first, then patches/overhauls, then visual mods last. Use LOOT or your mod manager's sort.
Are Starfield mods free?
Yes — every mod listed on discovermods is free. We link to official download pages.