> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.reskate.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Mods > What a ReSkate mod is, where mods live, the load order, how mods are merged into the game at launch, and what applies while the game runs. A mod is a folder in `Mods`. ReSkate merges every enabled mod into the game when it starts: new maps, parks, cosmetics, loading screens, music playlists, Quick Drop objects, changed game files, and plugins with Luau code. You never change the game's own files. Mods stay in their folders, and you can turn each one off again. ## Where mods live Mods go in `Mods\\`, beside `Skate.exe` in the folder ReSkate installed the game into. The launcher's **MODS** page installs them there for you: see [installing mods](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/installing.md). `Mods\mods.json` keeps which mods are on, and their order. The launcher and the in-game **MODS** tab write it; you rarely edit it by hand. See [mods.json](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/mod-folder.md#modsjson). ## What a mod can hold A mod folder can hold any of these, and several at once: | What | How ReSkate knows it | Page | | - | - | - | | Game data: cosmetics, changed game files, maps | `layout.toc`, built by ReSkate Studio | [ReSkate Studio](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/studio.md) | | Custom maps | `reskate-levels.json` | [Maps](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/maps.md) | | Parks of Build Kit objects | `parks/.park.json` | [Parks](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/parks.md) | | Names and families for Quick Drop objects | `reskate-objects.json` | [Quick Drop objects](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/objects.md) | | Music playlists | `reskate-music.json` | [Music](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/music.md) | | Choices of content, such as decks | `"variants"` in `reskate-plugin.json` | [Variants](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/variants.md) | | A plugin, with Luau code | `reskate-plugin.json` | [Plugins](https://docs.reskate.dev/plugins/overview.md) | | A title, author, version and picture | `manifest.json`, `icon.png`, `README.md` | [The mod folder](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/mod-folder.md) | ## The load order Mods are in an order, highest first. The launcher's **MY MODS** page sets it: drag a mod by its handle, type a position, or use **Move up**, **Move down**, **Move to top** and **Move to bottom**. The order decides which mod wins when two change the same thing: * **Game files the game has.** When two mods change the same file, ReSkate combines both changes onto the game's copy. Only changes that cannot be combined are a conflict. * **Looks** (appearances, textures and meshes) never conflict: the higher mod's copy is used. * **New files** two mods both add under the same name: the higher mod's copy is used, and both mods load. * **The game's Lua scripts**: only the highest mod's version runs. When two mods conflict, the lower one is left out whole, so you never get half of a mod. The launcher marks it **CONFLICT** or **LEFT OUT**, and its **Load this one** button moves it above the mod it clashes with. In game, its tile on the **MODS** tab says **LEFT OUT**. ## The merge The launcher merges the enabled mods into one patch before it starts the game, in `Mods\.reskate`. The next launch reuses that patch when nothing changed. A mod is left out of the merge, with a message naming it, when: * it was built for another version of skate. (**OUTDATED** in the launcher); * it cannot be merged cleanly, for example a mod folder that is incomplete; * it conflicts with a mod above it; * it copies an item the game's store sells. The other mods still load. See [what ReSkate refuses](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/rules.md) for each case and its message. When the mods change, the launcher empties the game's shader cache before the next launch, so the game builds its shaders again for the new set. ## Applying mods while the game runs The **MODS** tab of the ReSkate menu (**Insert**) lists every mod with its state, and turns mods on and off. After a change it shows how many changes are waiting, and one button to apply them: **Apply**, **Apply and reload level**, or **Apply and go to San Van**. The console's `mods apply` does the same. What applies without a restart: * maps, loading screens and cosmetics, at the next level load; * a mod that only adds maps, without reloading the level at all; * mods installed since the game started. What needs a restart: * changes to the game's interface and language; * turning off a mod that changes scoring or physics. The load order itself is set in the launcher. In game, a mod keeps the place it had at launch. ## Status in game Each tile on the **MODS** tab shows one of these: | Status | Meaning | | - | - | | **LOADED** | In the game. | | **DISABLED** | Off. | | **APPLY TO LOAD** / **APPLY TO UNLOAD** | Switched on or off, waiting for **Apply**. | | **NOT LOADED** | On, but left out: outdated, or it could not be merged. | | **LEFT OUT** | On, but a mod higher in the order changes the same parts of the game. | | **SET ASIDE** | On, but another mod's chosen [variant](https://docs.reskate.dev/mods/variants.md) replaces what it changes. | > [!WARNING] > > Only install mods you trust. Mods change game data, and plugins run code, even though plugins are sandboxed. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.