Install Guide

0. Be using Windows or Linux

Windows and Linux (via Proton)

1. Have a valid copy of BTD6 on Steam (Windows/Linux) or Epic (Windows Only)

We can't help you if you don't own a legitimately acquired copy of BTD6 on Steam or Epic.

Mods for MacOS, Android, IOS, or pirated clients are not supported.

2 Download the .NET Runtime

If you don't have or are unsure whether you have the .NET 6.0 (or higher) runtime, you should download it from Microsoft

It is required for MelonLoader to work for IL2CPP games like BTD6.

3. Install MelonLoader

BTD Mod Helper requires MelonLoader. You should follow the instructions here for downloading and using the MelonLoader installer. By default, your BloonsTD6 folder will be located somewhere like C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BloonsTD6. If that's not correct, you can right click the game in your Steam library and select "Manage" > "Browse Local Files" to see where they are. For Epic, the default install path is or C:\Program Files\Epic Games\BloonsTD6.

Linux

If you're on Linux, you need to specifically follow the linux section of the MelonLoader install guide. This involves correctly setting up the environment variables / launch options.

Recommended Version

The current recommended MelonLoader version is 0.7.0.

After the installation, your BloonsTD6 Folder should then look something like this:

Then, the next time you open the game, MelonLoader will spend some time generating the files it needs and also a new Mods folder within your BloonsTD6 folder. It oughta look similar to

4. Install BTD Mod Helper

Download the latest BTD6ModHelper.dll from the GitHub releases. You can also press the shiny green button on the main page or just use this direct link.

The one and only installation step is put the Btd6ModHelper.dll file into your Mods folder. Make sure it's not renamed like having a (1) at the end or any spaces added anywhere in the file name.

If you've done everything right, you should see a new "Mods" button in the bottom right corner of the BTD6 main menu when you run the game. (Remember that you need to restart to change mods!)

5. Install more Mods

You can use the in-game Mod Browser to view mods that have been published on GitHub.

Just press the button in the bottom right corner of the Main Menu to go to the Mods Screen, and then the Mod Browser button in the bottom right. Everything else from there should be self-explanatory!

There is also a website version of the Mod Browser. For installing the mods downloaded from there (and other places), all you need to do is save/put the .dll file into your Mods folder in the same way as BtdModHelper.dll.

The other best place for finding mods is from one of the BTD6 Modding discord communities:

BTD6 Mods and Discussion

It's not recommended for you to get mods from other sites such as Nexus Mods. Nothing against the site itself, but for BTD6 it just never caught on as a place for quality, good intentioned mods.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Internal Failure / il2cpp_init_detour / .NET 6.0 runtime

This is the error you will get if you try to run the game without having the .NET 6.0 (or higher) Runtime. Please download it from Microsoft.

Missing Assembly-Charp.dll

An error such as Could not load file or assembly 'Assembly-CSharp, ...' means that MelonLoader did not install correctly.

Open up the MelonLoader installer again and use the Uninstall feature. Then, try installing and opening the game again, making any/all of the following changes

• Run the MelonLoader installer as Administrator
• Temporarily disable any antivirus software your computer uses
• Fully delete the MelonLoader folder before reinstalling, double-checking that you're using the recommended version

Other Tips

You should not rename the BloonsTD6.exe file to anything else, or use different names for mod dll files.

It may work to copy the BloonsTD6 install folder to somewhere else and run it from there, but there could be issues that you encounter. The safest alternative is to keep a backup of your unmodded install folder, but always run the game from the actual path that Steam or Epic considers it to be installed at.

Uninstalling

To restore your BTD6 install to completely clean state so that it no longer recognizes you as a modder, you must do ALL of:

MelonLoader files

• Delete or move the MelonLoader folder from the BloonsTD6 folder
• Delete or move out the Mods and Plugins folders from the BloonsTD6 folder
• Delete or move out the version.dll file from the BloonsTD6 folder

Mod Helper files

• Delete or move the BTD6ModHelper folder from the BloonsTD6 folder
• Delete or move the Disabled Mods folder from the BloonsTD6 folder