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Guide State of Decay 2 Updated Oct 14, 2026 · 3 min read

How to install mods in State of Decay 2 (Steam and Xbox/PC Game Pass)

Step-by-step guide to installing .pak mods in State of Decay 2 on PC, on both Steam and Xbox/PC Game Pass: with the mod manager or by hand.

State of Decay 2 mods are .pak files the game loads when it starts. They work on the PC version, whether you bought it on Steam or play it with Xbox/PC Game Pass. Mods can't be installed on Xbox consoles.

What you need

  • State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition on PC (Steam or Xbox/PC Game Pass), up to date.
  • The mod's .pak file (download it from its page on this site).
  • Optional but recommended: the State of Decay 2 mod manager, to turn mods on and off without touching folders.

Step 1 · Download the mod

  1. Open the mod's page in the Mods section.
  2. Tap Download. Free mods ask you to log in with Discord; early access mods are for members (see How to download?).
  3. If the mod comes as a .zip or .rar, extract it: what you need is the file ending in .pak.
  1. Open the State of Decay 2 mod manager.
  2. Add the mod's .pak file from the manager.
  3. Make sure the mod is enabled in the list.
  4. Close the manager and launch the game.

The manager puts a number in front of each mod to decide the load order, and when you disable one it renames it to .bak instead of deleting it. If a mod depends on another one (for example, an addon that goes on top of another mod), enable both.

Step 2 (by hand) · Copy the .pak into the mods folder

  1. Press Windows + R, paste this path and press Enter: %LOCALAPPDATA%\StateOfDecay2\Saved\Paks
  2. If the Paks folder doesn't exist, create it inside Saved.
  3. Copy the mod's .pak file there.
  4. Launch the game.

On the Xbox/PC Game Pass version the folder is usually inside the Microsoft Store packages, at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.Dayton_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\StateOfDecay2\Saved\Paks. If it doesn't exist on your PC, tell me on Discord or through the contact form and I'll help you find it.

Step 3 · Check that it works

Load your save and look for what the mod changes (on its page, Description tab). Some mods show up right away and others need something to spawn on the map (zombies, vehicles or missions), so play for a few minutes.

If something goes wrong

  • The mod does nothing: check that the file is in the Paks folder (or enabled in the manager) and ends in .pak, not .zip or .bak.
  • I have two versions of the same mod: keep only the newest one. Two active versions of the same mod clash with each other.
  • The game crashes while loading: remove the mods you added last and try again. If it crashes after a game update, disable every mod and enable them one by one to find the one that fails.
  • Still not working: post it in the Feedback tab of the mod's page with a screenshot so I can check it.

How to uninstall a mod

Disable or remove it in the mod manager, or delete its .pak file from the Paks folder with the game closed. If the mod added things to your save (characters, vehicles or missions), back up your save before removing it.