Modding games has become increasingly popular as it allows you to customize and enhance your gaming experience beyond what the base game offers. While modding used to involve complex manual installations, mod managers like Thunderstore Mod Manager make the process seamless.
In this article, we will walk you through everything you need to know about Thunderstore Mod Manager and how it can revolutionize modding for the games you love.
Contents
What is Thunderstore Mod Manager?
Thunderstore Mod Manager is an open-source project developed and maintained by a community of gaming enthusiasts and modders. It was created in 2020 by a developer known online as CabbageCrow. They built Thunderstore as a mod manager focused specifically for BepInEx-based Unity game modding after being dissatisfied with existing generic mod managers.
Since then, contribution has grown into an active open source project on GitHub with developers collaborating to add support for more games, improve integration, fix bugs and enhance the end-user experience. The open and transparent development fueled by community involvement is a major reason for Thunderstore’s rise as a leading mod manager for many popular games.
Thunderstore is an essential tool that allows you to easily discover, install, manage, and update mods from the official Thunderstore repository. The repository contains a curated collection of safe and trusted mods from developers for all your favorite BepInEx games.
With an intuitive interface, Thunderstore automates mod management so you can focus on playing the game your way. You no longer have to go hunting down mods on sketchy sites or figure out complex installations. Thunderstore does all the heavy lifting for you!
Features of Thunderstore Mod Manager
Let’s take a look at some of the standout features of Thunderstore that make modding a breeze:
1. Easy Installation and Auto-Detection of Games
Getting started with Thunderstore is simple. Just install it on your PC, and it will automatically detect any compatible games you have installed that support BepInEx mods from Thunderstore. Currently, it detects games like Valheim, Risk of Rain 2, GTFO, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, and more.
2. Slick Interface for Browsing and Downloading Mods
The Thunderstore provides an elegant interface to browse and search the entire mod catalog. You can sort and filter mods by popularity, author, game version, and more. When you find a mod you like, subscribing is as easy as a single click.
3. One-Click Installation and Management of Mods
After subscribing to mods, Thunderstore neatly organizes them into your subscriptions list. From here, you can enable or disable mods with a single click. Disabled mods remain in your library but won’t be loaded by the game. This makes it super easy to tweak your mod setup.
4. Automatic Updates for Mods
Thunderstore will automatically check for updates and download the latest versions for the mods you have installed. This ensures you are always playing with the most up-to-date mod versions without any effort on your part.
5. Mod Profiles Allow Switching Between Mod Sets
Profiles are a killer feature that lets you save distinct mod configurations. For example, you can have a profile for casual gameplay, another for speedrunning, one for roleplaying, etc. Switching profiles instantly changes your enabled mods, allowing flexibility.
6. Downloads Mods from Trusted Sources
Thunderstore repositories contain mods uploaded by vetted and approved developers, ensuring you get safe, quality content. This spares you from hunting down mods on random sites that might contain malware or low-quality mods.
Download and How To Use Thunderstore Mod Manager
Now that you are convinced of Thunderstore’s benefits, let’s look at how you can get started with it:
Download and Install Thunderstore Mod Manager
| Software Name | Thunderstore Mod Manager |
| Version | 1.37.1 |
| Size | 145 Mb |
| PC Requirements | Windows 10 or 11 |
| Last Updated | 24 January 2024 |
Head over to the download button and download the latest version of the Thunderstore mod manager for your operating system. Install it like any other program. Thunderstore currently supports Windows and Linux.
Once installed, launch Thunderstore Mod Manager. It will automatically detect supported games and mods installed on your system.
Install BepInEx and Configure Game Folders
The first step is to install the BepInEx modding framework into your game. Thunderstore will guide you through this process.
It involves extracting BepInEx files into the game’s installation folder, configuring some settings, and installing any additional plugins needed by the game. Don’t worry, Thunderstore will provide on-screen instructions making this process hassle-free.
This step needs to be done just once for each game. After that, you are ready to install mods seamlessly through Thunderstore.
Browse Mods and Subscribe to Them
In the Thunderstore, you can browse mods for your installed games. Use filters or search to find mods that interest you.
When you find a mod you want, click Subscribe. This adds it to your subscriptions list. You can subscribe to as many mods as you want.
