You're probably here because the base game, as brilliant as Zeekerss made it, is starting to feel a little too familiar. Maybe the Bracken doesn't scare you like he used to. Or maybe you're just tired of your friends dying in the same three ways and you want to spice up the workplace OSHA violations. Modding is the answer. Honestly, it’s the only reason Lethal Company has stayed at the top of the Steam charts for this long. But if you do it wrong, you’re looking at black screens, desync issues where your friends see a monster you don't, and a lot of wasted time.
Setting up your first mod isn't actually that hard. You just need to know which tools actually work and which ones are outdated junk.
Getting Started: The Only Tool You Actually Need
Forget manual installation. Seriously. If you’re still dragging and dropping .dll files into your Steam folders, you’re making life way harder than it needs to be. The gold standard for how to mod Lethal Company is using a manager. Most people use Thunderstore. It’s the hub where almost every developer hosts their work.
Specifically, you want the r2modman manager.
Why r2modman instead of the standard Thunderstore Overwolf app? Because it’s clean. It doesn’t have the bloatware or the ads that come with the Overwolf version. It creates a "clean" environment for your mods, meaning it doesn't actually touch your original game files. If things break, you just turn the mod off in the manager and the game goes back to normal. No reinstalling required.
Once you’ve got r2modman, you just search for Lethal Company in the list, create a profile (call it "Main" or "Chaos" or whatever you want), and you're ready to start shopping.
The Foundation: BepInEx and LC_API
Before you download the "cool" stuff like extra emotes or new monsters, you need the engine that makes them run. This is where most people mess up. They download a mod, it doesn't work, and they wonder why.
You need BepInExPack.
This is the framework. Without it, the game has no way to read the custom code modders write. In r2modman, this is usually the most downloaded mod of all time. Just click download with dependencies. It’ll grab everything it needs. You’ll also likely need LC_API, though its necessity has fluctuated with recent game patches (v50, v60, etc.). A lot of newer mods have moved away from it in favor of LethalLib, which is more stable for adding custom scrap items and monsters.
Compatibility is the Real Boss
Here is a weird quirk about this game: versioning matters more than you think. When Zeekerss drops a surprise update, it almost always breaks the mods. Every. Single. Time.
If you just updated your game on Steam and suddenly your mods aren't working, don't panic. You usually just have to wait 24 to 48 hours for the mod creators to update their files. You can check the "Version" column in r2modman. If the mod was last updated in 2023 and it’s currently 2026, it’s probably dead. Move on.
Must-Have Mods for the Best Experience
You've got the manager. You've got the framework. Now what?
If you want the "definitive" experience, you start with MoreCompany. The base game limits you to four players. That sucks if you have five friends. MoreCompany bumps that limit up to 32, though I wouldn't recommend playing with more than 8 unless you want the game to turn into a literal screaming match where nobody gets any work done. It also adds cosmetics like hats and capes, which is a nice touch.
Another big one is LateCompany.
Have you ever started a mission, realized your friend is five minutes late, and had to quit to the main menu just to invite them? LateCompany fixes that. It lets people join while the ship is in orbit. It’s a massive quality-of-life improvement that should honestly be in the vanilla game.
Making the Game Scarier (or Funnier)
For the horror fans, look for Skinwalkers. This is arguably the most famous mod for the game. It records the voices of your friends and plays them back to you through the monsters. You'll hear your buddy calling for help around a corner, follow the voice, and find a Nutcracker instead. It’s genuinely psychological and makes the game ten times more intense.
If you prefer comedy, get the Boombox Controller. It lets you play actual URLs or local files through the in-game boombox. There is nothing quite like being chased by a Thumper while someone is blasting the Benny Hill theme song.
How to Sync with Your Friends
This is the part that kills most lobbies. For Lethal Company mods to work in multiplayer, everyone needs the exact same mods. If you have a mod that adds a new monster and your friend doesn't, their game won't know how to render that monster. Usually, they'll just crash, or worse, they'll be invisible to the monster while it eats you.
R2modman has a brilliant "Export Profile as Code" feature.
- Set up your mods perfectly.
- Go to Settings.
- Click "Export Profile as Code."
- Copy that string of random letters and numbers.
- Send it to your friends.
- They click "Import" in their manager, paste the code, and boom—they have your exact mod list.
It takes five seconds and saves hours of troubleshooting.
Troubleshooting the "Black Screen" and Crashes
You launched the game, the terminal popped up, and then... nothing. Just a black screen. Or maybe it crashed before the main menu.
Check your BepInEx console. That little black window that pops up alongside the game? It’s actually useful. Red text means an error. Usually, it'll tell you exactly which mod is throwing a fit.
Common culprits:
- Outdated API: Make sure LethalLib and HookGenPatcher are updated.
- Mod Conflicts: If you have two mods that both try to change the way the flashlight works, the game might have a stroke. Try disabling one.
- Too Many Mods: If you're running 150 mods on a laptop from 2018, the game is going to struggle to load the assets into RAM.
Sometimes, the "Lethal Company" folder in your Steam directory gets junked up with old files from manual modding attempts. If things are really messy, go to Steam, right-click the game, hit "Browse Local Files," and delete everything. Then verify integrity of game files. Start fresh with the manager.
Advanced Modding: Client-side vs Server-side
You should know the difference.
Client-side mods only affect you. These are things like high-definition textures, custom flashlights, or performance fixes (look for LethalPerformance). You can use these in random public lobbies without anyone else having them.
Server-side mods change the game logic. New monsters, different map layouts, or more players. These require everyone to have the mod installed. If you’re trying to figure out how to mod Lethal Company for a public lobby, stick to client-side stuff unless you want to get kicked by confused hosts.
Keeping it Stable Long-Term
The modding community is incredibly active. Creators like Evaisa and NotAnOrdinaryFrog are constantly pushing the limits of what the engine can do. But with that speed comes instability.
My best advice? Don't get greedy. A stable list of 20 great mods is always better than a buggy list of 100. Every time you add a mod, launch the game and make sure it actually starts. If you add 50 at once and it crashes, you'll have no idea which one is the poison.
Stick to the highly-rated stuff on Thunderstore. Check the "Last Updated" date. If it hasn't been touched in six months, there's a 90% chance it'll break your game.
Now, go grab r2modman, get your BepInEx set up, and send that sync code to your crew. The company needs its scrap, and that quota isn't going to meet itself—no matter how many cursed emotes you've installed.
Next Steps for Your Setup:
- Download r2modman from the official GitHub or Thunderstore page.
- Create a new profile specifically for your modded run to keep your vanilla files safe.
- Install BepInExPack first, followed by MoreCompany to test if the modded UI appears on the main menu.
- Use the Export as Code function to ensure your entire crew is running the same version before you land on Vow.
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