Timberborn: Timberborn – Mods and Custom Maps

Timberborn Workshop is currently available only in the experimental build of Update 6.

Check this guide to see how to switch to the experimental branch:
How to access the experimental branch?

To see and use the Workshop during this testing phase, you also need to join this public group:
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/timberborn-workshop-EXP-ONLY

When you join the group, you’ll find the Workshop here.

After U6 goes live on the main branch, the Workshop will be available with no extra steps.

Hello,

and welcome to the wonderfully quirky world of Timberborn on mods! In this guide, you’ll find the basic info on how to use and make mods, some helpful links, as well as our company’s modding guidelines. If you plan to publish anything in Timberborn Workshop, please read this first.

Let’s start with the basics of how to use custom Timberborn content: maps and other mods.

Custom maps are made in the map editor built into the vanilla game, as explained in the following section. Barring some very specific creations, they won’t require anything else to work. Here’s all you need to do to play on a custom map – found either in the Workshop or elsewhere.

First, you will need to browse Timberborn Workshop and find what fits your fancy.

Afterwards:

1. Click Subscribe under each map you want to access. Steam will then download them.
2. Open Timberborn’s main menu.
3. Click New game.
4. Choose the faction.
5. Open the Custom maps tab.
6. Find the map you subscribed to.

If you want to edit a Workshop map in the map editor, downloading it works the same way.

If the map doesn’t appear in the Custom maps tab, click Download maps to be taken to Steam Workshop, find the map again, and ensure you’re subscribed to it. Sometimes, Steam won’t download the Workshop content immediately, so check Steam’s Downloads section too.

To delete a map downloaded from Steam Workshop, you will need to Unsubscribe from it in the Workshop. It will disappear from Custom maps and Steam will then delete it from your drive.

You can also play on a custom map downloaded from another mod repository or shared with you directly. Here’s what you need to do.

1. If the map came in a .zip archive, extract the archive first.
2. Move the .timber map file found inside to the Maps folder. By default, all custom maps are located here: \Users\[user]\Documents\Timberborn\Maps.
3. Go to the main menu.
4. Click New game.
5. Choose the faction.
6. Open the Custom maps tab and find the map you added.

If you want to edit a custom, non-Workshop map, you need to add it to the Maps folder the same way.

If you can’t localize your Maps folder, click the Browse local maps button found in the Custom maps tab.

Please note: in most cases, a custom map won’t break your game, although if you use an old map file, it may be missing some of the newer content. For example, pre-2024 maps may feature zero Badwater Sources, making several in-game buildings obsolete. When trying to play on a map created on the older major game version, the game will display a warning. Unless the map is really old, you should be able to play on it anyway.

Timberborn features a built-in map editor, which you can use to create a new map. The map can then be shared – either manually as a file or uploaded directly to Steam Workshop.

1. Click Create new map in the main menu.
2. Pick the map size, up to 256×256. The map doesn’t have to be a square.
3. Go crazy with the editor. Remember that the buttons in the upper right-hand corner allow you to simulate water flow, droughts, and badtides without leaving the editor.
4. Use the Description and Thumbnail buttons found on the toolbar to add a personal touch to your creation, and save the map. You can also add an overlay (i.e. your logo) to the thumbnail.

Note: You may also edit an existing map, including one of the official ones. To do that, click Edit map in the main menu and choose the map that you want to modify. If you edit an official map, your version will be saved as a separate copy.

1. In the map editor, click Upload map in the upper left corner of the screen. You must be online and logged into Steam for it to work.
2. Choose the map’s visibility such as Public or Unlisted, and have another look at the description. When you’re resubmitting the map later, use checkboxes to indicate if you want to update the existing entry, or submit it as a new Workshop item. You can also add a changelog to cover what changed compared to the previous version.

1. Locate your map’s .timber file in the Maps folder. By default, all custom maps are located here: C:\Users\[user]\Documents\Timberborn\Maps.
2. Share the map file directly with other players or upload them to other mod repositories such as Mod.io.

By mods, we mean player-generated content other than the custom maps. This includes extra in-game content, UI improvements, quality-of-life tweaks, new localizations, and more.

Browse the Timberborn Workshop for anything that fits your fancy (and is supported by the game version you’re on).
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3275060459
To try the new system, subscribe to the sample mod created by Mechanistry, the Shanty Speaker, embedded above.

1. Click Subscribe under a mod you want to use. Steam will then download it. We recommend going slowly—do not install every interesting mod at once, or you risk conflicts and crashes.
2. Launch Timberborn (or restart it – any mod-related changes require a restart to apply).
3. Before the game launches, the mod manager’s window will be displayed. Use it to turn mods on and off, and rearrange their launch order.
4. Click OK.
5. You can also access the mod manager by clicking Mods in the main menu.

Remember to restart the game after adding and removing mods. If the mod doesn’t appear in the mod manager, click Download mods in the manager to be taken to Steam Workshop, find the mod again, and ensure you’re subscribed to it. Sometimes, Steam won’t download the Workshop content immediately, so check Steam’s Downloads section too.

