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HFW Mod Manager
What it is
HFW Mod Manager is a free graphical utility for managing and packing mods for supported Decima-engine games. Its listed games are Horizon Forbidden West, Death Stranding 2, and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, the last marked as a work in progress. Users can add mod folders or ZIP files by drag and drop, select variations, inspect visual previews and metadata, and pack enabled mods. Named presets save mod lists, and packing follows list order so later entries can override earlier ones. The manager can detect a known game directory and check game-version compatibility. It accepts .zip, .rar, .7z, .gaia, .forbidden, and .hfwz archives. Additional functions include hair patching, batch hair patching, experimental face-shading fixes for custom face meshes, and Cauldron utilities for asset export, streaming-file building, and animation conversion. Some Cauldron features require HFW Tools or DS2 Tools. The app is built natively for Windows; Linux use requires Steam and Proton 10.0-4 or newer. On Windows, users extract the ZIP to its own folder and launch HFW_MM.exe; it is not installed locally.
For and against
For
- Free to download and use.
- Supports named presets and ordered mod packing.
- Can detect game directories and check compatibility.
- Includes patching tools and Cauldron utilities.
Against
- Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered support is marked W.I.P.
- Some Cauldron features require separate tools.
- Linux use requires Steam and Proton 10.0-4 or newer.
- Windows setup requires extracting and launching the ZIP.
The verdict
HFW Mod Manager offers a broad set of mod organization and utility functions for the listed games. Check the W.I.P. status and separate-tool requirements against the features you need.
Who it suits
This manager may suit players organizing mods for the listed Decima-engine games, especially those who want to save loadouts and manage variations. Linux users should be prepared to launch it through Steam with Proton 10.0-4 or newer.
Plans and prices
HFW Mod Manager
Downloadable mod manager for supported Decima-engine games
Read 12 Oct 2026 · nexusmods.com
On the record
- Additional utilities
- The Cauldron tab provides asset export, streaming-file building, and animation conversion, with some features requiring HFW Tools or DS2 Tools.nexusmods.com · read 12 Oct 2026
- Archive formats
- The listed supported archive formats are .zip, .rar, .7z, .gaia, .forbidden, and .hfwz.nexusmods.com · read 12 Oct 2026
- Game detection
- It can automatically detect a known game directory and check game-version compatibility.hfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 12 Oct 2026
- Install mods
- Users can add mod folders or ZIP files by drag and drop, then select variations and pack enabled mods.hfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 12 Oct 2026
- Loadouts and order
- The manager can save named mod-list presets and pack mods in list order, with later entries able to override earlier ones.hfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 12 Oct 2026
- Mod profiles
- Yeshfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 22 Sep 2026
- Mod source access
- manual importhfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 22 Sep 2026
- Patch tools
- Features include hair patching, batch hair patching, and experimental face-shading fixes for custom face meshes.hfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 12 Oct 2026
- Portable setup
- On Windows, users extract the ZIP into its own folder and launch HFW_MM.exe; the manager is not installed locally.hfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- HFW Mod Manager simplifies managing and packing mods for supported Decima-engine games through a graphical interface.nexusmods.com · read 12 Oct 2026
- Restore files
- The Restore Files action clears package/ar, removes installed mods, and restores backups of streaming_graph.core and streaming_links.stream.hfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 12 Oct 2026
- Security status
- The Nexus Mods listing labels the file's virus scan status “Safe to use.”nexusmods.com · read 12 Oct 2026
- Support
- The listing directs users to its Discord server for quicker support.nexusmods.com · read 12 Oct 2026
- Supported games
- The page lists Horizon Forbidden West, Death Stranding 2, and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered as supported games, with Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered marked W.I.P.nexusmods.com · read 12 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- multi-platformhfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 22 Sep 2026
- Variation previews
- Users can choose mod variations and view visual previews alongside metadata.hfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 12 Oct 2026
- Windows and Linux
- The app is built natively for Windows; Linux use requires adding it to Steam as a non-Steam game and running it with Proton 10.0-4 or newer.hfw-mm.gitbook.io · read 12 Oct 2026