Ostranauts Steam Workshop Mods

Steam Workshop support shipped with Ostranauts 1.0 on 2026-08-03 — over 40 mods at the launch announcement per Blue Bottle Games, with an in-game MODS menu and official modding documentation. This is legitimate community modding: hull variants, QoL tweaks, balance experiments — not a cheat or exploit scripts page. Workshop extends replayability after you understand vanilla loops from Getting Started and the Version 1.0 Launch summary.

Always backup saves before subscribing — load order conflicts and mid-career item changes brick progress.

Accessing Workshop in-game

Launch Ostranauts and open the MODS menu from the main title screen or pause menu (exact label may vary by patch — check Updates if UI moves). From MODS you can:

• Browse subscribed items synced from Steam
• Enable or disable individual packs
• Jump to Steam overlay to subscribe to new items
• Inspect load order before starting a career

Subscribing on the Steam client or Steam Store web for AppID 1022980 also downloads content — the game picks up subscriptions on next launch if Steam is online.

Local mod folder layout

Even Workshop items land locally for the Unity runtime. Typical path on Windows:

Ostranauts/Ostranauts_Data/Mods/

Each mod folder contains JSON definitions, sprites, and metadata the game loads at boot. Manual installs for testing — not Workshop subscribed — also live here. Do not hand-edit generated MDX content in this wiki; mod JSON follows Blue Bottle’s schema from the official modding guide linked in Steam news.

loading_order.json in the Mods directory controls which packs override which — later entries win conflicts. If two mods redefine the same part SKU, misordered loads cause missing icons or crash-on-boot.

SampleMod.zip and learning to mod

Blue Bottle shipped SampleMod.zip as a template — unpack, rename, increment version, and test locally before publishing to Workshop. The sample demonstrates:

• Item definitions compatible with salvage and install orders
• Safe override patterns that do not break vanilla saves when disabled
• Folder structure expected by the MODS scanner

Read the official modding guide (Steam news and community wiki mirrors) before you publish — broken mods harm subscribers who forgot to backup saves.

What mods commonly change

Launch-era Workshop tags include:

• Ship hulls and interiors — alternate starter layouts; verify atmosphere routing after install
• QoL — UI tweaks, colorblind-friendly palettes, planner helpers
• Economy experiments — permit costs, shift timers — may desync from wiki guides written for vanilla
• Part packs — new reactors, tools, decorative tiles

Mods do not add multiplayer — Ostranauts remains single-player only. Crew are still AI actors.

Cross-check modded careers against Ship Building and Manage Atmosphere — new rooms need scrubber capacity even if the mod author forgot to mention it.

Subscribe workflow (safe)

1. Backup saves — copy %USERPROFILE%/AppData/ Ostranauts save folder or use Steam Cloud copy before modding
2. Subscribe on Steam or in-game MODS browser
3. Launch game — wait for download complete indicator
4. Open MODS menu — verify load order; put dependencies first
5. Start new test save — do not gamble main career on first subscribe
6. Play one OKLG undock cycle — confirm nav, atmosphere, and finance still work
7. Merge into main career only after stable hour

Disable mods mid-career if items vanish — removed SKUs delete from saves.

Workshop versus vanilla wiki content

This wiki documents vanilla 1.0 unless a page notes mod variance. Economy numbers, bounty payouts, and combat specs assume unmodded AppID 1022980. If you run overhaul packs, treat guides as baseline lore — verify permits and weapon arcs in your own test save.

Bounty hunting and Ship Combat pages describe official systems — mods may add warrants or weapons not covered here.

Steam Cloud and Deck play

Workshop subscriptions sync with Steam account, not individual machines — your Deck and PC share mod lists if both run Steam with the same library. Match game branch versions — Gamepad and Steam Deck notes Cloud save cautions when mod lists diverge.

Related pages

• Version 1.0 Launch — Workshop shipped at release
• Getting Started — learn vanilla before modding
• Tools hub — checklists for atmosphere and salvage
• Updates hub — mod-breaking hotfix warnings
• Fire in the Hold — pre-1.0 foundation mods assume