How to Set Up Mods on Your Insurgency: Sandstorm Server

Updated June 10, 2026 · By Host Havoc Technical Support Team

Mods for Insurgency: Sandstorm are delivered through Mod.io. The steps below walk you through generating an access token, adding your mod IDs, and activating mutators so mods load when your server starts.

Before you start: You need a Mod.io account and access to your server's game panel. If you need file access beyond the panel's text editor, see Connect via FTP.

Generate a Mod.io OAuth token

  1. Sign in to Mod.io and click your username at the top right.
  2. Select API Access from the left navigation.
    Mod.io username menu with API Access option highlighted
  3. Under OAuth 2 Management, find the Generate Access Token section.
  4. Enter a name for the token, select read access (write access is not required), then click Create Token.
    Generate Access Token form with name field and read access selected
  5. Copy the token to your clipboard.

Add the token to GameUserSettings.ini

  1. In your Host Havoc game panel, open Configuration Files.
  2. Open GameUserSettings.ini using the Text Editor or Config Editor.
  3. Locate the TOKEN HERE placeholder and replace it with the token you copied.
  4. Click Save.

Enable mods in the Commandline Manager

  1. Navigate to the Commandline Manager in your game panel.
  2. Create a new commandline or edit your existing one.
  3. Make sure the Mods checkbox is checked.
  4. Save the commandline.

Add mod IDs to Mods.txt

  1. Browse to insurgencysandstorm.mod.io and find the mods you want.
  2. On each mod page, note the numeric mod ID.
    Mod.io mod page showing the numeric mod ID to copy
  3. In your game panel, open Configuration Files and open Mods.txt.
  4. Add each mod ID on its own line.
    Mods.txt open in Configuration Files with mod IDs listed one per line
  5. Click Save and Exit.

Enable mutators (optional)

Some mods include mutators. The mutator name is listed on the mod's Mod.io page.

  1. Open the Commandline Manager and edit your active commandline.
  2. In the Mutators field, enter each mutator name separated by a comma.
    Commandline Manager Mutators field with comma-separated mutator names entered
  3. Save the commandline and restart your server.

Troubleshooting

  • Mods not downloading: Confirm the OAuth token in GameUserSettings.ini is correct and that the Mods checkbox is enabled in the Commandline Manager.
  • Mutator not applying: Verify the mutator name matches exactly what is listed on the Mod.io page (case-sensitive).