Demo mods are a gamble
At launch the developers warned that mods made for the demo will probably not work with 1.0. A mod that still names a demo build has not been shown to run in the full game.
Workshop and mod loaders
Mods and Install Guide
Version 1.0 added Steam Workshop support, a modding API and mod localization, and the main menu now has a Mods panel. Mods built for the demo will probably not work in the full game, and many Nexus mods still name a demo build. Back up your saves, add one mod at a time and expect a game patch to switch off build-locked mods until their authors catch up.
1.0first build with Workshop support
2ways a mod loads
13community mods compared below
1mod at a time while testing
Before you install anything
Patches can switch mods off
Some full-game mods check the exact game build and disable themselves on one they do not know, so a hotfix can turn them off until the author updates.
Saves keep mod changes
Extra perks, upgraded containers and moved stock stay in a save after the mod that made them is gone. Deleting a DLL is not an undo.
Install a mod step by step
These steps follow the native format that full-game mods use. Steam downloads Workshop items for you instead of a manual extract, but the backup and testing steps apply to them too.
Close the game and back up your saves
Copy the whole save folder somewhere outside the game before you install, update or remove any mod.
Pick the package made for your build
Check that the mod names the full game and your current version. A recent upload or a high endorsement count is not proof that it fits.
Extract it into the game folder
A native mod belongs in its own folder under Mods, with a manifest.xml inside. Replace an older copy of the same mod instead of keeping both.
Switch it on in the Mods panel and restart
Open Mods from the main menu, enable the mod, review any file or reflection permissions it asks for, then restart the game.
Test on a throwaway run
Start a game you do not mind losing and check the one feature you installed the mod for before loading an important save.
Only then add the next one
If something breaks after the second mod, you know exactly which pair to look at.
Save folder on Windows
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Questing Goose Studio\Probably Stolen Two kinds of mod package
Built for the full game
Uses the game's own loader: a folder under Mods with a manifest.xml, switched on in the Mods panel. No MelonLoader needed.
Examples Real-Time Shop 2.0.0, Exchange Preview 2.0.0Demo-era MelonLoader mods
Loaded through MelonLoader with the runtime each author names. Most list demo builds, so whether they run on 1.0 is unknown.
Examples Inspector-assistant, QuickTrade, Module Assembler, Container UpgradeCommunity mods worth knowing
Endorsement counts on Nexus were still small: the most endorsed mod, Wage's Perks, had 30 by 16 September 2026. Version labels change quickly, so read the author's own page before you download.
| Mod | What it adds | Loads with | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native mods for the full game | |||
| Real-Time Shop 2.0.0 | Puts the day on a real clock: 08:00 to 20:00 in 30 active minutes, 120 seconds of customer patience and a 60-second closing grace. | Native | Accepts only full-game builds 100-Rev1 and 100-Rev3. Choose Real-time mode on the difficulty screen of a new game; existing saves are not converted. |
| Exchange Preview 2.0.0 | Hover the bin to see tonight's Underground Exchange trades, excess items and returns, with night-report reminders. | Native | Random rewards show a category, not the item. It does not warn about other valuables left in the bin, so do not store anything there. |
| More game content | |||
| Wage's Perks | New starting perks, random events and configurable systems, with Chinese and English text. | Legacy DLL | New perks need a new run. Survival needs moved to the separate Wage Survival download. |
| ExtraPerks | Extra starting perks in the normal perk picker for more varied runs. | MelonLoader | Start a new run to use them. Whether it works with the full game is unknown. |
| Wage Survival | Eating, drinking and daily survival needs for any profession, plus a Space Station Robinson start. | MelonLoader | Older and newer notes disagree on running it beside Wage's Perks. Remove the old WageSurvival.dll before updating. |
| More Features Mod | Starting perks, shop and container changes, save backups and financial reports. | Legacy DLL | Its backups skip other mods' data, custom perks stay in saves after removal, and players reported crashes alongside some other mods. |
| Container Upgrade | Spend materials to enlarge storage and raise machine capacity, stats and output. | MelonLoader 0.7.x | Machine upgrades and output boosts start switched off, and animal-cage upgrades are not in yet. Avoid running other machine-upgrade mods with it. |
| Enhancements and tools | |||
| Inspector-assistant | Reveals authenticity checks and true values, alerts you to Augs and wanted customers and rates berry quality. | MelonLoader 0.7.3 | Written for demo 0.46D. It also takes the inspection challenge out of the game. |
| Mod Manager | An in-game panel for mod toggles, hotkeys and settings, in Chinese and English. | MelonLoader | Turning a DLL on or off needs a restart. It reports your installed mod names online by default; you can switch that off. |
| More Storage Colors | Extra storage colours and category themes so containers are easier to tell apart. | MelonLoader 0.7.x | Appearance only. It adds no storage space. |
| Convenience Module | Click-to-advance dialogue, automatic battery swaps in drained machines and water composition on hover. | MelonLoader | Water details need an AquaScan, and click-to-advance needs the automatic dialogue advance setting turned off. |
| QuickTrade | A Restock button that moves matching stock from chosen containers onto the counter; you still confirm every sale. | MelonLoader 0.7.3 | It moves real items. Choose source containers carefully and try it on a spare save first. |
| Module Assembler | Plans module layouts for seven machine types and can apply them, with English and Chinese menus. | MelonLoader 0.7.3 and .NET 6 | Applying a layout moves real inventory and removing the mod does not undo it. Its diagnostic ZIP can include your saves and logs, so review it before sharing. |
What a game patch can break
Two hotfixes, 1.0.0.1 and 1.0.0.2, both landed on launch day. Check these before blaming the patch or the mod.
Build-locked mods
Real-Time Shop only accepts the full-game builds 100-Rev1 and 100-Rev3, checked by exact file hashes. After a hotfix, wait for the author's update rather than forcing the old file.
New game data
Exchange Preview can show “?” for trades a game update adds until the mod learns about them.
Starting-perk mods
New perks only appear in new runs. A save started before the mod will not offer them.
Settings that do not carry over
Settings and records from demo versions are not imported by the native 2.0.0 packages. Set them again in the mod's own window.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| The mod loads but a feature does nothing | Check its prerequisites: a new run for perk mods, an AquaScan for water details, automatic dialogue advance off for click-to-advance, and a restart after any toggle. |
| The game crashes after adding or updating a mod | Keep your original backup untouched, go back to the test run and re-enable mods one by one until the crash returns. |
| Items, capacity or upgrades look wrong | Stop before saving over it. QuickTrade and Module Assembler move real items, and More Features can show old upgrades at their first level. |
| A mod stopped working after a hotfix | Compare your game build with the one the author supports, then wait for an update or return to your backup. |
| Module Assembler lists a module it cannot use | The module is still inside a locked crate. Decrypt the crate first. |
| Mod Manager shows a mod as off but it still runs | Disabling a DLL takes effect after a restart, and changes it already saved stay in the save. |
When you ask an author for help
A report with these details gets answered faster than “the latest version crashes”:
- Game build and loader version
- Exact mod file names and versions
- The smallest combination that breaks
- Steps that reproduce the problem
- Whether the save predates the change