Getting Started with Oxygen Not Included Modding
Workshop subscriptions, Mods menu enabling, and per-save mod awareness
Oxygen Not Included modding is conceptually simple, Steam Workshop subscriptions handle most of what players want. This guide walks the standard install.
Step 1: Subscribe via Workshop
ONI Workshop hosts ONI mods. Popular picks:
- Async Heat Calc: performance mod for late-game heat physics.
- Smart Pumps: improved liquid/gas pump logic.
- Material Color: visual differentiation by material.
- Bigger Camera Zoom Out: exactly what it says.
Subscribe; ONI downloads.
Step 2: Enable in Mods menu
In-game Mods menu. Toggle subscribed mods active. ONI prompts to restart; restart.
After restart, mods load. Spaced Out! DLC users: confirm each mod supports Spaced Out (most modern ones do).
Step 3: Per-save mod set
Each save embeds the active mod set when created. Mid-save mod changes can have unexpected effects, especially for content-adding mods.
Pure UI or performance mods are usually safe to toggle mid-save. Content mods aren't.
Step 4: Author your own
Klei's modding API is Lua-based and well-documented. The ONI Mod Template on GitHub is the recommended starting point for new authors.
Common gotchas
- Mod requires Spaced Out. Some mods are DLC-specific.
- Klei patch broke mods. Wait for updates; the community is responsive.
- Save game corruption. Content mod removed from a save that referenced its content. Re-enable.
ONI's modding scene is mature and friendly. The colony simulation lends itself to modding because so many of the systems are emergent, there's always room for "one more pump type" or "one more efficiency mod".