TCG Card Shop Simulator Mods: Install BepInEx Without Breaking the Game

Mods in TCG Card Shop Simulator follow one path: a plugin loader first, framework components second, the mod itself last. Get the order wrong and nothing loads.

The three kinds of mod

Almost everything on Nexus falls into one of three groups, and each needs different components.

Player-made co-op mods are a fourth category. CardShopCoop is open source and shares money, experience, collection and customers between two or more players, using Steam lobbies or a direct connection.

Step one: the right BepInEx pack

Do not grab the generic BepInEx release. Use the BepInEx pack published specifically for this game, which ships with a pre-configured setup that the bigger mods expect.

One mod’s installation guide is blunt about this: the manager will refuse a plain BepInEx install and you need the pre-configured one, because it includes the configuration manager and the settings the rest of the stack assumes.

Step two: framework components

If a mod adds cards rather than recolouring them, it needs a content loader. The name that comes up repeatedly is Enhanced Prefab Loader, usually paired with its API package.

Texture mods need TextureReplacer instead. Collection tracking mods need their own helper. A large overhaul may list seven or eight required components.

Step three: the mod files

Most mods unpack to a BepInEx folder that you merge into your game’s main directory, overwriting when asked. Larger content packs often need a second patch archive applied on top.

For anything sizeable, use a mod manager instead of doing this by hand. The Real TCG Overhaul distribution ships its own manager that reads each archive, works out where every file belongs, and refuses anything that would break the game.

The 1.0 compatibility problem

Patch 1.0 landed in September 2026 and rebuilt large parts of the game. The modding community’s immediate reaction was that almost nothing worked.

The current state, from a community thread a few days after release: a new BepInEx configuration exists for 1.0, Enhanced Prefab Loader has been updated, and a large number of individual mods still need their authors to catch up. Card set mods need the new loader version in particular.

The recommended approach is to work from the Nexus update feed and rebuild your list gradually, keeping to mods that have shipped a 1.0 update.

Install order that avoids most problems

1. Back up your save file.
2. Install the game-specific BepInEx pack.
3. Install the framework components your chosen mods require.
4. Merge the mod’s files into the game directory.
5. If the mod ships patches, apply them in the order its page specifies.
6. Launch the game and open the BepInEx configuration menu to confirm the plugin loaded.

If a mod refuses to appear, check for duplicates first. Installing the same mod twice makes the game silently ignore it, and most managers have a “remove duplicates” action for exactly this reason.

Do mods block achievements?

The developer has never said. There is no statement in the patch notes, the store page or the FAQ about mods and achievements in either direction.

This game has no anti-cheat and no multiplayer, so a mod cannot affect anyone else. What it can affect is your save, particularly with content mods that add cards. One mod author warns that saving with an added-card mod and then removing it can leave cards in your binder that the game no longer recognises.

Uninstalling cleanly

Texture and plugin mods are reversible: delete the plugin folder and the game returns to normal. Content mods are not always reversible, because they write new card entries into your save.

Back up before you start, keep a separate save for modded play if you can, and re-check every mod page after each patch. That routine costs a few minutes and saves entire playthroughs.