Step 1: Getting to the game’s install-folder
Steam
- Open Steam
- Go to your library
- Find Just Cause 2 in your list of games
- Right click it, then click properties
- In the popup window, click Installed files on the left, then Browse… in the top right
GOG
- Open GOG
- On the left, click on Installed to get to your library
- Find Just Cause 2 in your list of games
- Right click it, then click manage installation
- In the popup menu, click on show folder
Step 2: Creating a mod folder
Once you’re in the game’s install folder, all you need to do is create a folder called dropzone. This is where most mods you download and install go to.
Step 3: Downloading and installing mods
The Just Cause 2 mod site is VideoGameMods.com. All the mods you find here are completely free. JC2 mods are a bit of a mess and can come in three different setups, but what’s always the same is that they come in a file archive (.zip, .rar, 7z, etc). Before you can do anything with the mod, you need to extract the archive. In Newer Windows 11 versions you can just right click the file and click extract all. In older Windows versions you might need other software such as winrar or 7zip. Once you extracted the mod, these are the setups mods can come in and how to install them:
The lazy one
Mods with this setup just come with a mod name folder with loose files inside that are just thrown into a single folder. An example for this is the Rico Christmas Suit mod. Once you unpack the rar, you just get a folder called “Christmas Rico” with two textures inside. Mods with this setup can be installed by just copying the mod name folder into your dropzone folder, so copy that “Christmas Rico” folder and paste it into your dropzone to install it.
Game archives
Mods with this setup don’t come with individual game files, but instead come in a packed game archive. These are not to be confused with generic archives like .zip and others. This is the same type of archive that the game’s default files come in. An example for this type of setup is Technopath’s Black Market mod v3. You can identify a mod with this setup if it only comes with .tab and .arc files. To install a mod like this, just copy the arc and tab files, go into the archives_win32 folder, not dropzone, and paste them in here.
The proper setup
Mods with this setup are similar to the lazy setup, but actually come with proper file paths. This difference doesn’t really matter for most people, but if you’re a modder yourself, you will appreciate people taking the extra time to to do this. So if you download a mod that comes with one or more of these folders, simply copy them into your dropzone folder to install it.
Miscellaneous and other mods
A small number of mods also require different steps to be installed, so if the mod doesn’t come in one of the previously mentioned setups, make sure to check the mod page’s install instructions.