Short answer
Check your build number first
Several of the most common mod failures were fixed by patches between 0.1.2b and 0.1.4, including the Reimporting assets freeze and the old fifty-mod limit. If you are not on 0.1.7c, update Paralives and try again before changing anything on disk. If you are current, work down the symptom tables below.
New to mods? Start with the install guideAlready fixed
Symptoms an official patch has answered
These are not workarounds. Each row matches a numbered entry in an official Paralives patch note, so the fix is to be running that build or later. Community guides still circulate manual rituals for most of them.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black screen reading "Reimporting assets" on launch | Before patch 0.1.3b, a mod could leave the game stuck re-importing its assets on every start. | Update to 0.1.3b or later. If it recurs on the current build, run the bisect procedure below instead of deleting folders. | 0.1.3b 2026-06-12 |
| Cannot install mods, and the display language will not changeWindows | Version 0.1.2 broke both for anyone whose Paralives install sat on a drive other than the one holding the operating system. | Update to 0.1.2b or later. Moving the installation is unnecessary. | 0.1.2b 2026-06-01 |
| Mods past the fiftieth never load | The game could not load more than fifty Workshop mods at once. | Update to 0.1.3 or later. There is no cap now. | 0.1.3 2026-06-06 |
| Game appears frozen for several seconds at the main menu | Before 0.1.4 the game loaded mods without saying so, which made a normal wait look like a crash. | Update to 0.1.4 or later, which shows a "Loading mods…" screen instead. If you see that screen the game is working — give it time. | 0.1.4 2026-06-18 |
| A mod you know exists does not appear when browsing Workshop tags | Tags arrived in 0.1.4 and are applied by the creator, who has to re-edit the upload in-game. Anything uploaded before that and left alone carries none. | Search the Workshop by name rather than filtering by tag. There is nothing to fix on your end. | 0.1.4 2026-06-18 |
Still open
Symptoms with no patch behind them
For these there is no dated fix. What we can do is say exactly where the information comes from, so you can weigh it: an official warning from the studio counts for more than a thread consensus, and both count for more than a guess.
Every mod disappears from the menus and from the game at once
Official postParalives Studio listed this in the 0.1.5 known issues and attributed it to external plugins and mods, meaning the third-party kind rather than Workshop items.
Remove any external plugin loader and its plugins, then restart. The studio has published no fix, so treat plugins as the first thing to pull.
SourceMods stop working immediately after a game patch
Official postThe studio warns in its own patch notes that external plugins and mods may not always be compatible with the latest update right away.
Compare each mod's last-updated date on Steam with the patch date. Disable everything, confirm the game runs, re-enable in batches, and leave the stragglers off until their authors publish an update.
SourceCannot find or open the mod folders on macOS
macOSOfficial postThe data folder is hidden inside the user Library, and some installs also created a second, wrong folder that the studio has since asked players to delete.
Use the folder button in the in-game Mods menu where you can. Otherwise the correct location is the com.Paralives.Paralives path below; the plain Paralives/Paralives one is the stale copy.
SourceMod is subscribed and switched on, but nothing appears in game
Official postUsually Steam has not finished downloading, the game has not re-scanned since it did, or one item in your set is failing and taking others down with it.
Let Steam finish, then fully quit and relaunch. If it persists, run the studio's disable-and-bisect procedure — it is the only method that tells you which item is at fault instead of guessing.
SourceA script mod you read about is nowhere on the Workshop
Official postParalives Studio does not support script mods: it provides no tools for them and does not allow them on the Workshop. That is a stated policy, not an oversight.
Those mods are published on Nexus Mods and rely on a third-party loader. See the section below for what is confirmed and what we have not verified.
SourceProcedure
Find the mod that is breaking your game
Paralives Studio published this method in the game's own Bug Reporting forum. Use it when the game hangs on launch and you have no idea which of your subscriptions is responsible — it isolates the culprit without deleting anything.
- 1
Right-click Paralives in your Steam library and choose Properties.
- 2
Open the Workshop tab in the window that appears, then click Show Advanced Options.
- 3
Under Locally Enabled Items, click Disable Filtered. This unchecks every subscribed item without deleting any of them.
- 4
Start the game. If it reaches the main menu without hanging, one of your subscriptions was the cause.
- 5
Re-enable your subscriptions in small batches, restarting each time, until the problem returns. The last batch you added holds the culprit.
- 6
If the game still hangs with everything disabled, the problem is a local mod file rather than a subscription — check the folders listed below.
Published by Paralives Studio in the official Bug Reporting forum on 2026-06-09. Read the original thread
Folders
Where the files actually live
The reliable way to open the right folder is the folder button next to a mod in the in-game Mods menu, which resolves the correct path for your install. These are for when the game will not start and you cannot reach that menu. Every path below comes from an official post rather than a community guide.
