Methodology
How ModOrNot collects Steam Workshop data, what each number means, and how the ModSignal Score is computed. No black boxes — this page defines every metric we display.
What we collect
ModOrNot samples public Steam Workshop counts for tracked mods — subscribers, views and favorites — and stores them as timestamped snapshots. Over time those snapshots form a history that lets us measure change, not just size. We do not scrape private data and we do not estimate values we cannot source.
Terminology: a subscriber is a Steam Workshop subscription. It is the closest public proxy for install demand, but it is not an install count. We never label it as an install.
Metric definitions
| Metric | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriptions | Level | Current Workshop subscribers — the demand proxy. |
| Views | Level | Total Workshop page views. |
| Favorites | Level | Users who favorited the mod. |
| +1d / +7d / +30d | Delta | Subscriber change over the window — growth, not size. |
| Growth % | Ratio | Subscriber change relative to the start of the window. |
| Velocity | Derived | Growth per day over the window. |
| Acceleration | Derived | Change in velocity — 7-day vs 30-day. Positive means speeding up. |
| ModSignal Score | Composite | 0–100 momentum score blending velocity, favorites, views and update recency. |
How the ModSignal Score works
The ModSignal Score is a composite momentum signal, not a quality judgement. It blends where a mod sits in its game's velocity distribution with its favorites and views percentiles, plus a recency component that rewards actively-updated mods. A high score means a mod is gaining traction fast and/or receiving updates — it does not assert the mod is "good".
Data verdict labels
Where we apply a label, it is a data verdict derived from the numbers, not an editorial opinion. The criteria are published:
- Breaking out — ModSignal Score ≥ 80 or ≥ 100% growth since first tracked.
- Rising — Score ≥ 50 or ≥ 25% growth since first tracked.
- Steady — active with positive 7-day subscriber change but below the rising thresholds.
- Quiet — no measurable subscriber change in the current window.
Coverage & limits
We track a curated set of Workshop-enabled games in depth rather than every game shallowly. Subscriber counts move slowly during quiet periods, so short-window deltas can read as zero for genuinely stable mods. Snapshots are taken on an adaptive schedule — high-traffic mods more often than long-tail ones — so "data updated" timestamps vary by mod.
Attribution
ModOrNot is independent and not affiliated with Valve Corporation. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks of Valve Corporation. All Workshop counts are used as a demand proxy and attributed to their source.