01Confirm the community and the loader first
r2modman PEAK support runs through the game's own Thunderstore community, so every package should come from thunderstore.io/c/peak/ rather than a mirror or a reposted archive. With PEAK selected, the Online tab shows live metadata for each package: description, download count, upvote rating, and declared dependencies. A blue Pinned tag on the row marks the package its community treats as required, and that is almost always the loader — for PEAK, BepInEx-BepInExPack_PEAK. A normal Steam launch deliberately gives you the unmodded game, so a vanilla-looking session after installing a package is not evidence that anything failed — it is the expected behaviour of the unmodded entry point.
02Match versions across the whole lobby
PEAK sessions are cooperative, and a package that alters movement, physics, items, or lobby behaviour normally has to be present on every player's machine at the same version. Interface or audio tweaks that change only your own view are the usual exception, and each package README states which side needs what. To align a group, open Settings → Profile → Export profile and share the code or the .r2z file, then have each player import it into a fresh profile. Before starting a session, compare the Installed list on every machine: package names, versions, and enabled state. One player on an older build of a required dependency is enough to break a lobby.
03Build a small baseline before the full pack
On the profile selection screen, use Create new for a profile holding only the loader pack plus one package with a visible effect, then launch with Start modded, the button at the top of the left sidebar. Check Settings → Directories against the folder Steam opens from right-click → Manage → Browse local files; an install on a second drive or in another Steam library folder is a common cause of a modded launch that silently does nothing. Once the loader-only launch behaves, add the group's remaining packages in small batches and launch between each batch. That way the first broken package is identifiable, instead of being buried inside a twenty-item download.
04Stop the console window taking your controller
If PEAK opens a terminal window when you launch it as modded, that window can consume controller input so the game never receives it. BepInEx writes its configuration files on the first modded launch, so start the game once, then open the BepInEx core config through the profile's config editor, disable the console, and save before relaunching. If no config is listed yet, the game has not completed a modded start, which is itself a useful clue. Keyboard and mouse players see the same window without the input problem, which is why the symptom is often reported as a controller fault.
05Fix a black screen before the menu
A black screen at launch is usually a loader handoff that did not complete rather than a broken mod. Open Settings → Debugging and run Settings → Debugging → Reset ⟨game⟩ installation, which clears the game folder and has Steam re-validate the files. If the screen is still black afterwards, check the result under right-click → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files. If the screen comes back only with the full pack, bisect it by disabling half of the packages at a time rather than rebuilding the profile from scratch. Record which package was last enabled when the failure returns; that is the entry worth checking against its README and its recent community activity.
06Keep a clean profile for updates and troubleshooting
Keep at least one PEAK profile with no packages at all. Start the game from Steam when you want an unmodded session, and reserve the modded profile for the group's pack; the manager only changes the game when you use Start modded, so the two never conflict. Before updating the manager or a large batch of packages, take an export from Settings → Profile → Export profile so the exact version set can be rebuilt. Downloads are cached and shared between profiles, so installing the same package in a second profile does not download it again. The cache lives under r2modmanPlus-local/mods/cache, reachable from Settings → Directories → Data and profile folders → Browse.
✦ Frequently asked questions
Common questions, answered directly.
Does every PEAK player need the same mods?
Only for packages that affect the shared session. Interface, audio, and personal convenience mods are usually client-side, while anything changing movement, physics, items, or lobby behaviour generally has to match on every machine. Check each package README, and when the group is unsure, share one exported profile so nobody has to guess.
Why does PEAK start without my mods?
The usual causes are launching from Steam instead of Start modded, a game path in Settings → Directories that does not match the real install, or a missing loader pack. Confirm the loader is switched on in Installed, then launch once and read the first entry in the loader log — Settings → Debugging → Copy log to clipboard copies it out.
Can I still play PEAK unmodded?
Yes. Keep a profile with no packages and start the game from Steam normally. r2modman only applies a profile when you choose Start modded, so an unmodded session is always available without uninstalling a single package, removing the loader, or otherwise disturbing the modded profile your group uses.
How do I share a PEAK pack with friends?
Open Settings → Profile → Export profile and send either the code or the .r2z file. Each player imports it into a new profile and then checks their own game path. Manually installed and locally imported mods are not included on import, so those need separate installation notes and a stated version.
What if only one player cannot join?
Compare the game build, the Installed list, the package versions, and the enabled state on that machine against the host's setup. Then test both sides on a minimal shared profile containing only the loader and one package. A single outdated dependency is a far more common cause than a broken manager installation.
r2modman manages a game once its Thunderstore community and a compatible loader exist, so the supported list grows with Thunderstore. Packages install per profile, which keeps two different mod sets for the same game apart.
Next: open the Online tab, install the community's loader pack with Pinned beside its name, then add the packages tagged for the game version you are on.