- Game data and local modsWindows
C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\LocalLow\Paralives\ParalivesThis is also where player.log lives. Back up the save folders inside before deleting anything here.
- Steam Workshop downloadsWindows
<Steam library>\steamapps\workshop\content\1118520Subscribed items land here rather than in the game data folder. Steam manages it, so deleting items here without unsubscribing only makes Steam download them again.
- Game datamacOS
~/Library/Application Support/com.Paralives.Paralives/Confirmed by the studio in a June 2026 notice. If you also have a ~/Library/Application Support/Paralives/Paralives/ folder, that is the stale one the notice asked players to remove after moving any saves out of it.
- Crash logWindows
…\AppData\LocalLow\Paralives\Paralives\player.logplayer.log holds the current session and player-prev.log the one before it. The studio asks for these when you report a startup problem.
Script mods are not on the Workshop
If you are hunting for Mod Organizer, Construction Tools or anything else that changes how the game works rather than what is in it, you will not find it on the Steam Workshop. Paralives Studio provides no tools for script mods and does not allow them there, so they are hosted on Nexus Mods and load through BepInEx, a third-party plugin loader the studio does not support.
We are not printing an install path yet
The write-ups we could find disagree with each other about where the plugin folder goes, and none of them cite a studio source. Rather than publish a path we have not tested, we are leaving this open until we can verify it on a real install. Everything above — that these mods exist, that they are off-Workshop, that they need a third-party loader — is confirmed.
What each patch changed for modders
Read top to bottom if you are returning after a break. A mod that worked in May may be sitting on the wrong side of one of these.
- 0.1.52026-07-02Added a toggle-all-on and toggle-all-off button to the Mods menu. The known-issues list also warned for the first time that external plugins and mods can make every mod invisible, both in the menus and in the game.
- 0.1.42026-06-18Added Workshop tags, which creators apply by re-editing their uploads in-game — untagged older items simply do not appear when you browse by tag. Also replaced the silent freeze at the main menu with a "Loading mods…" screen.
- 0.1.3b2026-06-12Fixed the freeze on the "Reimporting assets" screen when launching the game with mods installed.
- 0.1.32026-06-06Removed the limit that stopped the game loading more than fifty Workshop mods, and widened the in-game font so translation mods can display more characters.
- 0.1.2b2026-06-01Fixed players whose game sat on a drive other than their operating system's being unable to install mods or change the display language.
Common questions
- My mods worked yesterday and the game just updated. What now?
- Expect a few to break. Paralives Studio states in its own patch notes that external plugins and mods may not be compatible with a new build right away. Disable everything, confirm the game runs clean, then re-enable in batches. Mods whose authors have not re-published since the current build are the first suspects.
- The game hangs on "Reimporting assets". Do I have to delete my mods?
- Not if you are up to date. Patch 0.1.3b, released on 12 June 2026, fixed that specific freeze. Update first. If it still happens on the current build, use the disable-and-bisect procedure above rather than deleting folders.
- Is there still a limit on how many mods I can use?
- No. Patch 0.1.3 removed the cap that stopped the game loading more than fifty Workshop mods. Load time still grows with the count, which is what the "Loading mods…" screen added in 0.1.4 is telling you.
- I subscribed but the mod is not in the Mods menu.
- Let Steam finish downloading, then fully quit and relaunch so the game re-scans. If it still does not appear and your game sits on a different drive from Windows, you may be hitting the bug fixed in 0.1.2b, so update. Otherwise run the bisect procedure.
- Where is the mods folder on a Mac?
- Paralives keeps its data under ~/Library/Application Support/com.Paralives.Paralives/. The studio confirmed that path in a June 2026 notice about Mac saves, which also flagged an older ~/Library/Application Support/Paralives/Paralives/ folder that some installs created by mistake.
- A mod I want is missing from the Workshop tag lists.
- Tags arrived in patch 0.1.4 and creators have to re-edit their uploads in-game to apply them. Items uploaded earlier and never touched since carry no tags, so tag browsing misses them. Search by name instead.
Keep reading
Next in the Workshop cluster
How to install Paralives mods
The Workshop route, manual files from other hosts, and the in-game Mods menu.
Best mods to install
Fifteen verified quality-of-life picks, ranked by all-time subscribers.
Custom content explained
What CC is and how it differs from a feature mod.
Game crashing or won't launch
Clean-boot steps and save recovery for when the problem is not your mods.
Patch history
Every build so far, with dates you can check your symptoms against.
Workshop overview
How the mod system has changed patch by patch.
Checked against Early Access 0.1.7c on 2026-07-27. Patch references come from official Paralives patch notes.