Setup

Get the game and tools working before installing mods. This keeps problems easy to find.

Guide picker Shonk's Pocket Mojave New Vegas on Android Shonk's Pocket Wastelands TTW on Android

Before you start

GameNative build note

If custom games or the expected drive do not appear, re-check the GameNative build you installed before changing random settings. The home page explains the modern prerelease limitation.

New to these terms?

Use the Glossary when a term is unclear. Do not guess at settings like DXVK, FEXCore, Turnip, present mode, shared storage, or plugin order.

Which PC version should I use?

GOG is recommended, but Steam is usable

The GOG Ultimate Edition is the simplest choice for this guide because it is DRM-free and is usually easier to copy into Android shared storage.

The Steam version can also work. GameNative can recognize Steam ownership, but a New Vegas folder copied manually from a PC may not be detected immediately.

If GameNative does not recognize a copied Steam installation:

Confirm that GameNative is signed into the Steam account that owns Fallout: New Vegas.
Rename the shared-storage game folder so it closely matches the name shown in the Steam client. Fallout New Vegas is a good example.
Close and reopen GameNative.
Refresh or recreate the game entry or container, then select FalloutNV.exe again.

The folder rename and container refresh worked during my testing, but newer GameNative versions may not need it and the workaround is not guaranteed on every device.

The Epic Games Store version should also work with the appropriate Epic preparation steps, but I have not personally tested it. GOG remains the recommended first-time route.

These DML instructions are for v0.6.0-beta

DML v0.6.0-beta uses separate manually selected targets for the Data folder and, when needed, the Game Root folder. It does not infer one from the other or validate the complete game installation. Plugin files still require a manual handoff to GameNative. This release does not create DML_output, apply INI presets, or manage archive invalidation.

How to troubleshoot setup

Change one thing at a time, then test again.
Write down exact version numbers before changing GameNative, Proton/Wine, FEXCore, DXVK, Turnip, DML, or driver settings.
Test vanilla before adding mods. A modded crash report is not useful if the unmodded game never launched.
When DML asks for the Data Folder, select <Game Folder>/Data. Confirm it contains FalloutNV.esm.
When DML separately asks for the Game Root Folder, select the parent folder containing FalloutNV.exe and Data. Do not swap the two targets.
If DML rejects a folder or deploys to the wrong place, reselect the correct target and manually check its contents. v0.6.0-beta does not validate the complete New Vegas installation for you.
If deployment worked before but now fails, Android may have removed DML's folder permission. Select the affected folder again and approve the system access prompt.
A missing DML_output folder is normal in v0.6.0-beta. That automatic export folder is planned for a later release.
Keep screenshots of GameNative settings, DML profile settings, deployment results, the plugin list, and DML's operation log.
Separate the problem into one layer: GameNative, the game install, DML, the mod list, plugin activation, timestamp order, or INI settings.

GameNative setup

Use a simple GameNative setup first. Do not change drivers, wrappers, resolution, and mods all at the same time.

GameNative build

GameNative 1.0.0 latest release.

Resolution

1280x720

Executable

nvse_loader.exe after xNVSE is installed.

Wine / Proton

Proton 10 ARM64EC.

Emulator

FEXCore.

Renderer

DXVK.

Driver

Turnip driver matched to your device.

Present mode

Mailbox.

Frame target

60 FPS.

Storage

Shared storage outside GameNative App Storage. Internal shared storage is preferred when possible.

Proton 11 ARM64EC warning

Use Proton 10 ARM64EC for the normal guide target. GameNative Proton Wine releases currently mark Proton 11 ARM64EC builds as testing-only and warn about instability or crashes. Test Proton 11 only when you are deliberately comparing Proton versions.

Device and version profile

Pick the device/profile closest to your setup. The values below are test notes for GameNative and the compatibility layers, not a guarantee that every matching device will work.

Select your device/profile:

GOG launcher notice inside GameNative

If the Fallout: New Vegas launcher inside the GameNative Windows container has greyed-out options, hides the Play button, or says the game needs to be installed even though the files are already on the device, the container may be missing the Bethesda registry entry.

Download GOG's beth_registry.zip fix.
Extract beth_registry.cmd.
Place beth_registry.cmd in the game root inside the container, next to FalloutNV.exe.
Run it from that folder and allow it to update the registry.
Open the launcher again. If the options are still greyed out, report the GameNative build, game source, and exact folder path.

This is not a normal PC setup step. Use it only when the game is already on the Android device and the launcher inside GameNative acts like the game is not installed.

