How to Install KSP Mods

Find the best Kerbal Space Program addons

kerbal space program logo

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by Jordan Baranowski
Jordan Baranowski is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire and educator with experience writing for SVG, The Nerd Stash, and Feast Magazine.
Updated September 03, 2019

Kerbal Space Program (KSP) is a game with a lot of content that can keep you busy for hours. However, the fan community has provided even more content by creating modifications for it that can make it more difficult, add quality of life improvements, or just change the way you play the game. Nearly all these mods are totally free, but you need to know how to install KSP mods first.

This article walks you through the process of installing Kerbal Space Program mods, and recommend a few of the best mods if you're just getting started.

Where Can I Find Kerbal Space Program Mods?

There are several places online to find Kerbal Space Program mods, but a few definitely stand out.

land on the mun kerbal space program
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A couple places to get you started are:

  • Curse Forge: Hands down the best place to get started. Curse Forge is a great spot to find mods for several popular games, and KSP is one of its best sections. There are good methods for sorting and searching, and available mods are pretty trustworthy.
  • The Official KSP forums: There's a pretty comprehensive list here, but it's a bit harder to look through them all. This is a great resource if you know exactly what you're looking for, but it's harder to just browse through.

How to Install KSP Mods

Luckily, installing Kerbal Space Program mods is pretty simple.

In general, it's probably a good idea to only install one mod at a time. Too many can cause your game to run much more slowly, and not all mods play well together. Try each one out individually before you start combining them.

  1. Once you've found one you want to try, download the file. It will most likely have a .zip extension.

  2. Once it's downloaded, locate your new file and unzip it. It should give you a new folder with the name of the mod.

  3. Locate your KSP folder on your computer. If you've downloaded the game on Steam and can't find the file folder, right-click the game in your Steam library, select Properties > Local Files > Browse Local Files.

  4. In your KSP folder, open the GameData folder. Drag the mod file folder to the GameData folder.

  5. That's all there is to it. Next time you load Kerbal Space Program, your mod should load along with it.

What Kerbal Space Program Mods Should I Start With?

This really depends on what you want to add to Kerbal Space Program. Browse the most popular on Curse Forge to get a sense of what other players like to use, or check the forums to see if there's something specific you're looking for.

building a rocket kerbal space program
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MechJab is one of the most popular—it adds an autopilot system to the game, but also provides tons of data about your machines you can't find in the base game. Kerbal Attachment System is another decent add-on, which gives you plenty of new tools to play around with.