How to Install Palworld Mods (1.0.5): Workshop, Pak and UE4SS Guide

Palworld has no official mod support, so installing mods means using one of three community paths: Steam Workshop, pak files, or UE4SS script mods. All three work on the current patch, 1.0.5, but they use different folders and different rules. This guide covers each path step by step, plus how to tell client mods from server mods and what to do when a mod refuses to load.

Before you install anything

Back up your saves first. They live in %LOCALAPPDATA%/Pal/Saved/SaveGames on Windows. Copy that folder somewhere safe before adding mods, because a bad mod can corrupt a save and there is no undo.

Check your game version. Open Palworld and confirm you are on 1.0.5, because a mod built for an older version may break. Palworld 1.0 broke a large number of older mods, so an update date after the latest major patch is the first thing to check on any mod page.

Install one mod at a time and launch the game between each. Ten mods added at once and a crash on startup tells you nothing about which one caused it.

Method 1: Steam Workshop (easiest)

The Workshop is the simplest path and the only one that updates mods automatically.

1. Open Steam, go to your Library, and open Palworld.
2. Click Workshop on the right side of the page.
3. Search for the mod you want and open its page.
4. Click Subscribe. Subscribing is the same as downloading.
5. If the mod lists required items, Steam will ask about them too. Click Subscribe to All so dependencies like UE4SS download as well. Skipping a dependency is the most common reason a Workshop mod silently fails.
6. Launch Palworld once so Steam finishes the download.

Workshop files land in steamapps/workshop/content/1623730/<workshop-id> inside your Steam library. You do not need to move them by hand for normal play.

Method 2: Pak mods

Pak mods are packaged .pak files, sometimes with .ucas and .utoc files beside them. The engine loads them by itself, so they do not need UE4SS.

1. Download the mod from Nexus Mods or the Steam Workshop page.
2. Extract the download.
3. Drop the files into one of these folders inside your Palworld install, depending on what the mod author specifies: Pal/Content/Paks/~mods/ or Pal/Content/Paks/LogicMods/. Create the folder if it does not exist.
4. Launch the game.

The two folders are not interchangeable. A pak mod placed in the wrong one usually does nothing at all, with no error message, so always follow the author’s own instructions over any general guide.

Method 3: UE4SS script mods

Script mods (Lua mods) hook into the game at runtime. They are more powerful than pak mods, and they are the reason UE4SS exists.

1. Install UE4SS once. Get it from the Palworld Nexus prepackaged release rather than building it yourself. It goes into the game’s binaries folder: Pal/Binaries/Win64/.
2. Individual script mods live inside the UE4SS Mods directory and are enabled through its mod list.
3. Launch the game and confirm UE4SS loads before judging whether the mod works.

Client mods vs server mods

This distinction matters the moment you play with friends. Client-only mods, like UI changes and model replacements, run on your machine only; the server never renders them. Server-side mods change gameplay for everyone and must be installed on the server and on every player’s game, at matching versions. A version mismatch will block you from joining. Load order matters when mods touch the same data, so keep a note of the order you added them in.

When a mod will not load

Work through this checklist in order. First, confirm the folder: pak mods in ~mods or LogicMods per the author, script mods inside UE4SS/Mods. Second, confirm UE4SS is installed if the mod needs it. Third, confirm every dependency is installed. Fourth, check the mod page for an update dated after the latest Palworld patch and an explicit 1.0 compatibility note. Fifth, read the recent comments: a page full of crash reports means the mod is broken right now, whatever its download count says. If all else fails, remove mods one at a time until the game launches, then add them back one at a time.

Frequently asked questions

Do Palworld mods work on Game Pass? Most modding guides and tools target the Steam version. Game Pass installs are locked down differently, so Workshop and pak paths may not apply.

Are Palworld mods free? Yes. The mods on Nexus Mods and the Steam Workshop are free community files. Never pay for a Palworld mod download.

Will mods get me banned? Palworld has no anti-cheat ban wave for single-player modding, but mods are unofficial and unsupported. Keep mods out of any competitive context and back up saves.

Do mods work in multiplayer? Yes, when every player runs the same server-side mods at the same versions. Client-only mods do not need to match.

What happens when Palworld updates? Some mods break. After any patch, check each mod page for an update before launching, and keep your save backup from before the patch.

Start with one quality-of-life mod, confirm it loads, and build from there. Once you are comfortable with the three install paths, the Quality of Life and Server & Admin sections are the best places to pick your next mods.