Thanks to game mods, you can improve the visuals of classic games, add handy new features to games you often play, vastly expand the amount of content in a game, and much more. While you can mod a bunch of PC games, some titles are more mod-friendly than others.
The following 20 games are excellent, even in their vanilla form, but they get even better with mods.
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1
Skyrim
The unofficial master of PC game modding is an appropriate starting point for this list. Skyrim is a fine game on its own, but you can improve it dramatically with mods. You can add anything from high-res textures and higher-quality assets to new quests and entire quest lines that take hours to complete. The game also has tons of modpacks, which include multiple mods in one easy-to-install package.
I usually download a select number of visual mods along with SkyUI and the A Quality World Map mod and call it a day until I’m near the end of the main quest. Then, I peruse Nexus Mods for popular quest mods to prolong my Skyrim adventures.
That said, Skyrim’s modding potential is astounding. For instance, the community has created multiple combat overhaul mods, which you can combine with HUD and gameplay mods such as True Directional Movement transform Skyrim into a completely new game combat-wise. That’s just one random example, with so many more mods out there that offer similar levels of transformation.
Nexus Mods hosts virtually every Skyrim mod available at the moment, with Skyrim’s Steam Workshop page being another solid mod source.
2
Minecraft
Minecraft is, along with Skyrim, the poster child of the PC modding scene. Mods improve the game so much that some of our resident authors can’t even play the game without certain mods.
If you’re playing Minecraft without mods, you’re missing out on tons of quality content that can turn the already excellent game into a time sink of epic proportions. The main source of Minecraft mods is CurseForge.
3
Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout New Vegas
Modern-era Fallout games, being Bethesda RPGs, are made from the ground up to support a wide variety of mods. In fact, they’re so mod-friendly that we’ve gotten entire games that are complete overhauls of vanilla Fallout games, such as Fallout: London.
Similarly to Skyrim, I usually install a selection of graphical enhancement mods such as high-res texture packs, UI mods, and mods that improve the default dialogue interface if the game in question is Fallout 4.
The last time I played Fallout 4, I went with my usual selection of visual and UI-improvement mods, but I also added Sim Settlements (which received an impressive sequel in the meantime). I ended up spending half the game managing the game’s settlements, watching them grow and expand, something I never did before because I can’t stand the resettling Commonwealth part of the game.
All three modern-era single-player Fallout games have a ton of mods to pick from that massively improve the overall experience. I recommend high-res texture packs, UI improvements, and unofficial patches to begin with, after which you can dabble in quest mods if you want more content. Nexus Mods is by far the best source of Fallout mods.
4
Stardew Valley
Vanilla Stardew Valley has a smorgasbord of content in the first place, and ConcernedApe has added boatloads of content to the game over the years. Still, you cannot get the ultimate Stardew Valley experience without modding it. Our list of the best Stardew Valley mods is a great starting point if you’re interested in modding Stardew Valley.
When it comes to personal recommendations, my favorite mod, by far, is Time Master, which allows me to slow down or pause the in-game clock and finish all the stuff I plan to do on a certain day instead of being limited by the game’s 24-hour time cycle.
Lookup Anything is another must-have mod that allows you to check all necessary wiki-related info in-game instead of alt-tabbing or using your phone. I also love the Mail Services Mod because it’s such a time-saver, allowing you to upgrade your tools and send gifts via mail.
There are so many mods for the game that I’m pretty sure you can iron out most of the subjective kinks you find with the game. As with most other mod-friendly games, the best location to dig for Stardew Valley mods is the game’s Nexus Mods page.
5
Baldur’s Gate 3
Talking about a smorgasbords of content, vanilla Baldur’s Gate 3 is a humongous and superb turn-based RPG you can spend hundreds of hours in on your first playthrough. Additionally, Larian’s commendable long-term support squashed most of the game’s bugs and issues. But you can always improve your Baldur’s Gate 3 experience by modding the game.
Some tiny mods, such as WASD Character Movement and ImpUI, can dramatically enhance your time spent in the game. If you’d like to take all your companions with you wherever you go, check out the Party Limit Begone mod. If you think the game doesn’t offer enough spells, the 5e Spells mod introduces a bunch of D&D 5e spells that didn’t find their way into the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3 also has lots of customization mods, such as Tav’s Hair Salon, which adds a nice collection of hairstyles, while New Character Creation Presets allows you to pick between lots of very cool-looking preset characters. I also like the Native Camera Tweaks mod, which is pretty much required if you play the game with a controller.
