Sim racing and esports journalist. Occasional Motorsport photographer, eSports competitor and distinctly average cyclist.
In the latest instalment of our series of BeamNG.drive articles, we take a look at the game’s burgeoning mod scene; explaining where to find quality mods and, more importantly, how to install them.
It’s a surprisingly simple process, with players treated to hundreds of safe and stable mods all available from BeamNG’s official website and forums, where a passionate and knowledgeable community is on hand to update and advise on how to make the most of your newly-enhanced physics sandbox.
Check out all you need to know below.
Where to find and how to install BeamNG.drive mods
The most obvious – and safest – place to find BeamNG.drive mods are via the official BeamNG website. If you head to the site’s mod section, you’ll be greeted by reams of community-made vehicles, scenarios and environments, which you can helpfully sort by various parameters.
You can download these mods to be installed manually, which we’ll discuss in more detail later, but it’s possible to add mods from BeamNG’s ‘Official Repository’ at the click of a button by hitting ‘Subscribe’.
This applies to the in-game mod repository too, where you have access to the same extensive database of mods.
To take a look at even more community-made mods visit BeamNG’s forums. Please note, though, that many of these are unfinished and may never be completed. They also tend to lose compatibility with the latest versions of BeamNG, so expect some issues whenever an update drops.
Still, there’s entertainment value in caning a Volvo 240 into a wall.
Poor wall…
Advantages of subscribing in-game and on the web
As already discussed, by using the in-game mod repository you can install or view mods quickly by clicking ‘Subscribe’. Web-based mods found on the forums can also be installed by subscribing, which will then force the game to open via Steam to complete the process.
Subscribing to mods via the in-game Repository and official mod website is the safest way to install BeamNG mods, with the main benefit being these are updated automatically when every game update drops – contrary to third-party mods.
Manually installing files and where to find your BeamNG.drive mods folder
Downloading the files manually requires a little more effort, however, but is still relatively straightforward to complete.
Once downloaded, each mod is saved as a ZIP file and needs to be put into your BeamNG mods folder. The mods folder has to be created within your BeamNG user folder.
The easiest way to access the user folder is via the BeamNG launcher. Start the game as you normally would and click ‘Manager user folder’ followed by ‘Open in Explorer’. This brings up your BeamNG user folder. Create a folder in this location called ‘Mods’ (if not already present) and place all downloaded mod ZIP files here.
Once positioned, the mods will show up in the in-game Mod Manager, where it can be enabled or disabled – you can even check to see if it has received a recent update.
Once enabled, the modded content will appear relative to its purpose. So, new cars will immediately appear in the game’s list of vehicles, while a new map will appear in the game’s list of environments.
The developers recommend you don’t have too many mods active concurrently, however, as this can cause game stability issues. To err on the side of caution, deactivate any mods you aren’t using to ensure the smoothest gaming experience.
Topic: BeamNG Drive