Hearts of Iron IV5 min read23 views10/4/2026Read in Russian

How to Install HOI4 Mods with Irony Mod Manager (Import a Build in One File)

Step-by-step guide: installing Irony Mod Manager, subscribing to HOI4 mods on Steam, importing a ready-made build from Prime Mods as a single file, applying the load order and launching the game. No manual dlc_load.json editing.

Irony Mod Manager is a free, open-source mod manager for Paradox games: Hearts of Iron IV, Stellaris, Europa Universalis IV, Crusader Kings 3, Victoria 3 and more. It solves the classic HOI4 modding pain — load order and file conflicts — with collections that keep their order, conflict analysis, mod merging and one-click game launch. The project is actively developed: v1.27.206 shipped on July 31, 2026, with regular releases. This guide walks you through installing Irony and — the best part — importing a ready-made build from Prime Mods as a single file instead of assembling a playset by hand.

Understand Irony’s role first: it does not download mods. Subscribing happens in Steam (or mods are installed manually), while Irony detects the installed mods, arranges them into ordered collections and applies that order to the game. So two steps run in parallel: subscribe to the mods and import the list.

Step 1. Install Irony Mod Manager

Download only from the official releases page on GitHub — github.com/bcssov/IronyModManager/releases (the project site links there too). The latest release as of September 2026 is v1.27.206. Expand Assets and pick the file for your system:

  • Windows: win-x64-setup.zip — archive with the installer (recommended); win-x64.zip — portable version.
  • Linux: linux-x64.zip — unpack and run the IronyModManager executable.
  • macOS: osx-x64.zip — Intel build; runs on Apple Silicon through Rosetta.

On Windows the tool is also available through the winget package manager — run winget search Irony to find the package id and install it without manual downloads. It is the same official distribution.

Step 2. First launch: pick the game

  1. 1Start Irony — the first run asks you to select a game. Choose Hearts of Iron 4.
  2. 2Irony locates the mod folder automatically: Documents/Paradox Interactive/Hearts of Iron IV/mod. You rarely need to change it, but the path is visible in the game settings.
  3. 3Wait for the initial scan — every installed mod (Steam subscriptions and local ones) shows up under Installed Mods.

If you have no mods yet, that is fine: move on to the next step and rescan after subscribing.

Step 3. Install the mods from your build

HOI4 mods live almost entirely on the Steam Workshop. To grab the links for a build, Prime Mods gives you two options: open the mod page (the Steam button leads to its Workshop page) or export the “Links list (.txt)” from the build panel — the file contains a direct Workshop link for every mod in the list. Then:

  1. 1Open the mod’s Workshop page and hit Subscribe — Steam downloads it automatically.
  2. 2Repeat for every mod in the build (or walk through the links from the .txt export).
  3. 3Once Steam finishes, return to Irony and rescan — the new mods appear under Installed Mods.

Local mods (manually downloaded archives) work too: unpack them into the mod folder from step 2 so that a .mod descriptor file sits inside, then rescan.

Step 4. Import the build from the site in one file

On Prime Mods, assemble your list: open the HOI4 catalog, add mods with the “Add to build” button, open the HOI4 build menu panel and click Irony (.json) — the site hands you pm-modlist-irony.json with your list and its order. This is the Paradox Launcher playset format that Irony accepts natively. Import:

  1. 1Open the Collection Mods panel in Irony (right side).
  2. 2Open the … menu next to Import and choose Import from Paradox Launcher JSON.
  3. 3Pick the downloaded pm-modlist-irony.json — a “Prime Mods build” collection appears with your mods and the order from the list.
  4. 4Select the collection if it is not selected yet: the right side shows the load order, and you can drag entries to adjust it.

If some mods are not installed yet, Irony shows a warning listing them — the collection is still created from the installed ones. Subscribe to the missing mods (links are in the .txt export), rescan and add them, or simply import the file again.

Step 5. Apply the order and launch the game

The Apply to Game button in the collections panel writes the order into the game (dlc_load.json) — after that you can launch Hearts of Iron IV straight from Irony. Load order matters in HOI4: mods lower in the list override the ones above, and file conflicts follow the FIOS/LIOS rules. Our HOI4 mod load order guide explains the details, and HOI4 Mods Not Working covers crash and conflict fixes. Irony ships its own Conflict Solver — for HOI4 it runs in analysis mode, pointing out which mod files collide.

FAQ

Irony does not see an installed mod

  • Run a rescan (Refresh) — Irony indexes mods at startup and on demand.
  • Check that the mod sits in Documents/Paradox Interactive/Hearts of Iron IV/mod with a .mod descriptor inside.
  • Make sure Steam finished downloading: the subscription status should read “Ready”.

Do RimWorld and HOI4 builds mix?

No. Prime Mods keeps builds separate per game: hearts given to RimWorld mods live in the RimWorld build and export to RimSort, while HOI4 mods stay in a separate HOI4 build with the Irony export. The “Irony (.json)” button can never include mods from the other game — the game is filtered server-side.

Can I skip Irony?

Yes: the official Paradox launcher supports playsets, and our .txt export works for adding mods by hand. But Irony saves real time on large builds — one file import instead of dozens of manual subscriptions and sorting, plus conflict analysis before the game even starts.

Looking for inspiration? Our pick of the best HOI4 mods covers total conversions and quality-of-life packs that deserve a spot in a fresh collection.

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