This is just a minuscule preview of the breadth of Baldur’s Gate 3 mods available on the game’s Nexus Mods page. There, you can find tons of smaller mods that improve various aspects of the game. The game doesn’t have any massive quest mods at the moment, but multiple projects are in the pipeline, such as Baldur’s Gate 3: Forsaken.
6
The Sims 3 and The Sims 4
While some games, such as Baldur’s Gate 3, are phenomenal even without mods, other games, such as The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, offer an objectively inferior experience if you decide to play them without mods, especially the former.
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Thanks to the deluge of DLCs and content packs EA released for the two games over the years, both The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 aren’t as stable and performant as they were on release.
If you want the best vanilla The Sims 3 experience, you should install The Sims 3 GPU Add-on Support, which makes the game compatible with newer graphics cards and the Smooth Patch mod that improves the game’s overall performance. The Sims 4, on the flipside, doesn’t have any larger community patches. Instead, you can install different, smaller patches and mods that fix various issues present in the game.
What both games do have, is a variety of mods that add new content and rework different systems to create a more enjoyable and less time-wasting in-game experience. Now, I don’t know what you like, so your best bet is to go to Mod The Sims website, the primary source of The Sims mods, and browse The Sims mods to your heart’s content. You can also check The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 pages on Nexus Mods.
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7
Assetto Corsa
Assetto Corsa is another game where mods are a must. Not because the game runs poorly, has a ton of bugs, or lacks content, but because Assetto Corsa mods add loads of new cars and tracks, turning it into a must-play title for every sim racing fan.
Now, unlike most other games, where mods are free, many Assetto Corsa content mods are paid. You can find a solid number of free tracks and cars over at Assetto World, but for the best (read: paid) mods, check out sites such as Overtake, Race Sim Studio, Virtual Racing Cars, and United Racing Design.
Also, watch this handy video tutorial by the Sir Spats Gaming YouTube channel to learn how to install tools and other stuff needed to enable and install mods for the game.
8
Cities: Skylines
While Cities: Skylines 2 has been available for some time, the game is still quite buggy and anything but stable. If you ask me, the original is a better starting place for newcomers. If you’re interested in becoming a virtual mayor of your own digital town, make sure to mod the game if you’re on PC, since mods make this fantastic game even better.
The majority of mods are available on the game’s Steam Workshop page, but you can also find a small number of mods over at Nexus Mods.
Now, if you want to play the sequel, mods are kind of mandatory considering the current state of Cities: Skylines 2, which hasn’t improved dramatically since launch. A few Cities Skylines 2 mods are hosted on Nexus Mods, but you’ll find a much better selection over at Paradox Plaza.
9
Kingdom Come: Deliverance I and II
I finished Kingdom Come: Deliverance II a few weeks ago, and no, you don’t have to play the first game to enjoy the sequel. All you’ve got to do is watch the story recap video made by the developers of the game, Warhorse Studios, and you’re golden.
Concerning mods, both games are great vanilla. The insistence on authenticity and simulation and the unique saving system, however, make some mods a must if you’d like to save whenever you want and not waste time on unnecessarily drawn-out actions.
If you plan to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, start with Unlimited Saving II and Instant Herb Picking II. If you don’t want to run between a dozen merchants to sell your loot, you ought to also install the Rich Merchants mod. I didn’t use it during my playthrough, but it can be handy. I also recommend Easy Smithing and Easy Alchemy.
If you like the Dice minigame, check out the Luck Laid Bare mod that reveals each die’s odds instead of having to look for the odds online. Lastly, if you play the game on PC with a controller, install The Master Lockpicker mod and slightly lower the lockpicking difficulty. You can revert to the default difficulty once you level up the Thievery skill to at least 15.
Nexus Mods is the main destination for mods for the first game as well as Kingdom Come: Deliverance II mods.
10
RimWorld
RimWorld is the ultimate sandbox colony sim. The game’s AI storyteller can turn a well-managed space colony into a bizarre horror tale involving all kinds of horrifying stuff. The game’s great on its own, but mods turn it into something that veers very closely to a perfect colony sim game.