Enable/Disable Mods
Head to the My Mods section to see all your subscribed mods. Toggle them on or off with a single click. Enabled mods will be loaded when you launch the game.
Feel free to tweak exactly which mods are enabled based on your needs. Disabled mods stay in your library for later.
Create Mod Profiles
Once you have multiple mods installed, you can create mod profiles to easily switch between different modded game setups.
For example, you can have a profile with visual enhancement and quality of life mods enabled for casual play. And another profile with just your favorite items and gameplay tweaks for speedrunning.
Profiles let you swap between these customized mod configurations in just one click before launching your game.
Update and Uninstall Mods
Thunderstore will automatically check and install mod updates in the background. You can also uninstall mods completely with one click.
Updating or removing mods is handled gracefully without breaking your game install.
And that’s it! With just those few steps, Thunderstore empowers you to customize your games with the best mods hassle-free.
Benefits of Using Thunderstore Mod Manager
Let’s recap some of the standout benefits you get from using Thunderstore for your game modding needs:
- No more manual installs are required thunderstore automates the modding process for compatible games.
- Discover amazing mods easily by browsing and subscribing to mods right within the app.
- Safer modding downloads come from trusted developers on Thunderstore’s official repositories.
- Automatic updates mods stay up-to-date with one-click updates.
- Easily switch mod configs with profiles use profiles to enable different mod sets for different playstyles.
- Simple mod management enable, disable, update or remove mods with simple clicks.
- Support for many popular games and more being continuously added!
- Active development the open-source Thunderstore mod manager is continuously improved.
- Lastly, It’s completely free!
Frequently Asked Questions
What games are currently compatible with Thunderstore?
Some popular games that work with Thunderstore include Valheim, Risk of Rain 2, GTFO, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, V Rising, Conan Exiles, and more. Many new and upcoming games are being added constantly.
Is Thunderstore Mod Manager safe to use for modding games?
Yes, Thunderstore downloads mods securely from the official curated repositories containing mods uploaded from vetted developers. This makes it much safer than installing mods from random websites.
Does Thunderstore work with Nexus Mods?
No, Thunderstore is designed specifically for games that use BepInEx plugins. Nexus Mods is used for modding Bethesda games like Skyrim which use a different modding architecture. The two are not compatible.
Can I damage my game by using Thunderstore?
Thunderstore is designed to be non-intrusive and won’t modify your base game files. Mods are loaded externally using BepInEx. As long as you use mods from trusted sources, Thunderstore is safe to use.
Will Thunderstore impact game or multiplayer performance?
Thunderstore itself has minimal performance impact. Of course, some heavy gameplay mods can affect FPS or connectivity if not well optimized. So be selective about which mods you install.
Can I upload my own mods to Thunderstore?
Yes, Thunderstore allows anyone to upload mods after a quick verification process. This allows you to share your own creations easily with the community.
What are similar and alternatives of the Thunderstore mod manager?
Popular alternatives include Nexus Mods, ModDB, Vortex Mod Manager , manual installation, Mod Organizer 2 like Wabbajack for Skyrim, CurseForge/Overwolf acquired from Twitch, and open source tools like OpenModManager. Most games have dedicated mod sites or managers with large mod libraries.
Does the Thunderstore Mod Manager cost anything?
Nope, Thunderstore is completely free and open source software. The app itself and all mods hosted on it are available without any payment.
How do I uninstall Thunderstore?
You can uninstall Thunderstore Mod Manager like any other Windows application through the Add/Remove programs menu. Optionally, it also offers a clean uninstall tool to remove related folders. This won’t affect your game install.
Conclusion
Modding enables you to customize your gaming experience and breathe new life into your favorite games by enhancing gameplay, graphics, adding new content and much more. But for many games, modding used to involve complex manual installations.
Thunderstore Mod Manager streamlines the entire modding process through an intuitive interface, automated mod installations, and seamless management. This opens up modding to more casual gamers.
With robust community-driven repositories, one-click modding, automatic updates, and profiles support – Thunderstore is essential for modding your favorite games that support BepInEx plugins like Valheim, Risk of Rain 2, GTFO etc. And many more games are being added to its repertoire as Thunderstore’s popularity grows.