Manage Subnautica mods with QModManager and QModSAM

QModManager is a tool to manage your single-player Subnautica and Below Zero mods. More accurately, it’s a piece of software that many Subnautica / Below Zero mods rely on so that they can work seamlessly together. Without it a mod might not work properly, or a selection of mods might conflict with one another and one or both games from working at all. It comes highly recommended.

By default QModManager will try to run all the mods you have installed. If you only want to run a selection of Subnautica mods, or are experiencing issues with those you have installed, it may be necessary to install QModSAM. 

QModSAM (Simple Activation Manager) is an addon for QModManager that will tell you of any conflicts with mods you have installed. In addition, you can choose to deactivate mods you don’t want or need without having to remove them.

IMPORTANT: QModManager is currently incompatible with the popular Nitrox mod for Subnautica. If you only intend to play Subnautica with other players, you might want to give QModManager a miss for the time being.

To setup and run QModManager

• Download the automatic installer from NexusMods and run the .exe file
• Check that the Subnautica / Below Zero install directory is correct before proceeding
• Download and extract your chosen mod. The folder should contain a file called mod.json and any requisite .dll files
• Move the extracted directory to the /QMods directory in your Subnautica / Below Zero game directory
• Once QModManager and your selected mods are installed, just run Subnautica / Below Zero as normal from within your Steam or other games library.

 

To setup and run QModSAM

• Download and extract the archived file from NexusMods
• You can either move the folder to your Subnautica / Below Zero game folder (in which case QModSAM will detect the correct path when first run), or move the folder to a location of your choice (in which case the path to the Subnautica / Below Zero game folder needs to be specified)
• Important: If you are running the Epic Store version of Subnautica / Below Zero, you may experience issues with QModSAM if it exists within the Subnautica / Below Zero game directory
• Double-click on QMod_SAM.exe to run
• If you need to specify the game install path, select File > Configuration > Game path > Change path
• If you want to use QModSAM for Subnautica and Below Zero, simply copy QMod_SAM.exe (to QMod_SAM_bz.exe, for example). This copy will use his own .ini file and be independent
• QModSAM has a number of powerful features to arrange and select mods for activation. Read about them here.

Now that you have successfully set up QModManager and QModSAM, check out our guide to the best Subnautica mods and we’ll see you beneath the waves!