To delete a mod downloaded from Steam Workshop, you will need to Unsubscribe from it in the Workshop. It will disappear from the mod manager and Steam will then delete it from your drive.

You can also use mods downloaded from another mod repository or shared with you directly. Please note that only mods created with the new system introduced in Update 6 in mind work this way.

Here’s what you need to do.

1. If the mod came in a .zip archive, extract the archive first.
2. Move the mod’s folder found inside to the Mods folder. By default, all mods are located here: \Users\[user]\Documents\Timberborn\Mods.
3. Launch Timberborn (or restart it – any mod-related changes require a restart to apply).
4. Before the game launches, the mod manager’s window will be displayed. Use it to turn mods on and off, and rearrange their launch order.
5. Click OK.
6. You can also access the mod manager by clicking Mods in the main menu.

If you can’t localize your Mods folder, click the Browse local mods button found in the mod manager.

Compared to custom maps, mods are way more likely to crash the game or break it in other ways, so you’re using them at your own risk. Again, we suggest you take things slow and install mods one at a time.

If you experience serious in-game issues on your modded game, especially after Timberborn was updated, chances are the mods stopped working properly – either individually, or because of some specific mod combination. Your best bet may be to uninstall the mod or disable it via the mod manager, and wait until the mod’s author updates it to match the new game version.

You may also try rearranging mods’ launch order using the mod manager.

Alternatively, if the mod worked fine on a previous major version of the game (e.g. Update 5) and you want to continue playing with it, you may want to temporarily roll back the game’s version. To do that, follow the instructions found in this post.

When your game crashes while modded, you will see that noted on the post-crash screen. We will be grateful for your crash report nevertheless.

Since the game launched in 2021, we have seen all kinds of mods created for Timberborn, ranging from single buildings to entire playable factions, from small UI tweaks to entirely new features such as trains. With Update 6, modding became an officially supported feature of the game, and we made Timberborn more open to modding.

We recognize that modding is about changing the unchangeable and we cannot predict all the crazy things that modders may want to do with the game. However, with Update 6, we strive to make the most common modding tasks easier to accomplish, less prone to errors, less prone to compatibility issues, and overall, make the game more fun to experiment with.

For example, to add a new in-game resource under the new system, you would only need to put a simple .json file in the correct folder. There’s no need for code and DLLs that need to be kept up to date! Or, if you wanted to translate the game into a new language, it’s a matter of localizing a CSV file and creating a tiny manifest file – no programming tools involved. Also, with less reliance on external tools and API, we expect way fewer modding-related game crashes.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of what you can do:

• Add new buildings with custom models, particles, descriptions etc.
• Update textures and sprites.
• Modify specifications, for example recipes for goods.
• Add new translations and modify in-game text.
• Add new sounds.
• Add new code.
• And much more!

We have prepared official resources to familiarize you with the official modding system and the custom 3D model we use, Timbermesh. If you’re a modder, follow the links below.

Github repository with sample mods
Modding wiki/documentation
Timbermesh format documentation

We won’t drown you in legalese, but here are some guidelines we have for our players. We want to ensure mods amplify the Timberborn players’ experience in a positive way and that their authors don’t cross the line where we or Steam admins need to step in and remove their work.

Dos:

1. To make everyone’s lives easier, please add a description, main image, and some screenshots that explain what your map or mod is about.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t create mods that violate the Steam Subscriber Agreement.
2. Don’t use other players’ work or copyrighted material, such as assets from other games, without explicit permission. If you were granted permission, credit the source in a respectable way and include proof of permission in the mod and its description.
3. Don’t include any code with unexpected and/or malicious purposes. The community needs to be able to easily tell that your mod is not harmful in any way.
4. Don’t make mods public if they’re meant for personal use or you know they’re unfinished and bound to break the game for other players.
5. If you wish to pick up work on a mod that appears to be abandoned by the original creator, get in touch with them first to ask for their permission. Reuploads without a clear explanation of whether you have obtained permission for a reupload will be deleted.
6. Don’t make mods available only behind a paywall or paid for in any other way – for example available only to your supporters on an external platform.
7. When publishing your new content, whatever it is, be respectful of others. Most importantly, we don’t want any form of hate speech – racism, homophobia etc. – in Timberborn Workshop.

• http://mod.io/g/timberborn, the original mod repository. It still contains many older maps and mods, which you may find inspiring.
• The “Modding basics” channel on our Discord[discord.com] – the best place to discuss mods live, often with their creators hanging around.
• How to play on older branches and the experimental branch – a short guide on how to access other game versions.
• Timberborn’s Feature Upvote[timberborn.featureupvote.com] – where the players can vote for feature suggestions and bug reports. A good place to see what’s in high demand.
• Timberborn Reddit – the Reddit community loves mods, so you may want to share yours.