Installing Mods
This guide explains how to install mods on PC versions of SADX and SA2(B).
Supported Games
Make sure you have one of the following versions of the game(s) installed. Other versions are not supported.
| Sonic Adventure DX | 2004 (US) | 2004 (EU) | Sonic PC Collection (2009) | Korean version (2004) | Steam |
| Sonic Adventure 2 | Steam | ||||
Installing the Mod Loader + Manager on SADX the Easy Way
The SADX Mod Installer automatically prepares your game for modding and installs some mods. You can select which mods to install by selecting a preset, picking mods manually or following an illustrated guide. It's really easy!
- Download the mod installer from this page.
- Run
sadx_setup.exeand follow the instructions.
If you are not on Windows, a Linux guide for the installer is also available.
After the installation has finished, you will have a copy of the game with the Mod Manager and several mods.
Troubleshooting Download Errors with the Installer
Depending on your location and Internet Service Provider, you may run into the following issues:
- SADX Mod Installer is unable to download mods
- "SendRequest error" when using the web version of the installer
- "SSL record too long" error when trying to download the Mod Installer
- Various other SSL or connection errors that prevent you from updating PkR's mods or using the Mod Installer
This can happen because the domain dcmods.unreliable.network, which hosts the installer's files, was blacklisted by your Internet Service Provider as malicious.
First, try using the offline version of the installer. If that doesn't help, for a short-term solution you can use a VPN to circumvent the block. However, you will not be able to update some mods without a VPN. For a long-term solution, contact your ISP's tech support and tell them to unblacklist dcmods.unreliable.network.
Why was the domain blacklisted? We don't know, but we can't fix this ourselves. Please help us make the installer and mods more accessible by reporting the domain and the installer's files as false positives on all sites that claim it's malware (because it isn't!).
Installing the Mod Loader + Manager on SADX PC (2004) Manually
If you have the 2004 (US) version of the PC port, you can install the Mod Loader and the Mod Manager manually using the following steps:
- Make sure you have the 2004 US version of the game installed. If your game version is different, you cannot install mods without using the SADX Mod Installer first.
- Install the dependencies.
- Download the latest version of the SA Mod Manager: 64-bit version (recommended) or 32-bit version (if running a 32-bit OS).
- Extract the archive where you would like the Manager to be located and run
SAModManager.exe. - Follow the instructions in the SA Mod Manager to locate the game folder and install the Mod Loader.
- Click
Saveand you should have a working modded game installation.
Installing Dependencies
Note: If you have used the SADX Mod Installer, you can skip this step.
To be able to play the modded game and use the Mod Manager, you need to have the following things installed:
.NET 8.0 Desktop Runtime (for SA Mod Manager)
The Mod Manager requires the .NET 8.0 Desktop runtime. You can download it here.
x64 version (recommended)
x86 version (if using a 32-bit version of the SA Mod Manager)
Visual C++ runtimes
The Mod Loader and most mods are compiled with Visual Studio 2022 and need the 2015/2022 runtime. Older mods may be compiled with Visual Studio 2010, 2012 or 2013.
To be able to play all mods, download and install all of the runtimes using the links below. The links are for x86 runtimes. You DON'T need x64 runtimes.
DirectX 9.0c End-User Runtimes
You can download them here. DirectX 9 is NOT installed by default, so this is a required step.
Installing the Mod Loader + Manager on SA2 PC
Installing for SA2 Only
If you only have SA2 PC, you can follow these steps to run the SA Mod Manager and point it to the SA2 game folder:
- Install the dependencies.
- Download the latest version of the SA Mod Manager: 64-bit version (recommended) or 32-bit version (if running a 32-bit OS).
- Extract the archive where you would like the Manager to be located and run
SAModManager.exe. - Follow the instructions in the SA Mod Manager to locate the game folder and install the Mod Loader.
- Click
Saveand you should have a working modded game installation.
Adding SA2 if you already have the Manager installed for SADX (or vice versa)
If you have both SADX and SA2 and already have installed the SA Mod Manager on either game, you can click the game title on the bottom right of the Manager's main window and select Add Game.... After you finish adding the game, you will be able to toggle between them in the manager.
Installing Mods with 1-Click Install
The SA Mod Manager comes with an easy way to install mods from specially formatted links. After running the Manager at least once, you should be able to simply click supported links on webpages, and the Manager will show a prompt to install the mod. A typical 1-click install link looks like this:
Installing Mods from Links
If the above method doesn't work for you, you can click the Manager's Add Mod button, select Installing from an URL and paste the link in the box, then click OK.
Mod download links for SADX mods start with sadxmm:.
Mod download links for SA2 mods start with sa2mm:.
Installing Mods from Archives
If you have downloaded a mod as an archive, you can click the Add Mod button in the SA Mod Manager, select Installing from an archive, click OK, then select the file you have downloaded.
Installing Mods Manually
To install a mod manually, you need to create a subfolder in the mods folder (located in your game folder) and extract the mod's contents there. Do not extract mods directly to the mods folder! Each mod should be in a separate subfolder:
Note that mods may require additional dependencies, such as Visual C++ runtimes or other mods.
Places to Download Mods
MainMemory's SADX Mods Page (old)
MainMemory's SA2 Mods Page (old)