As of October 23, 2026, when a Farming Simulator 25 mod doesn’t show up or your savegame crashes while loading, the cause is usually one of these: the .zip has been unzipped or renamed, the mod isn’t enabled in that savegame, it’s missing a dependency, it’s from another game in the series (like FS22) or it needs an update after the latest patch. The log.txt file, in Documents\My Games\FarmingSimulator2025, tells you with messages like «Invalid mod name» or «Failed to open xml file». If it’s still not clear, split your mods in half until you find the one that’s failing.
Shortcut: load your log.txt into Holyfix for FS25, our free analyzer: it tells you which mods the game ignores and why, which ones throw script errors and which dependencies are missing. The file is analyzed in your browser and never uploaded.
Quick diagnosis
| Symptom or message | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| «Error: Invalid mod name ‘…’! Characters allowed: (_, A-Z, a-z, 0-9)» | The .zip name has hyphens, spaces or other characters that aren’t allowed | Use the author’s original name or remove the odd characters |
| «Error: Failed to open xml file» with …/modDesc.xml | A folder without a modDesc.xml: an unzipped mod or a folder that isn’t a mod | Leave the .zip as it is; move anything that isn’t a mod out of mods |
| Shows up in the main menu, but not in the savegame | You didn’t tick it in that savegame’s mod selection | Load the savegame and tick it |
| Doesn’t show up or can’t be enabled | It’s missing a dependency or it’s for a different version | Install what it asks for; use the FS25 version |
| Savegame won’t load after a patch | A mod needs updating | Update it or disable it until the new version is out |
| Two identical mods with different names | Duplicate copy | Keep only the official version |
Step 1: open log.txt
The game writes everything that happens to Documents\My Games\FarmingSimulator2025\log.txt (on the Steam Deck, inside the game’s Proton prefix). Open it with Notepad after the crash and look for lines starting with Error or Warning: they almost always name the mod’s .zip. Here are two real messages posted by players on the Steam forums:
Error: Invalid mod name 'FS25_FordSuperDuty2020-64-Current-1738719946'! Characters allowed: (_, A-Z, a-z, 0-9).The game rejects the name because of the hyphens. This happens a lot with files renamed by the browser or downloaded from sites that add numbers.Error: Failed to open xml fileon a path like mods/deco/modDesc.xml. There’s a folder in mods that isn’t a valid mod, usually because someone unzipped the .zip.
The log is overwritten every session: if you’re going to ask for help, save a copy before launching the game again.
Step 2: check the basics for each mod
- Not unzipped. FS25 reads the .zip directly. You only extract the outer archive when the author packs several mods together.
- Not renamed. The file name is the mod’s identity; savegames and other mods that depend on it look for it by that name.
- From the right game. FS22 mods aren’t compatible with FS25. Even the same mods are released separately for each game.
- Enabled in the savegame. In FS25, mods are enabled per savegame, on the mod selection screen.
Step 3: dependencies and patches
Many mods need other mods: shared scripts, object packs or libraries. On the ModHub, dependencies are listed and the game offers to download them; for manual installs, read the author’s description. A mod with a missing dependency usually doesn’t show up or can’t be enabled. On top of that, some mods require the latest game patch: Courseplay, for example, explicitly asks for it. After every GIANTS update, check whether your mods have a new version.
Step 4: isolate the culprit mod
- Copy your savegame folder (savegame1, savegame2… in Documents\My Games\FarmingSimulator2025) before touching anything.
- Create a temporary folder outside mods, for example mods_out, and move half of the .zip files there.
- Try it with a new test savegame. If the problem is still there, the culprit is in the half you left; if it goes away, it’s in the half you took out.
- Repeat with the suspect half until you’re down to a single mod.
Use a test savegame, not your own: if you load your farm without a modded tractor or shed you were using, those objects disappear from the savegame. Maps are a separate case: you pick them when you create the savegame and can’t change them in an existing one.
Multiplayer and consoles
In multiplayer, everyone needs the same version of every mod; a single mismatch stops you from joining. Some mods are flagged as single-player only. On PlayStation and Xbox you can only use mods from the official ModHub: if one fails, remove it from the savegame and download it again from the ModHub, since there are no files to check by hand.
More Farming Simulator 25 guides: how to install mods, the best mods, Courseplay and AutoDrive and FS25 on consoles.
Frequently asked questions
Why aren’t my FS25 mods showing up?
Most often they’re unzipped, renamed with characters that aren’t allowed, in the wrong folder or made for FS22. log.txt tells you what the problem is.
What does «Invalid mod name» mean in Farming Simulator 25?
It means the file name has characters that aren’t allowed. According to the message itself, only underscores, unaccented letters and numbers are valid.
Where is the Farming Simulator 25 log.txt?
In Documents\My Games\FarmingSimulator2025\log.txt, next to the mods folder and your savegame folders.
Can I remove a mod from a savegame I’ve already started?
Yes, by unticking it when you load the savegame, but that mod’s objects will disappear. Copy the savegame folder first.
Do FS22 mods work in FS25?
No. Each mod has to be made for its own game; many authors release separate versions.