How do I Completely Reset Steam Games to Vanilla?

[TragicDice]

I want to know how to completely reset games on Steam. I want to start fresh on Skyrim with no mods lingering around in the files. How do I do that? Also how can i do it for other games?

[TragicDice]

No one?

[walt]

Ok well, the first thing is dependant on how you installed your mods. If you did it via Steam Workshop, simply go through your Subscribed mods and unsubscribe. Then when starting Steam, (I believe in the options menu...one of them menus on the main screen) it has a list of your mods with a tick box, ticked if they loaded etc. Simply click through them all and delete them. After that you will want to delete the saves for your game and then finally go into your Steam Library, find Skyrim, right click and click "Delete Local Content". After that process is finished you can install it again and it should be "Vanilla".

PLEASE NOTE, once mods are installed in Skyrim and a save has been made with them, they are still there (from what I hear). Even if you delete the mods, errors caused by them will still be present in your saved game, so for a true vanilla copy, you'll have to get rid of your previous progress.

As for other games it again depends on the method used for installation. If you have more games you need information for just say and I'll explain or find an explanation for you.

[TragicDice]

Originally posted by Walt:

Ok well, the first thing is dependant on how you installed your mods. If you did it via Steam Workshop, simply go through your Subscribed mods and unsubscribe. Then when starting Steam, (I believe in the options menu...one of them menus on the main screen) it has a list of your mods with a tick box, ticked if they loaded etc. Simply click through them all and delete them. After that you will want to delete the saves for your game and then finally go into your Steam Library, find Skyrim, right click and click "Delete Local Content". After that process is finished you can install it again and it should be "Vanilla".

PLEASE NOTE, once mods are installed in Skyrim and a save has been made with them, they are still there (from what I hear). Even if you delete the mods, errors caused by them will still be present in your saved game, so for a true vanilla copy, you'll have to get rid of your previous progress.

As for other games it again depends on the method used for installation. If you have more games you need information for just say and I'll explain or find an explanation for you.

I used a mod manager to install mods. How do i reset the game like that?

EDIT: Deleting Local Content dosen't get rid of the mod files in the Skyrim directory.

[Felix]

If you are using mods from a third party website, you will need to refer to the ReadMe for the mods in question regarding uninstalling those mods.

[TragicDice]

Originally posted by FrazerJC:

If you are using third party mods, you will need to refer to the ReadMe for the mods in question regarding uninstalling those mods.

There is an uninstall button in the mod manager but it dosen't actually delete the mod files in C:/ProgramFiles(x86)/Steam/SteamApps/common/Skyrim

[TragicDice]

Originally posted by Walt:

Ok well, the first thing is dependant on how you installed your mods. If you did it via Steam Workshop, simply go through your Subscribed mods and unsubscribe. Then when starting Steam, (I believe in the options menu...one of them menus on the main screen) it has a list of your mods with a tick box, ticked if they loaded etc. Simply click through them all and delete them. After that you will want to delete the saves for your game and then finally go into your Steam Library, find Skyrim, right click and click "Delete Local Content". After that process is finished you can install it again and it should be "Vanilla".

PLEASE NOTE, once mods are installed in Skyrim and a save has been made with them, they are still there (from what I hear). Even if you delete the mods, errors caused by them will still be present in your saved game, so for a true vanilla copy, you'll have to get rid of your previous progress.

As for other games it again depends on the method used for installation. If you have more games you need information for just say and I'll explain or find an explanation for you.

There is an uninstall button in the mod manager but it dosen't actually delete the mod files in C:/ProgramFiles(x86)/Steam/SteamApps/common/Skyrim

[TragicDice]

Originally posted by Walt:

Ok well, the first thing is dependant on how you installed your mods. If you did it via Steam Workshop, simply go through your Subscribed mods and unsubscribe. Then when starting Steam, (I believe in the options menu...one of them menus on the main screen) it has a list of your mods with a tick box, ticked if they loaded etc. Simply click through them all and delete them. After that you will want to delete the saves for your game and then finally go into your Steam Library, find Skyrim, right click and click "Delete Local Content". After that process is finished you can install it again and it should be "Vanilla".

PLEASE NOTE, once mods are installed in Skyrim and a save has been made with them, they are still there (from what I hear). Even if you delete the mods, errors caused by them will still be present in your saved game, so for a true vanilla copy, you'll have to get rid of your previous progress.

As for other games it again depends on the method used for installation. If you have more games you need information for just say and I'll explain or find an explanation for you.

I have deleted Skyrim from the directory, and re installed it. If i copy the new Skyrim folder, and want to go back to vanilla, would the copy be the same as re installing? Would this save me time?

[walt]

I'm not too techy bud, but I imagine it may...Im afraid I don't know though. As for the mods that are still in your directory, you should be able to go through and delete them whilst inside your directory bud.

[Monke]

Right, I had the same problem with my skyrim game, mods screwed it up but the way I fixed it was I went to my folder that contains everything the game has so I went to the steam apps folder and then found skyrim then I deleted everything I thought the mod was associated with (If you don't know the correct files delete the contents of the folder but not the actual named game folder) then I went to my games libary in Steam right clicked Skyrim went to properties then local files and verified the game cache, just let steam work it's magic and your game should be fixed when it's able to be played again :)

[scottystargel]

What about Unreal tournament 3? I am using 3 party mods...but the readme's dont have uninstall instructions. and just deleteing the files doesn't work cause they seem to stay in the game. I just cant use them. The crash my game.

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by scottystargel:

What about Unreal tournament 3? I am using 3 party mods...but the readme's dont have uninstall instructions. and just deleteing the files doesn't work cause they seem to stay in the game. I just cant use them. The crash my game.

many times your save games will not work anymore anyway, so you can totally uninstall the game and delete any remaining folders from THAT game and reinstall but be warned because of the problems on steam lately your download might not be as good as usual or it might not work at all....just saying