Reaction to the long-awaited Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been fairly mixed, though many fans of the series are sticking by it amid the performance issues and bugs. And now with the game’s launch, the modding community has come alive – despite the fact there are no official mod tools just yet. You’ll find more than 60 mods already uploaded, and that number is only growing.
Considering there are no official tools, many of you may be wondering how mods work for Stalker 2. Well, we can explain the process in the guide below – the steps will be slightly different whether you’re playing via a platform like Steam or Xbox Game Pass, so we’ve covered both.
How to add mods to Stalker 2 on PC
Currently, there are two kinds of mods you can make to the game. These boil down to either:
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- Direct game modifications via .pak files – drag and drop/copy and paste
- Settings tweaks in the existing .ini files
Installing .pak file mods in Stalker 2
Step
Find local files for Stalker 2
The first thing to do is locate where Stalker 2 is installed on your PC.
Steam
On Steam, you can do this by going to your Steam Library > Right click on Stalker 2 > Manage > Browse Local Files
Game Pass
If you’re playing via the Xbox Game Pass, open up the Xbox app > Right click on Stalker 2 > Manage > Go to Files tab, and click Browse.
Step
Create a mod folder
The next step is the same regardless of platform – we have to create a mods folder (if one hasn’t already been created).
To do this, navigate to the Content\Paks directory and create a folder named ~mods. Ensure you include the tilde (~) before name of the folder.
Using Steam as an example, the file directory should look something like this: Steam\steamapps\common\S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl\Stalker2\Content\Paks\~mods
Step
Add mods to the folder
With the ‘~mods’ folder now in your directory, all you have to do is download mods online and drag them in there. We recommend using sites such as Nexus Mods.
Any .pak files you download should be added to the ~mods folder, simply drag and drop or cut and paste them in there.
Editing .ini files in Stalker 2
Step
Locate .ini files for Stalker 2
.ini files are configuration files and are commonly used for software, including games. These are often located in your Windows App Data and are easily accessible once you know where to look.
- Press Windows Key + R to open the Run prompt
- Type %localappdata% and press OK (or hit Enter)
- Navigate to Local\Stalker2\Saved\Config\Windows (or WinGDK if applicable)
Step
Make backup ups & modify
Now that you’ve found the .ini files, you’ll want to backup anything you plan to change. Copy the original .ini file and paste it somewhere safe in case you need to restore that version if something goes wrong.
As for modifying, simply open the file with a text editor and edit the appropriate settings.
Step
Save your changes and launch the game
Save the changes you have made in the .ini file and close the file.
Now, it will be safe to launch the game (via your platform of choice) and the desired changes should have taken effect.
Where can I find Stalker 2 mods?
We recommend Nexus Mods as the best place to download game mods in general and the same goes for Stalker 2. You can find them on the Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl page here and use the filters or search function to find exactly what you’re after. As a popular series, we expect mods to be regularly uploaded to the site for Stalker 2, though it will slow down at some point once the initial hype dies down.
It’s also worth mentioning that mod creators can come back and update their mod at any time, so you’ll have to reinstall a mod using the new .pak file if you want to update to the latest version.
Is it safe to mod Stalker 2?
Even without official tools, many games’ modding communities thrive as dedicated fans love making tweaks and edits to try and improve the game in some way – or just make something silly. In any case, if you want to stay safe while downloading mods, then we again recommend using trusted sources such as Nexus Mods. The site even has an in-built virus scan for every mod that is uploaded, so you can be sure that what you’re downloading is safe.
If you happen to install a mod and it is affecting your game in any negative way, you can simply uninstall it by reverting the changes you made or deleting the file in your ~mods folder as explained in the steps above.
