Game closes instantly after installing a guard mod
Likely cause: Version mismatch between the mod and 2.0.2.
What to do: Check the mod page for a 2.0 build. Remove the mod folder and relaunch to confirm the base game is fine.
Modding
Install one mod, break one thing, learn one rule
Frickbear's 3 has an active mod scene, mostly custom guards and custom night presets. Almost every broken install comes from stacking two mods before testing either.
2.0.2 awareBackup-firstNo file mirrors
Verified against v2.0.2
Quick answer
Short version
Install mods into a clean 2.0.2 install, one at a time, and back up your save folder first. Most mods are published on GameBanana under the game's mod hub. If the game stops launching, remove the most recent mod before doing anything else.
This site does not host mod files. We describe the process and link to the platforms where creators publish their own work.
The four mod types
Custom guards
Adds a playable night guard with its own dialogue and office sprite. Risk: Low. Installing any character mod also unlocks Fritz early, though Lunatic stays locked until you clear Hard or finish as Vanessa.
Custom night challenges
Adds challenge presets to the Custom Night roster, sometimes with new modifiers. Risk: Low. The safest category to try first: it does not touch the story campaign.
Save files
A pre-completed save, typically 100% or a specific ending state. Risk: Medium. Always back up your own save first. A save file replaces progress rather than merging with it.
Cosmetic and audio packs
Replaces sprites, voices or music cues. Risk: Low to medium. Audio replacements can break the cue-reading skill the whole game depends on.
Install order
- Download the 2.0.2 base game and confirm it launches before adding anything.
- Copy your save folder somewhere outside the game directory.
- Read the mod's own page for its required base version; a 1.1.4 mod is not automatically 2.0 compatible.
- Extract the mod into the folder the mod page specifies, not into a random subfolder.
- Install one mod, launch, and play a full night before adding a second.
- If the game fails to launch, remove that single mod rather than hunting through several.
Back up before you touch anything
Save data for GameMaker Studio titles usually sits under %LOCALAPPDATA%, in a folder named after the game rather than inside the install directory. Copy that folder to a dated backup before every mod change.
- Name backups by date and mod, not by “backup”.
- Keep one clean backup made before any mod was ever installed.
- Do not keep the only copy on the same drive as the game.
Rollback when it breaks
- Close the game completely.
- Remove the most recently added mod folder or file.
- Restore the save backup that matches the state before that mod.
- Launch and play one night to confirm the base install is healthy.
- Re-read the mod's requirements before trying again.
Troubleshooting
My ending progress vanished
Likely cause: A save-file mod replaced the save rather than adding to it.
What to do: Restore the backup you made. Save mods are swaps, not merges.
Audio cues sound wrong or missing
Likely cause: An audio pack replaced cue sounds.
What to do: Remove the audio pack. Several animatronics are only counterable by sound.
Two mods work alone but not together
Likely cause: Both modify the same script or roster file.
What to do: Keep the one you actually use. Load order does not fix two mods editing the same file.
Credit and safety
- Download from the creator's own mod page. Reuploads strip credits and often ship stale files.
- Mods that require you to disable antivirus globally are not worth installing. Folder exclusions are the most you should ever grant.
- Save files from strangers are save data, not magic. Back up before you swap one in.
- If a mod adds content from another artist, check that the mod page credits them. If it does not, assume it is a reupload.