How to Add Mods to Your Space Engineers Server

You can add mods from the Steam Workshop or from mod.io to your server to add blocks, vehicles, gameplay mechanics and more. Mods are added by their ID in your world's config file — the server downloads them automatically on startup. You do not need to upload any mod files manually.

Caution

Stop your server before editing the config file. A running server can overwrite your changes when it saves or stops.

Steam Workshop or mod.io?

Which mod service you can use depends on whether crossplay is enabled on your server:

Server	Mod service	PublishedServiceName
Without crossplay	Steam Workshop or mod.io	Steam or mod.io
With crossplay	mod.io only	mod.io

Without crossplay, you can mix mods from both services in the same mod list.

Crossplay servers

A crossplay server only loads mods from mod.io. If a Steam Workshop mod is in the mod list, the world does not start. In addition, your mods must not exceed 3 GB in total — otherwise the server switches console compatibility off while loading.

Find the mod ID

Steam Workshop

1. Open the mod in the Steam Workshop
   Open the Steam Workshop for Space Engineers and go to the mod you want.

2. Copy the ID from the URL
   The Workshop ID is the number at the end of the URL after ?id=:

   https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=123456789

   The ID here is 123456789.

mod.io

1. Open the mod on mod.io
   Open mod.io for Space Engineers and go to the mod you want.

2. Copy the ID from the sidebar
   The mod.io ID is shown in the mod's right sidebar under ID, for example 1234567. Use the copy icon next to it to copy it.

   Note

   Unlike the Steam Workshop, the ID is not part of the URL. The address of a mod.io mod only contains its short name, for example https://mod.io/g/spaceengineers/m/example-mod.

Add the mods

1. Stop the server
   Stop your server via the dashboard.

2. Connect via SFTP
   Connect to your server via SFTP, or use the file browser in the dashboard.

3. Open the config file
   In your world folder /config/Saves/World/ open the file Sandbox_config.sbc.

4. Insert the mod list
   Look for the <Mods> block (on a new world it reads <Mods />) and add one <ModItem> per mod. Replace the example IDs with the IDs of your mods.

   Mods from the Steam Workshop:

   <Mods>
     <ModItem FriendlyName="First Mod">
       <Name>123456789.sbm</Name>
       <PublishedFileId>123456789</PublishedFileId>
       <PublishedServiceName>Steam</PublishedServiceName>
     </ModItem>
     <ModItem FriendlyName="Second Mod">
       <Name>987654321.sbm</Name>
       <PublishedFileId>987654321</PublishedFileId>
       <PublishedServiceName>Steam</PublishedServiceName>
     </ModItem>
   </Mods>

   Mods from mod.io:

   <Mods>
     <ModItem FriendlyName="First Mod">
       <Name>1234567.sbm</Name>
       <PublishedFileId>1234567</PublishedFileId>
       <PublishedServiceName>mod.io</PublishedServiceName>
     </ModItem>
     <ModItem FriendlyName="Second Mod">
       <Name>7654321.sbm</Name>
       <PublishedFileId>7654321</PublishedFileId>
       <PublishedServiceName>mod.io</PublishedServiceName>
     </ModItem>
   </Mods>

   • <Name> is the ID with the .sbm extension.
   • <PublishedFileId> is the bare ID without an extension.
   • <PublishedServiceName> sets the mod service: Steam for the Steam Workshop, mod.io for mod.io. Mind the exact spelling — if the entry is missing, a server without crossplay looks for the mod in the Steam Workshop.
   • FriendlyName is optional and is only a display name.

5. Start the server
   Save the file and start your server. On startup the server downloads the mods automatically from the Steam Workshop or mod.io — you can watch the progress in the server console.

Mind the order

The order determines priority: mods higher in the list override mods further down when both change the same definition. Order overlapping mods accordingly.

Experimental mode & scripts

Since Update 1.206, mods no longer require experimental mode — mods with their own code (script mods) also run without it.

Scripts for Programmable Blocks are not mods and are not added to the mod list — see Allow In-Game Scripts.

Mods missing after a restart?

With the server stopped, open /config/Saves/World/Sandbox_config.sbc again and check that your <Mods> block is still present. If not, re-add the mods and restart the server.

Important

Players do not need to download anything manually — the client loads the server mods automatically when joining. However, Steam Workshop mods only work with crossplay disabled — on a crossplay server, use mods from mod.io.