https://www.nexusmods.com/news/15433 As we move into 2026, Vortex is shifting back to the centre of our development roadmap. While we have spent the last couple of years exploring new territory with the Nexus Mods App, we have decided to consolidate our efforts and bring all that innovation directly into Vortex. Over 1.4 million modders use Vortex every month to mod their games, and we’re committed to improving their modding experience.
Our plans for the year include a steady, iterative modernisation of the Vortex user experience. We’ll be investing in the developer experience, which will allow us to focus on quality-of-life improvements, specifically streamlining navigation, simplifying game management, and introducing more intuitive controls for load orders. You can expect the interface to become cleaner and more responsive as we integrate the design lessons learned from our recent projects. Our goal is to make modding more accessible and reliable without disrupting the workflows that long-time Vortex users have come to rely on.
We’re also committing to supporting Vortex on SteamOS. We’ll be targeting vanilla Steam hardware like the Steam Deck and Steam Machine. We won’t be officially supporting any other configurations, but as Vortex is an open source project community developers will be free to extend support for their preferred Linux distros as they please.
Here’s an early proof of concept (subject to change) of the updated Vortex navigation:
Sounds like it's time for a new community effort instead
I've been using Limo and I like it; it's quite flexible but not very noob friendly, which is a two part problem.
First is how deployers work and which ones you should set up (not easy to intuit).
The second is inconsistency. Primarily in packaging from mod authors: archives based on path structure of game root
./*, library root./game/*, partials inside the game folder hierarchygame/folder/./*, loose files, ... And unavoidably: sometimes mods include INI or other game related files that go somewhere else entirely...All of that is manageable, but not easily, especially for people who just want to click to install a mod like how the Steam Workshop works.
I tried using Limo though and as you said, it is not noob friendly but i finally decided to use Windows mod managers in prefixes instead... Althrough i might give it try once again
Once I got the hang of deployers (and got used to repacking poorly packaged mods...), I found Limo to be better than managing mods manually... But yeah, the windows alternatives have way better UX
I've been using Limo for 2 years now to run 10+gigs of mods for FONV, CP77, and Kenshi, on a Steam Deck.
I have been doing that since before NMM even claimed to support modding CP77 on Linux. It never really correctly did.
Limo is not that hard, it just isn't an easy button.
And oh dear god the horror, you have to download all the files you want instead of just clicking once to download a collection.
And even worse, use your brain a little bit to figure out how to unfuckup mistakes make by amateur modders, gasp, the horror!
I've been modding since the 90s and its actually hilarious to me the level of no-thinking, on demand convenience people demand.
Go try to set up a full KSP Realism Overhaul install.
They just straight up tell you that if you can't figure out how to follow their instructions, which are correct and do work... you're not smart enough to play the mod overhaul.
We need more of that energy, to counteract consumerism and AI driven brainrot.
Oh yeah I think I heard of that. Sounds like it may just need a bit of specifics applied to mods. Fingers crossed.
Mod Organizer 2?
Works but gets annoying very fast because you have to set up a distinct MO2 install/wine/proton instance for every single different game you want to mod, and half the guides / autoscripts for how to properly set up MO2 on linux are half broken to fully broken on half the forms of linux they claim to work on.
That being said, if you can find a version that works for your setup, and you're primarily only modding one game at a time... its a reasonable solution.