Cyberpunk 2077 does not sort your mod list for you. Vortex deploys the mods it manages in install and conflict order, REDmod deploys its own mods before the game starts, and archive mods load through their own path. When two mods touch the same record, file, script, or keybinding, the one that loads later usually wins, and when two mods need different versions of the same framework, neither wins cleanly. Update 2.5 makes order mistakes louder: an outdated plugin can close the game seconds after starting, and an outdated custom head mod can leave V spiky or exploded. Get the order right first, then diagnose what is left.
Quick answer
Order: Cyber Engine Tweaks and RED4ext first, then redscript, ArchiveXL, TweakXL, and Codeware, then helpers, then content mods. A mod never loads before the framework it requires.
When two mods conflict, decide by overlap, not by popularity. Same file, same database record, or same keybinding means one must win or one must go.
Diagnose by halving: disable half the list, test, and repeat. It finds the culprit in a handful of launches instead of a day of guessing.
Test on a throwaway save. Never debug a broken list on a main save that holds items from the mods you are toggling.
At a glance
What: load order, deployment order, conflict classes, and diagnosis for 2.5 mod lists.
Target: players whose modded game crashes, misbehaves, or silently ignores a mod.
Platform: PC. Console mod.io lists are curated and small, and do not expose this order to players.
Version state: Update 2.5 framework versions dated October 22 to 25, 2026.
Last verified: October 31, 2026.
The order, from first to last
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
| Position | What loads | Why here |
|---|---|---|
1 | Cyber Engine Tweaks, RED4ext | Everything else hooks into them |
2 | redscript | Compiles the script mods below |
3 | ArchiveXL, TweakXL, Codeware | Resource, database, and shared-code layer |
4 | Input Loader, Mod Settings, Native Settings UI, Deceptious Quest Core | Helpers that content mods plug into |
5 | Content mods: HUD, gameplay, clothing, vehicles, visuals | They depend on everything above |
6 | Personal tweaks and overrides last | A tweak meant to win must load last |
In Vortex, that order is expressed through install order and conflict choices: when Vortex asks which mod wins a file conflict, you are choosing load priority for that file. In a manual install, the same choice is expressed by which files you let overwrite which. REDmod mods follow their own deployment step before the game starts, so a REDmod mod and an archive mod that touch the same content are not resolved by one shared list; treat them as two systems that must not be given the same job. If a mod page names a specific position, that page outranks this general table.
The conflict classes
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
| Conflict | Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Same database record (TweakXL) | One mod values silently win; the other looks broken | Keep one, or let the intended winner load last |
Same archive file | Textures or models from one mod replace the other | Keep one, or let the intended winner load last |
Same script or native definition | Compilation failure turns off all script mods | Remove the outdated script mod named in the error |
Same keybinding | One hotkey does nothing or triggers the wrong mod | Rebind one mod in its settings menu |
Same visual system | LUT against LUT, weather against weather | Pick one: one LUT mod, one lighting or weather overhaul |
Same item or feature job | Two shops, two dealers, two overhauls fight | Keep the one whose job you actually want |
Three pairs from the verified list deserve names, because their pages state the conflict plainly. Nova LUT is not compatible with other LUT mods, so run it or LUT Switcher 3, not both. Nova City 2 is not compatible with other lighting, weather, or environment mods, so run it or Weather Probability Rebalance, not both. Lifepath Bonuses and Gang-Corp Traits conflicts with Enemies of Night City unless you switch off the former enemy changes. Car Modification Shop states it is not compatible with Let There Be Flight, so pick one of the two, noting that Let There Be Flight has no 2.5 build yet in any case. Dark Future is a full overhaul: treat it as the one survival system in a list, not as one of several stacked survival mods.
Read the error, not the crash
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
| Error or symptom | What it means | First action |
|---|---|---|
Game closes seconds after starting | A plugin in the red4ext folder is not updated for 2.5 | Check the newest log, remove that plugin until its author updates it |
REDScript compilation has failed | One script mod is incompatible with 2.5, turning off all script mods | Move the mods named in the message out of r6/scripts |
Scripts contain invalid native definitions | Those scripts belong to a plugin that is missing or not updated | Install or update that plugin, or remove the script mod |
V looks spiky or exploded | A custom head mod face shape file does not match its head model; 2.5 no longer tolerates it | Remove it until its author updates it |
Mirror customization shows a big empty space | A game bug in 2.5; it happens in the unmodded game too | Do not chase it as a mod conflict |
A mod simply does nothing | Wrong folder, wrong route, or a silent dependency miss | Recheck the mod page folder map and requirements |
Diagnose by halving
Step 1: back up saves, then disable the second half of the list and test. If the problem goes away, the culprit is in the disabled half.
Step 2: re-enable half of the disabled half and test again. Repeat until one mod remains.
Step 3: with the culprit found, read its page before reinstalling anything: check its 2.5 file date, its requirements, and its known conflicts.
Step 4: reinstall the rest one at a time, testing after each, so a second culprit cannot hide behind the first.
Save safety rules
Adding a mod to a running save usually works, but removing one is where saves break: items, clothing, vehicles, and cyberware tied to the removed mod have nowhere to go. Dark Future states its own migration rule plainly: uninstall version
2.x completely before installing 3.0.0, after which a save that ran
2.x can carry on. Treat any overhaul update with the same care: read its migration note before installing, not after the save fails to load. Keep a named backup of the save folder from before every list change, and keep the framework stack updated as a set, so a framework mismatch never masquerades as a content mod bug.
Frequently asked questions
Does load order matter for REDmod mods?
REDmod mods deploy through their own step before the game starts and appear in the REDmod menu for enabling and disabling. They do not share one list with archive mods, so do not give a REDmod mod and an archive mod the same job and expect an order setting to resolve it. Remove one of the two.
My game worked on 2.31. Why does the same list crash on 2.5?
Because 2.5 changed what the frameworks hook into. An outdated plugin can close the game seconds after starting, and an outdated script mod can turn off all script mods at once. Update the framework stack to the dated 2.5 versions first, then check each content mod for its own 2.5 file. A list is not a 2.5 list because it was a 2.31 list.
Can two overhaul mods coexist if I am careful?
Sometimes, when their pages state exactly which systems each one changes and those systems do not overlap. Usually not, when both rewrite the same database records, weather, or survival systems. The pages decide: if either page names the other as a conflict, believe it over any load-order trick.
Verification note
Version baseline: Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.5 (Edgerunners 2 Update), free, launched October 22, 2026, on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S; the Nintendo Switch 2 version of 2.5 follows later.
Framework versions in this article are the dated 2.5 releases: Cyber Engine Tweaks 1.38.0 (October 22, 2026), RED4ext 1.31.0 (October 24, 2026), redscript 0.5.32 (October 22, 2026), ArchiveXL 1.28.0, TweakXL 1.12.0, and Codeware 1.21.0 (October 25, 2026). The unofficial 2.5 fix builds that bridged the first days were retired on October 24, 2026, once the official releases were out; use the official versions.
Every recommended gameplay mod states its own 2.5 evidence: a dated post-2.5 file, or a Nexus page listing 2.5 support. A mod whose newest file predates October 22, 2026, and whose page does not name 2.5 is listed as not yet confirmed, never as compatible.
Console mod facts follow the 2.5 patch notes as reported by multiple outlets: a curated mod.io catalogue in the in-game menu, a dedicated icon on modded saves, and no achievements or trophies on console modded saves. The patch-notes platform list for mod support at launch is PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S.
Last verified: October 31, 2026.