Can You Mod a SCUM Server? What You Can Change Today

SCUM has no official mod support yet, so there is nothing to install on your server the way you would with Workshop mods in other games. You can still change a lot: loot, traders, raid windows, AI difficulty and who gets admin, all through config files you edit in the panel's Files tab.

Does SCUM Support Mods?

Not officially. There is no Steam Workshop for SCUM and no mod folder that the dedicated server loads. Gamepires said in its January 2026 development update that it has started building a mod support framework, with the goal of having it ready within 2026. At the time of writing (September 2026) it has not shipped.

What About the SCUM Mods on Nexus Mods?

Most SCUM listings on Nexus Mods are tools that run next to a server: server managers, Discord bots, stats sites and loot editors. They are useful, but they are not gameplay mods, and none of them make your server load new items, maps or mechanics. The loot editors write the same config files this guide covers, so you can use them and upload the result.

Where SCUM Keeps Its Server Config

Everything lives in one folder:

SCUM/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/

The folder is called WindowsServer on every host, because SCUM only ships a Windows server build. The game creates these files on the first start, so start your server once before you look for them.

Stop the server before you edit any of these, save your change, then start it again. The server reads them when it starts, and changing settings from inside the game writes back to ServerSettings.ini, so an edit made while it runs can be lost.

Change the Name, Password and Playstyle in the Startup Tab

Four settings are managed by the panel, not by the file: Server Name, Server Description, Server Password and Server Playstyle (PVP or PVE). Set them in the Startup tab. The panel writes them into ServerSettings.ini every time the server starts, so if you change them in the file instead, your edit is replaced on the next boot. Max Players is also in the Startup tab and is passed to the server at launch.

Tune Gameplay in ServerSettings.ini

ServerSettings.ini has several hundred settings split into sections like [World], [Respawn], [Vehicles] and [Damage]. Most are multipliers where 1.000000 is the default. A few that server owners change most often:

scum.PuppetHealthMultiplier=1.000000
scum.SentryHealthMultiplier=1.000000
scum.ArmedNPCDamageMultiplier=1.000000
scum.FameGainMultiplier=1.000000
scum.DisableLootPuppetSpawning=False
scum.EnableLockedLootContainers=True

Change one value at a time, restart, and test in game. That way you always know which change caused what.

Customize Loot

Loot is the closest thing SCUM has to modding right now, and it is fully server-side, so players need nothing extra. It works through a Loot folder inside the config folder:

1. Join your server as an admin (see below) and run #ExportDefaultItemSpawnerPresets. It writes the game's default loot presets into SCUM/Saved/Config/WindowsServer/Loot/.
2. In the Files tab, open the Default folder it created and find the preset you want to change.
3. Copy that file into the matching Override folder and edit the copy there. Files in Default are only a reference: changing them does nothing.
4. Run #ReloadLootCustomizationsAndResetSpawners in game, or restart the server, to load your changes.

Only copy the files you actually change into Override. Everything you leave out keeps the game's defaults, which also means game updates can still adjust them.

Change Traders and Raid Times

EconomyOverride.json controls the traders in the safe zones: prices, how often stock rotates, whether traders have unlimited funds or stock, and per-item overrides. A value of -1 means "use the game default".

RaidTimes.json lists the windows when players can damage other players' bases. Each entry has a day (like Weekdays, Weekend or Monday,Wednesday,Friday), a time range, and how many minutes before and after the window the server announces it. Times follow the server clock.

JSON is strict about commas and quotes. If the server ignores your change, paste the file into a JSON validator before you look for anything else.

Add Admins, Including a Second Admin

To give someone in-game admin commands, add their SteamID64 (the 17-digit number starting with 7656) on its own line in AdminUsers.ini:

76561198000000001
76561198000000002[SetGodMode]

Add a permission in square brackets right after the ID, with no space. [SetGodMode] lets that admin place buildings instantly without filling in blueprints. It does not make them invincible. Add the same ID to ServerSettingsAdminUsers.ini if they should also be able to change server settings in game. Restart the server after editing.

If someone should manage the server itself (start, stop, files, backups), add them as a sub-user in the panel's Access tab instead. They get their own login with exactly the permissions you pick, and you never share yours.

When Official Mod Support Arrives

We will add it to the panel once Gamepires releases it and we have tested how the dedicated server loads mods. Until then, the loot, economy and settings files above are how every SCUM server gets customized, on any host.

New to SCUM hosting? Start with the Getting Started guide. If you need more memory for a busy server, the SCUM RAM calculator gives you a plan size.

Common Issues

My change to the server name or password keeps reverting: those four settings come from the Startup tab. Change them there.

The server ignores my loot changes: make sure the file is in an Override folder, not Default, and that you ran #ReloadLootCustomizationsAndResetSpawners or restarted.

Nobody can join after I edited a user list: check ExclusiveUsers.ini. One line in that file locks everyone else out.

The config folder is empty: start the server once. SCUM writes its default files on the first boot.

My new server still shows the default name: SCUM writes its own defaults on the very first start. The name and playstyle from the Startup tab apply from the next start, so restart once.