Can I download Steam Workshop mods without owning RimWorld on Steam?

Yes, using SteamCMD: after logging in with login anonymous, download mods with workshop_download_item 294100 [workshop_id], where the ID is at the end of the workshop URL.

Are there mods that are definitely incompatible with RimWorld Together?

Yes, a list of confirmed incompatible mods is available in the official RimWorld Together wiki.

RimWorld Together: Installing Mods

Discover how to upgrade your RimWorld Together game server with popular mods for seamless online co-op gameplay → Learn more now

10 November 20263 min read0 Views0 helpful

Introduction

RimWorld Together is a hugely popular open-source multiplayer mod, fully run by the RimWorld community, enabling online co-op gameplay for RimWorld. In this guide, we show you how to install mods on your RimWorld Together game server.

Collecting Mods

You can install a huge variety of different RimWorld mods on your RimWorld Together game server.

Mods are divided into three types:

Forced Mods: These are mandatory; the client must have them or it cannot connect.
Optional Mods: These are not mandatory; the client can connect without them.
Banned Mods: These mods are banned; the server immediately rejects the client's connection.

You will see these three types in the next section about uploading mods, as the mods are split into three folders.

Core Files & DLCs

RimWorld Together lets you easily download core files & DLCs. These are treated just like other mods.

You can download the core files and DLCs directly from the RimWorld Together GitHub Repository, specifically the Extras.zip folder.

Other Mods

You can find a large selection of RimWorld mods by searching the internet. We especially recommend the RimWorld Steam Workshop page because it is very popular and offers many mods.

If you subscribe to mods directly via the Steam Workshop, they will be downloaded through your Steam client to the following directory: ../steamapps/workshop/content/294100.

Tip

If you don’t own RimWorld on Steam, you can still download Steam Workshop files and mods using SteamCMD. First, download SteamCMD from the official Valve page or directly here. Run steamcmd.exe and wait for the installation to complete. Then enter login anonymous in the console. Now you can download mods by running workshop_download_item 294100 [workshop_id], replacing [workshop_id] with the Steam Workshop mod’s ID. You can easily find the ID at the end of the URL, e.g., /?id=3230195082. All mods downloaded via SteamCMD will be saved to the path: ../steamapps/workshop/content/294100.

Once you have downloaded your mods, continue to the next section to learn how to upload them to your game server.

Info

There are certain mods that are definitely not compatible with RimWorld Together. The list of confirmed incompatible mods can be found here. Also, some other mods may not work as expected when used with RimWorld Together. You should invest some time in research and testing to ensure the mods run properly.

Uploading Mods

Now that your mods are ready, connect to your game server via FTP. Check out our FTP access guide if you need help.

In your FTP client, navigate to the following directory:

Code

../rimworld-together/Mods

Here you will find three different folders for the different mod types. This corresponds to the three categories from the previous section. If you haven’t read that yet, we recommend you do so to know where to place each mod.

Now open the folders of your downloaded mods and upload them individually to the matching mod folder on your game server.

Info

The server must be stopped before adding or changing mods, otherwise your changes will be lost.

Starting the Server

After uploading all desired mods, simply start your server again. On the next start, all added mods will be loaded.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed new mods on your RimWorld Together game server!

Popular Mods

Still looking for the perfect mods for your server? Browse our carefully curated list of the most popular and highly recommended mods to enhance your gameplay and give your server the finishing touch. Get inspired and find exactly the add-ons that fit your project.

RimWorld Together (the standalone, open-source multiplayer mod project) does not maintain an official curated list of “recommended” content mods – compatibility strongly depends on the specific server and its mod list. The following real mods are frequently discussed in the community in a multiplayer context but are not an official RWT approval list – check compatibility individually before using them on your server:

Multiplayer Compatibility – Community patch collection that makes many popular mods network-compatible.
Combat Extended – Well-known weapons/ballistics overhaul – according to community threads, usable in multiplayer only with limitations or additional patches.
Vanilla Expanded series (e.g., Vanilla Factions Expanded, Vanilla Weapons Expanded) – Widely used framework/content mods whose multiplayer compatibility varies mod by mod and should be checked individually.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Forced mods (mandatory, client cannot connect without them), optional mods (not mandatory), and banned mods (server immediately rejects connection) – there are three separate upload folders accordingly.

In the official RimWorld Together GitHub repository, specifically in the Extras.zip folder – these are treated like other mods.

Via FTP into the appropriate subfolder of ../rimworld-together/Mods, matching the three mod categories. The server must be stopped during this, or changes will be lost.

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