How to install Deadlock mods and skins safely

Where Deadlock mods go, the one gameinfo.gi line that makes them load, how to turn them off, and which mods could get your account in trouble.

How to install Deadlock mods

Put the mod’s .vpk file in Deadlock\game\citadel\addons, then add the line Game citadel/addons to the SearchPaths block in game\citadel\gameinfo.gi so the game loads that folder. That’s the whole manual install, and a mod manager does both steps for you.

Only touch the SearchPaths block. The game blocks matchmaking if gameinfo.gi has unsupported changes to its engine sections (Engine2, MaterialSystem2, NetworkSystem, Particles, RenderSystem, SceneSystem, WorldRenderer), so an extra search-path line is fine and anything more is asking for trouble.

Stick to cosmetic mods: skins, sounds and UI tweaks that only change what you see. Valve hasn’t published a mod policy for Deadlock, so anything that changes gameplay or shows you information other players don’t have puts your account at risk.

Where do Deadlock mods go?

In Steam, right-click Deadlock and choose Manage, then Browse local files to open the install folder. Go into game, then citadel. The files already there, like pak01_dir.vpk, are the base game archives. Leave them alone.

Create a folder called addons inside citadel if there isn’t one, all lowercase. Every mod you install goes in there.

Most mods download as a .zip or .7z with a .vpk inside. Extract it and move only the .vpk into addons. If a download has no .vpk and wants you to run an .exe instead, delete it.

Editing gameinfo.gi

The game only loads folders listed in gameinfo.gi, which sits in the same citadel folder. Copy it somewhere safe first, then open it in a plain text editor like Notepad.

Find the SearchPaths block. In the stock file it lists Game citadel and Game core. Add a new line, Game citadel/addons, above Game citadel and save. Listing addons first is what lets the mod’s files take priority over the game’s own.

Updates can replace gameinfo.gi with a fresh copy. If your mods vanish after a patch, the files are probably still in addons and only that line is gone, so add it back.

1. 01Keep the backup of the original gameinfo.gi. If the game won’t start after an edit, put it back.
2. 02Edit only the SearchPaths block. Changing anything else in the file is how people break their install.

Naming mod files and load order

Mods usually come named like the game’s own archives, pak01_dir.vpk or pak05_dir.vpk. Two mods with the same file name overwrite each other in the folder, so give each its own number before you drop it in.

If two mods change the same thing, say two skins for the same hero, only one shows. Keep one skin per hero and load order never comes up.

Using a mod manager

Most players use the community Deadlock Mod Manager rather than editing files by hand. Valve didn’t make it, but its source code is public. It handles the gameinfo.gi edit, installs mods from GameBanana in one click, and switches mods on and off without deleting them.

Downloaded mods stay off until you enable them, and there’s a button to turn every mod off at once. Pick one method: if you hand-edited gameinfo.gi before running a manager, check the line hasn’t been added twice.

How to disable or remove mods

To turn off one mod, move its .vpk out of addons. To turn off all of them, remove the Game citadel/addons line from gameinfo.gi, or put your backup back.

For a guaranteed clean install, right-click Deadlock in Steam, Properties, Installed Files, and run Verify integrity of game files. That restores the original gameinfo.gi and the game’s own files. Your addons folder may still be there afterwards, but nothing in it will load.

1. 01Crashing after an update? Turn off every mod first. Mods built for an old patch are the most common cause.
2. 02Disable mods before you report a bug to Valve, so you know the bug is in the game and not a mod.

Are Deadlock mods bannable?

Valve hasn’t published a rule either way. There’s no official mod support or Workshop, and Valve hasn’t said cosmetic mods are allowed. The community’s reasoning is that a skin only changes your own screen, other players still see the normal model, and nobody has reported a ban for cosmetic mods.

Changing how the game plays is another matter. A mod that brightens enemy models, strips out effects so you can see through them, or shows information the game hides gives you an advantage, so treat it as a cheat, because that’s what a report against you will call it. Anything that injects code into the game, rather than a .vpk of art or sound, is a cheat.

Valve runs anti-cheat in Deadlock and acts on player reports, and a cheating ban lands on your Steam account, not just one match.

1. 01Only install a mod you’d be happy for someone to watch you play with.
2. 02Avoid anything sold as a competitive edge: no-fog, brighter enemies, visibility or vision mods.
3. 03Be wary of paying for a skin of a Valve hero. Valve hasn’t approved any paid mods for Deadlock.

Staying safe downloading mods

A .vpk is an archive of game files and can’t run code by itself, which is why a mod that’s only a .vpk is low risk. The danger is whatever comes bundled with it.

1. 01Download from a well-known mod site and read the comments and upload date before you install.
2. 02Never run an .exe that claims to unlock skins or install mods, unless it’s a manager with public source code downloaded from its own site.
3. 03Scan anything you’re unsure about. A real mod is a small archive with a .vpk inside.
4. 04Check the mod was updated after the last big patch. Old mods can crash the game or show missing textures.