Introduction to PC Mods

So you want to mod your versions of Sonic Adventure 2 and/or Sonic Adventure DX. What does that even mean? ‘Modding the game’ is short for modifying the game - ie, adding user-made modifications to alter the game.

We have a collection of mods for the Steam versions of the Sonic Adventure games, and this page will help you understand how to install and apply them.

Firstly, to understand how to add modifications (mods) to your game, we need to talk about Mod Loaders.

Mod Loaders

After Sonic Adventure DX came out on PC in 2004, PC modders took the chance to break apart the game and modify it to their will. In 2013, a developer named MainMemory developed a ‘Mod Loader’ which allowed you to list all your mods you have collected for the game and choose which ones to activate and deactivate. This tool is essential for the easy activation of your installed mods and is currently the most common way to mod the game. At any time, you can turn off the Mod Loader to return your game to the original (vanilla) version. A Mod Loader was also created for Sonic Adventure 2 (and several other Sonic games).

Sonic Adventure DX: 2004 (PC CD)

MainMemory alongside another developer named SonicFreak94 created a Mod Loader for the US version of SADX 2004. The Mod Loader only works for US SADX 2004. However, non US region games are easily patched to turn the game into US SADX 2004.

There are many mods developed for SADX 2004, with the most common ones being mods to fix bugs introduced from the port (and a few original bugs), and also restorations to higher quality audio, textures and effects that were reduced. PkR has made a great webpage detailing the differences between SADX and Dreamcast SA1, and also a page with a list of mods that help to improve the PC version of the game (but there is also a full mod-pack - more below).

Sonic Adventure DX: 2011 (Steam)

The game was re-released on Steam in 2011. This version of the game has some minor improvements in comparison to the 2004 port, but on the whole it has even more issues with visuals and audio, and has much higher system requirements than the 2004 port. This new version of the game also meant that the mods and tools for the SADX 2004 version would need reworking. As there already was an extensive modding scene for the SADX 2004 port, the modders didn’t feel it was worth it to rework all the tools, the mod loader and the existing mods to work with this version of the game.

The good newsis that there are installers that can convert the Steam version of SADX into a fully functional 2004 port with mod support! SADX Mod Installer (created by PkR) is a setup program that installs the latest version of SADX Mod Loader and its dependencies, as well as Dreamcast Conversion and several other mods, which are sorted and configured automatically.

There is another mod installer you may have heard of called BetterSADX; this was made exclusively for the Steam version of SADX. Both installers accomplish the same goal of converting it to the 2004 version with mod support, but SADX Mod Installer is more customisable, has an auto-update system for mods, and works on every version of SADX out there- including the European 2004 PC port and the one from the Dreamcast Collection.

Link: Moddb: PkR’s SADX Mod Installer

Patching SADX Manually

If you do not have the US version, you need to patch your game. Once you have patched your game to think it is the US version, you can now use the SADX 2004 Mod Loader.

The mod installer makes things very easy, and you can just run it regardless of what SADX version or region you have. In fact, the only way to patch the Steam version to enable mod support is with a mod installer, but the 2004 version can be patched manually if you prefer using the links below:

Link: Gamebanana: Sonic Adventure DX (2004) Mod Loader
Direct Link: MainMemory Website: US Sonic Adventure DX (2004) EXE
MD5: C6D65712475602252BFCE53D0D8B7D6F
To install the loader, extract the 7z archive to the folder SADX is installed in. Rename the exe file to sonic.exe and use it to start the game. Back up your old sonic.exe first by renaming it! (eg, rename it to sonic.exe-old)

Sonic Adventure 2: 2012 (Steam)

Like the SADX Mod Loader, MainMemory also developed a Mod Loader for Sonic Adventure 2. There is only one version of Sonic Adventure 2 available on PC (on Steam), so there is nothing too complicated here.

Link: Gamebanana: Sonic Adventure 2 (Steam) Mod Loader

Useful Mods

Sonic Adventure DX

As mentioned, PkR’s SADX Mod Installer is a collection of mods compiled into one installer. This is preferred to the mod installed known as “BetterSADX” since BetterSADX comes with outdated mods and doen’t auto-update. See the link below for more information and which mods are included, most by PkR and SonicFreak94. Note that most of these mods collated by PkR are not Chao related, but are still useful for the game in general.

Link: PkR Website: PkR’s SADX Dreamcast Conversion Website

Sonic Adventure 2

The most popular mod for Sonic Adventure 2 for the Chao community is the mod pack by DarkyBenji called Chao World Extended. This mod adds a lot more functionality and features to the Chao System, extending the Chao World into a bigger and fuller game. DarkyBenji is a member of the Chao Island team and updates the mod here on this website.

There are more mods such as converting the PC Chao Gardens to the orginal Dreamcast Chao Gardens by Exant, and there are more in development! All our mods and downloads can be seen in more depth and downloaded using the navigation menu.

Link: Gamebanana: Sonic Adventure 2 (Steam) Mod Loader
Link: Chao Island: Chao World Extended