Checkpoint: GameNative works before DML

The game launches in GameNative before mods are installed.
You can reach the main menu.
You can start a new game and reach Doc Mitchell's house.
If this fails, stop here. Fix GameNative, the game install, or the profile before adding mods.

DML v0.6.0-beta setup

Create a fresh profile in Droid Mod Loader for New Vegas.

Install New Vegas where DML can reach it

Fallout: New Vegas needs to be installed outside GameNative App Storage. Put the game in shared storage so Android and DML can access the folder through the system file picker.

/storage/emulated/0/PcGames/Fallout New Vegas/

If the game lives only inside GameNative's private App Storage, DML cannot use the real Data folder as a deployment target.

Install or move Fallout: New Vegas to shared storage, not GameNative App Storage.
Open Droid Mod Loader.
Create or select a Fallout: New Vegas profile and name it Pocket Mojave.
When DML asks for the Data Folder, select <Game Folder>/Data. Confirm that it contains FalloutNV.esm.
If DML separately asks for the Game Root Folder, select the parent folder containing FalloutNV.exe and the Data folder.
Do not swap those two targets. v0.6.0-beta does not automatically detect Data from the Game Root or validate the complete installation.
Install and deploy mods in the order shown in the mod list.
Open DML's plugin list, enable only the plugins you installed, arrange the list to match the guide, and tap Write Plugin Files.

Activation, plugin order, and mod priority are different

plugins.txt lists enabled plugins. For Fallout: New Vegas, each enabled filename is written on its own line without a * prefix. loadorder.txt records DML's full plugin list in the order shown by the app, including disabled entries.

New Vegas applies plugin order from the modification timestamps of the ESM and ESP files in Data. DML v0.6.0-beta does not change those timestamps, so writing or copying loadorder.txt alone does not enforce the real in-game order. Mod priority is a separate list that controls loose-file conflicts.

Checkpoint: DML deployment target

DML shows a Pocket Mojave profile.
The Data Folder target is <Game Folder>/Data in shared storage and contains FalloutNV.esm.
If a Game Root target is configured, it is the parent folder containing FalloutNV.exe and Data.
Neither target points into locked GameNative App Storage.
DML reports that plugins.txt and loadorder.txt were written successfully.

Copy DML's plugin files into GameNative

DML v0.6.0-beta does not copy these files into GameNative automatically.

After tapping Write Plugin Files, open DML's operation log. It prints the exact source path for plugins.txt and loadorder.txt.
On most current installations, the files are under DML's profile storage in Android/data/com.shonkware.droidmodloader/files/state/profiles/. Open the folder for the active Pocket Mojave profile. If DML's log shows a different path, use the logged path.
Use ZArchiver or another file manager that can request access to Android/data through Android's system folder picker. Root access is not normally required for this external app-storage path.
Copy both files into a temporary shared folder that GameNative can see, such as Download/DML Plugin Transfer/. This folder is user-created; it is not the unreleased automatic DML_output feature.
Open GameNative's file manager and copy both files into C:/users/xuser/AppData/Local/FalloutNV/. If your container uses another username, use that user's AppData/Local/FalloutNV folder.
Replace the existing files when prompted. plugins.txt controls activation; loadorder.txt is a readable reference for DML's saved list. Repeat this handoff whenever plugin activation or the DML list changes.

Checkpoint: GameNative sees the files

plugins.txt and loadorder.txt exist in GameNative's AppData/Local/FalloutNV folder.
plugins.txt contains only the plugins you enabled, with no * prefixes.
The ESM and ESP timestamps in the actual shared-storage Data folder used by GameNative match the intended New Vegas order.

BethINI Pie

Use BethINI Pie to create simple, predictable INI settings before you start piling on mods.

Open BethINI Pie in the same Windows/GameNative environment that can see your New Vegas INI files.
Select Fallout: New Vegas.
Point it to the active GameNative/New Vegas profile if it does not detect the path automatically.
Open BethPresets.
Choose Medium.
Set texture quality to the highest/max option.
Keep resolution at 1280x720 for the first guide pass.
Enable audio multithreading.
Save the INIs and launch the game once before installing more mods.

Audio cache caution

Audio multithreading is recommended. Audio cache tweaks can be unstable in Windows containers, so only change audio cache settings if you are deliberately testing audio problems.

Tracking performance

Use the GameNative overlay first for a quick FPS check.
Use the same route, weather, time of day, and save each time.
Only switch to DXVK HUD when you need frame time, draw call, pipeline, or memory details.
Turn the DXVK HUD off after the benchmark.

DXVK_HUD=fps,frametimes,drawcalls,pipelines,memory