I’ve only dabbled in the game for about a dozen hours—equal to finishing the tutorial in other games—so I don’t have a huge list of recommended mods. Some fan-favorite mods are Camera+, Follow Me, RimHUD, Allow Tool, Common Sense, Wall Light, and Don’t Block Door.
To find mods, visit the game’s Steam Workshop page and its Nexus Mods page, the former being a much better mod source.
11
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a brilliant sandbox RPG with strategy elements. The game is a perfect canvas to populate with all kinds of mods thanks to its open-ended gameplay loop and mod-friendly design.
Most mods can be found on the game’s Nexus Mods page, but you can also browse the game’s Steam Workshop page. For total conversion mods that replace the default world with feudal Japan, Middle Earth, or England during Viking raids and invasions, check out ModDB.
Even if you don’t like mods in general, Diplomacy is a must-have mod for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord since the vanilla game begs for a diplomacy system. There’s also the Bannerlord Tweaks mod that greatly reduces the grind. Other popular mods you should check out include Realistic Battle Mod, Detailed Character Creation, and Calradia Expanded.
12
The Total War Series
Total War games are great. However, aside from the Total War: Warhammer series, all Total War games take place in historically accurate, real-world locations, from feudal Japan to the Roman Empire to the Napoleonic Wars.
Thanks to the Third Age – Total War total conversion modification for Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms, you can wage war campaigns in Middle Earth. This is by far the most popular and best total conversion mod for any Total War game, but most games in the series have lots of larger and smaller mods that improve them in multiple respects as well. You can also check out Third Age: Reforged, an updated version of the mod that rebalances multiplayer and adds new content.
To enjoy modded Total War, pick your favorite Total War game and search for mods on ModDB, and Nexus Mods.
13
Terraria
Being a 2D version of Minecraft means that Terraria is a dazzling game on its own that can only get better with mods. The game has a ton of quality-of-life (QoL) mods, but there’s also a nice selection of content mods such as Shadows of Abaddon, Stars Above, Calamity, Spirit, and the Spooky mod.
The two main sources of Terraria mods are CurseForge and the game’s Steam Workshop page. Some larger content mods can be found on Terraria community forums.
XCOM: Enemy Within is an expansion for the 2012 XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and it’s a must-have to get the best XCOM: Enemy Unknown experience. Once you master the game, it’s time to play it with the Long War mod, which ups the challenge and presents a proper test for XCOM veterans.
If Long War is too big of a bite for you—understandable since the mod is a grueling experience even for veterans of the series—but you still want to experience the first XCOM game with mods, install the Mini Mods package that introduces a slew of QoL updates to XCOM: Enemy Within.
As for XCOM 2, I again recommend playing the game with its major expansion, War of the Chosen, installed for the best vanilla experience. Regarding worthy mods, the Stop Wasting My Time mod is highly recommended since it removes a ton of various time-wasters during missions, the game is chock-full of. You can also find plenty of customization mods on the game’s Steam Workshop page.
15
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
The first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game is the best example of what total conversion modifications are capable of. The 2007 classic has oodles of total conversion mods, some trying to do their own thing while others offering a modernized take on the game with updated visuals and quality-of-life improvements.
If you’d like to play a remastered version of the game, Radiophobia 3 is arguably the best choice. This massive mod keeps the base of the game, including story and progression, intact while adding a breadth of QoL and visual updates. The mod is still in active development but is fully playable and quite stable.
Old Good Stalker Evolution is another total conversion mod that’s more or less an unofficial remaster of the original game. You’ve also got Old Good Stalker Remastered, which improves Evolution in many ways. The catch is that you can’t download OGSR freely; you need to join the mod’s Discord channel, so I won’t offer a download link here.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Anomaly is arguably the most popular S.T.A.L.K.E.R. mod, offering an immense amount of fixes and tons of new content, as well as updated visuals and four different storylines to play through. It’s my personal favorite, and I recommend it to every fan of the series who has beaten the four games and is looking for more adventures in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe.
You can check out more S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl mods on ModDB. There’s a ton of cool mods for the game, so many that it can easily get overwhelming. I recommend taking a look at the updated mod chart that lists every major S.T.A.L.K.E.R. conversion mod worth checking out.
Looking for even more mods? Why not mod Star Wars into some of your favorite games?
