RimWorld Mods Stuck Downloading? Here's How to Fix It

Your Steam Workshop mods show "downloading..." forever — usually after a game update — and never finish. It's a stuck Steam Workshop queue, not a RimWorld problem, and it almost always clears with one of the fixes below.

Steam Workshop issue Keeps your mod list ~5 minutes No reinstall needed
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Fastest fix first: right-click RimWorld in your Steam Library → Properties → Workshop tab → uncheck the stuck mods, then re-check them. That forces a fresh download without unsubscribing and losing your mod order. If that fails, work down the list below.

Fix 1 — Re-check the mods in the Workshop tab

The cleanest fix: it keeps your subscription and mod list intact.

  1. 1
    Open RimWorld's properties

    In your Steam Library, right-click RimWorld → Properties. Scroll to the Workshop tab (near the bottom of the list).

  2. 2
    Uncheck the stuck mod(s)

    Find the mods showing "downloading" and untick the checkbox next to them. Wait a few seconds.

  3. 3
    Re-check them

    Tick the boxes again — Steam re-queues the download immediately and the stuck state clears.

Fix 2 — Clear Steam's download cache

If the whole queue is jammed, the cache is usually the culprit.

  1. 1
    Clear the cache

    Steam menu → Settings → Downloads → Clear Download Cache. Steam will restart and ask you to log in again.

  2. 2
    Kick the queue

    After logging back in, unsubscribe and resubscribe to a single small mod — this often wakes the whole queue. Also check Steam is in online mode: Workshop mods do not download while Steam is offline.

Fix 3 — Delete the workshop content folder

Your subscriptions live on your Steam account, so deleting the local copies just forces a clean re-download.

  1. 1
    Close Steam completely

    Fully exit Steam (system tray → right-click → Exit), not just the window.

  2. 2
    Delete the RimWorld workshop folder

    Go to Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\294100 and delete everything inside. 294100 is RimWorld's app ID. If mods are stuck mid-download, also clear any 294100 folder under steamapps\workshop\downloads or temp.

  3. 3
    Restart Steam

    Steam notices the files are gone and re-downloads all your subscribed mods fresh.

Where is the folder? It's on the same drive where you installed RimWorld — typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\294100. If your Steam library is on another drive (D:, E:...), look in that drive's SteamLibrary folder instead.

Fix 4 — Delete the appworkshop manifest

The file that tells Steam what mods you have and their download state can corrupt — removing it forces Steam to rebuild it.

  1. 1
    Close Steam

    Exit Steam fully again.

  2. 2
    Delete the manifest file

    In Steam\steamapps\workshop\ delete appworkshop_294100.acf. This is the file tracking your RimWorld mod subscriptions and update state — your actual subscriptions are stored on Steam's servers, so nothing is lost.

  3. 3
    Relaunch and wait

    Restart Steam. It recreates the manifest and re-syncs every subscribed mod. Give it a few minutes if you run a large mod list.

Fix 5 — The last-resort checks

If mods still hang after all of the above, the problem is usually outside RimWorld's workshop folder.

  1. 1
    Check Steam basics

    Verify Steam itself is updated (Steam → Check for Steam Client Updates), your download region is sane (Settings → Downloads), and you have free disk space on the library drive.

  2. 2
    Unsubscribe and resubscribe

    From your Workshop "Subscribed Items" page (in a browser, while the game is closed), unsubscribe the problem mods, restart Steam, then resubscribe. Tedious for a long list but it resets per-mod state.

  3. 3
    Use a mod manager to isolate

    RimPy or RimSort can show which workshop folders actually exist on disk versus what Steam thinks it downloaded — useful for spotting ghost mods that re-download forever. If a deleted mod keeps coming back, deleting the appworkshop_294100.acf manifest (Fix 4) is what finally kills it.

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Note: verifying RimWorld's game files does not touch Workshop mods — it only checks the base game. Don't rely on it for this problem.

FAQ

Why do RimWorld mods get stuck "downloading"?

Almost always a jammed Steam Workshop queue — most common right after a major RimWorld update when every mod pushes a new version at once. The mod files and your subscriptions are fine; Steam's download manifest is what stalls.

Will I lose my mod list or load order?

No. Fixes 1–4 keep your subscriptions (they live on your Steam account) and your load order (saved in RimWorld's own config, not the workshop folder). Only a full unsubscribe resets a mod's position.

Where does Steam download RimWorld mods?

Steam\steamapps\workshop\content\294100 on the drive where RimWorld is installed. In-progress or stalled items can also sit under steamapps\workshop\downloads.

Unsubscribed mods keep re-downloading — how do I stop it?

That's a corrupted appworkshop_294100.acf manifest. Close Steam, delete the file in steamapps\workshop\, and restart — Steam rebuilds it from your real subscription list.

Do mods download while RimWorld is running?

Steam may queue them but they apply on the next launch. If updates seem stuck mid-game, quit RimWorld and let Steam finish the workshop sync before relaunching.