The fastest way to add mods to Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 mods go into a single folder on your computer, and most mods work through a tool called Mod Manager. Download the mod files you want, place them in the right folder, and the game loads them when you start a new playthrough. You cannot add mods to a save that's already in progress — mods only work on new games.

The process takes about 10 minutes once you know where the folder is. The hardest part is usually finding mods you actually want, not installing them.

Key Takeaways

  • Baldur's Gate 3 mods live in a Mods folder inside your game directory, and you can create this folder yourself if it doesn't exist yet.
  • Most mods require Mod Manager, a free tool you download separately and run before launching the game.
  • Mods only work on new playthroughs — you cannot add them to a save already in progress.
  • Nexus Mods is the main site where people share Baldur's Gate 3 mods, and files there come with instructions specific to each mod.
  • If a mod breaks your game, delete the mod file from the Mods folder and start a new game to test.

Finding and downloading mods from Nexus Mods

Nexus Mods is where most Baldur's Gate 3 mods are hosted. Go to nexusmods.com, search for Baldur's Gate 3, and browse the mod list. Each mod has a page with a description, screenshots, and a download button. Click the download button and save the file to your computer — usually it goes to your Downloads folder by default.

Read the mod description before downloading. Some mods conflict with each other, and the author usually says so. Some mods need other mods to work first — these are called dependencies, and the page will list them. If a mod says it needs another mod, download that one too.

You do not need a Nexus Mods account to download most mods, but creating one is free and lets you track which mods you've downloaded and rate them. The site will ask if you want to create an account the first time you download.

Locating your Baldur's Gate 3 Mods folder

The Mods folder sits inside your Baldur's Gate 3 game directory. On Windows, this is usually at C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur's Gate 3\Mods. The AppData folder is hidden by default, so you need to show hidden files first.

To show hidden files on Windows: Open File Explorer, click the View tab at the top, then check the box next to "Hidden items". Now you can navigate to the path above. If the Mods folder doesn't exist, create it yourself — right-click in the Baldur's Gate 3 folder, select New, then Folder, and name it Mods.

On Mac, the path is ~/Library/Application Support/Larian Studios/Baldur's Gate 3/Mods. The Library folder is also hidden; press Command+Shift+Period to show hidden files in Finder, then navigate to the path.

If you installed Baldur's Gate 3 through Steam, you can also right-click the game in your Steam library, select Properties, then Local Files, then Browse — this opens your game folder directly, and the Mods folder will be inside.

Installing Mod Manager and setting it up

Most Baldur's Gate 3 mods need Mod Manager to work. Download it from nexusmods.com — go to the Baldur's Gate 3 section, find Mod Manager in the Tools list, and download it. Run the installer and follow the prompts. Mod Manager will ask where your Baldur's Gate 3 game folder is; point it to the same folder you found above.

Once Mod Manager is installed, launch it before you start the game. Mod Manager has a left panel where you can see all your mods and turn them on or off. When you launch Baldur's Gate 3 from Mod Manager, it loads all the mods you've enabled. If you launch the game directly from Steam instead, mods will not load.

Some mods do not need Mod Manager — the description will say "manual install" or "just drop in Mods folder". For those, you can skip Mod Manager and put the files directly in the Mods folder. The game will find them when you start a new playthrough.

Moving downloaded mod files into the Mods folder

After you download a mod, you need to move it to the Mods folder. Most mods come as a .zip file or a .pak file. Do not unzip it — move the file as-is into the Mods folder. Baldur's Gate 3 reads the files in their compressed form.

Open your Downloads folder, find the mod file you just downloaded, and cut or copy it. Then navigate to your Mods folder (using the path from the section above) and paste it there. You should now see the mod file sitting in the Mods folder alongside any other mods you've installed.

If a mod comes with a text file or a readme, read it — some mods have special instructions or load-order requirements. Most do not, but it takes 30 seconds to check.

Launching the game with mods enabled

If you're using Mod Manager, open it, make sure the mods you want are checked (enabled), then click the button to launch Baldur's Gate 3. The game will start with those mods loaded. Start a new playthrough — mods do not work on existing saves.

If you put mods directly in the Mods folder without Mod Manager, just launch the game normally from Steam. The game will find the mod files and load them automatically. Again, you must start a new game for mods to take effect.

The first time you launch with mods, the game may take longer to start while it loads everything. This is normal. If the game crashes on startup, one of your mods is probably broken or conflicts with another. Go to the next section to fix this.

Troubleshooting when mods break the game

If the game crashes when you launch it with mods, the problem is almost always a conflict between mods or a mod that's outdated. The fastest fix is to disable mods one at a time until the game starts. In Mod Manager, uncheck a mod, launch the game, and see if it works. If it does, that mod was the problem. If it still crashes, check the next mod.

If you put mods directly in the Mods folder, delete them one at a time from the folder, launch the game, and test. Once you find the broken mod, you can delete it permanently or check the mod's page on Nexus Mods to see if there's an updated version that works.

Some mods need to load in a specific order. Mod Manager handles this automatically for most mods, but if you're having trouble, check the mod's description page — it usually says if load order matters and what order to use. You can drag mods up and down in Mod Manager's list to change the order.

If a mod is outdated and the author hasn't updated it in months, it probably won't work with the current version of Baldur's Gate 3. Check the mod's page to see when it was last updated. If it's very old, try a different mod that does the same thing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add mods to a save I'm already playing?

No. Mods only work on new playthroughs. If you add mods to your Mods folder and load an old save, the mods will not be active. You must start a new game for mods to take effect. Some mods can be removed from an existing save without breaking it, but adding new mods to an old save usually causes problems.

What's the difference between a .pak file and a .zip file?

Both work the same way — just move them into the Mods folder without unzipping. The game reads them in their compressed form. Do not extract them. If you accidentally unzipped a mod, zip it back up or re-download it.

Do I need Mod Manager if I only have a few mods?

No. If your mods don't require Mod Manager (the description will say), you can drop them directly in the Mods folder and launch the game normally. Mod Manager is mainly useful if you have many mods and want to turn them on and off without deleting files.

Why does my game crash when I load a save with mods?

Mods can cause crashes on old saves if the mod changed something fundamental about how the game works. The safest approach is to always start a new game when you add mods. If you want to keep playing an old save, disable all mods, load the save, then enable mods for your next playthrough.

Where do I find the load order if a mod needs one?

The mod's page on Nexus Mods will mention load order in the description or in the comments. If it doesn't say anything, load order probably doesn't matter. In Mod Manager, you can see the order mods load in by looking at the list on the left — drag them up or down to change it.