How to install Euro Truck Simulator 2 mods

Installing an ETS2 mod takes about a minute once you know where things go. This guide covers both ways to get mods, how to switch them on, why load order matters, and what to do when the game crashes.

1. Two ways to get mods

ETS2 mods come in two forms:

• Steam Workshop mods, if you own the game on Steam. You press Subscribe and Steam handles downloading and updating. This is the easiest option.
• Downloaded mods: files you get from an author's website or forum post. They are .scs files (sometimes packed inside a .zip), which you put in the game's mod folder yourself. Most big mods, such as large map packs, are only available this way.

Both kinds work the same way once they're installed: you switch them on per profile in the game's Mod Manager.

2. Installing from Steam Workshop

1. Open the mod's Steam Workshop page, in the Steam app or a browser where you're signed in to Steam.
2. Press Subscribe. Steam downloads the mod in the background and keeps it updated.
3. Start the game and switch the mod on in the Mod Manager.

To remove a Workshop mod, press Unsubscribe on its page. Switch it off in the Mod Manager first if a save depends on it (see the questions below).

3. Installing a downloaded mod

1. Download the mod from its official page.
2. If the download is a .rar or .7z archive, extract it (7-Zip is free). If it's a .zip, open it and check what's inside: you're looking for one or more .scs files.
3. Put the .scs files in the game's mod folder (below). If there's no mod folder, create one, all lowercase.
4. Start the game and switch the mod on in the Mod Manager.

Where the mod folder is:

Windows

Documents\Euro Truck Simulator 2\mod
If OneDrive backs up your Documents, it's under OneDrive\Documents\Euro Truck Simulator 2\mod.

Linux

~/.local/share/Euro Truck Simulator 2/mod

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Euro Truck Simulator 2/mod

Tip: don't put mod files in the game's install folder (the one with the .exe and base.scs). The game only loads mods from the mod folder in your Documents.

4. Switching mods on in the Mod Manager

Mods do nothing until you switch them on, and they're switched on per profile.

1. Start the game. On the profile selection screen, open the Mod Manager.
2. Your installed mods are listed on the left. Double-click a mod (or use its arrow) to move it to Active mods on the right.
3. Arrange the active mods in the order you want (next section), then press Confirm changes and load your profile.

If a mod doesn't appear in the list at all, the file is in the wrong folder or still packed inside an archive. If it shows a warning icon, it was probably made for an older version of the game. It may still work, but check the author's page for an update.

5. Load order: which mod wins

When two active mods change the same thing, the mod higher in the active list wins. Some rules of thumb:

• Put small tweaks (sounds for one truck, a skin, a traffic density fix) above the big mods they change.
• Put map mods and big overhauls near the bottom, in the exact order their authors give. Map combinations are very sensitive to order.
• If a mod's page lists a load order, follow it. We copy it onto our mod pages wherever the author gives one.

6. After a game update

SCS Software updates ETS2 a few times a year. Updates often break mods, especially trucks, maps and physics mods, until their authors release new versions. To avoid problems:

• Back up your profile first. Copy the profiles folder (or steam_profiles if you use Steam Cloud) from Documents\Euro Truck Simulator 2 somewhere safe.
• Check that your important mods say they work with the new version. Our mod pages show this with a green version badge.
• Can't wait for your mods? On Steam, SCS usually keeps the previous version as a beta branch: right-click the game, choose Properties → Betas and pick the older version until your mods catch up.

7. The game crashes: finding the broken mod

1. Open game.log.txt in Documents\Euro Truck Simulator 2. Errors near the end often name the .scs file that caused the problem.
2. If the log doesn't name a file, switch all mods off and check that the game starts.
3. Switch half your mods back on. If the game crashes, the problem is in that half; if not, it's in the other half. Keep halving until you find the culprit. With 30 mods this takes about five restarts.
4. Look for an update to that mod, or a note from its author about conflicts with other mods.

8. Staying safe

• Real ETS2 mods are .scs files, or archives containing them. Never run an .exe that claims to be a mod or a "mod installer" unless it comes from a well-known author's official site.
• Avoid sites full of link shorteners, countdowns and several "Download" buttons. Those are re-uploads, often of old versions, and sometimes worse.
• Download from Steam Workshop, the author's own site or the SCS forum. Every mod on EuroTruckSimulator2.uk links to one of those.

9. Quick questions

Ready? Browse the latest mods or start with a category.