Icarus doesn't use Steam Workshop, so mods work a little differently than you might be used to from other survival games. Mods are distributed as .pak files, mostly through Nexus Mods, and installing one means dropping it into the right folder on both your server and every player's own game.
Step 1: Download the Mod
Find the mod you want on Nexus Mods (the largest source for Icarus mods) and download it. You'll usually get a .zip archive, extract it on your PC first. Inside, you should find one or more .pak files, sometimes paired with .ucas and .utoc companion files for newer mods. If companion files are present, keep them together, they all need to be uploaded as a set.
Step 2: Upload the Mod to Your Server
- Log into your MintServers panel and click Stop to shut down your server.
- Go to the Files tab in the left-hand sidebar and navigate to the Paks folder:
📁 server (your server's root directory)
📁 Icarus
📁 Content
📁 Paks
📁 mods (create this folder if it doesn't exist, upload your .pak files here) - If a folder named
modsdoesn't already exist insidePaks, create one. The name must be lowercase. - Open the
modsfolder and upload your extracted.pakfile, along with any.ucasor.utoccompanion files that came with it.
Step 3: Start the Server and Verify
Start your server from the panel. Mods load automatically at boot, no extra flag or setting needed. You can confirm a mod loaded correctly by checking your server's console output after startup, loaded mods are listed by file name in the boot log.
Installing the Mod for Players
Every player connecting to a modded server needs the exact same mod installed locally, the server won't push it to them automatically.
- Find the same Icarus install folder on your PC (by default under your Steam library, in
steamapps/common/Icarus/). - Navigate to
Icarus/Content/Paks/and create amodsfolder if one doesn't already exist. - Place the same
.pak(and any companion) files into that folder. - Launch Icarus normally, the mod loads automatically, and you can connect to the server as usual.
🛠️ Troubleshooting
Mod isn't loading:Confirm the file is insideIcarus/Content/Paks/mods/specifically, not justPaks/. The folder name is case-sensitive, so it must be lowercasemods.Players can't connect or get errors on join:Every player needs the exact same mod files, matching versions included, installed locally. A version mismatch is the most common cause of connection issues on a modded server.Server crashes on startup after adding a mod:Remove the most recently added mod first and try again, it's the most likely cause.- Missing a companion file: newer mods built for Unreal Engine 5 often need their
.pakuploaded together with matching.ucasand.utocfiles. Check the mod's Nexus Mods page for the complete file list.
If you run into trouble getting a mod up and running, no worries! Just open a support ticket and our team will gladly take a look with you.