20 Great Games That Are Even Better With Mods

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.

1Skyrim

The unofficial master ofPC game moddingis an appropriate starting point for this list.Skyrimis 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 ofmodpacks, which include multiple mods in one easy-to-install package.

I usually download a select number of visual mods along withSkyUIand theA Quality World Mapmod 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 mySkyrimadventures.

That said,Skyrim’smodding potential is astounding. For instance, the community has created multiple combat overhaul mods, which you can combine with HUD and gameplay mods such asTrue Directional MovementtransformSkyriminto 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 Modshosts virtually everySkyrimmod available at the moment, withSkyrim’sSteam Workshop pagebeing another solid mod source.

2Minecraft

Minecraftis, along withSkyrim, the poster child of the PC modding scene. Mods improve the game so much that some of our resident authorscan’t even play the gamewithout certain mods.

If you’re playingMinecraftwithout 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 ofMinecraftmods isCurseForge.

3Fallout 3, Fallout 4, andFallout New Vegas

Modern-eraFalloutgames, 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 asFallout: London.

Similarly toSkyrim, 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 isFallout 4.

The last time I playedFallout 4, I went with my usual selection of visual and UI-improvement mods, but I also addedSim Settlements(which receivedan impressive sequelin 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-playerFalloutgames 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 Modsis by far the best source ofFalloutmods.

4Stardew Valley

VanillaStardew Valleyhas 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 ultimateStardew Valleyexperience without modding it. Our list of thebestStardew Valleymodsis a great starting point if you’re interested in moddingStardew Valley.

When it comes to personal recommendations, my favorite mod, by far, isTime 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 Anythingis 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 theMail Services Modbecause 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 may iron out most of the subjective kinks you find with the game. As with most other mod-friendly games, the best location to dig forStardew Valleymods is the game’sNexus Modspage.

5Baldur’s Gate 3

Talking about a smorgasbords of content, vanillaBaldur’s Gate 3is a humongous and superbturn-basedRPG 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 yourBaldur’s Gate 3experience by modding the game.

Some tiny mods, such asWASD Character MovementandImpUI, 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 theParty Limit Begonemod. If you think the game doesn’t offer enough spells, the5e Spells modintroduces a bunch of D&D 5e spells that didn’t find their way into the game.

Baldur’s Gate 3also has lots of customization mods, such asTav’s Hair Salon, which adds a nice collection of hairstyles, whileNew Character Creation Presetsallows you to pick between lots of very cool-looking preset characters. I also like theNative Camera Tweaksmod, which is pretty much required if you play the game with a controller.

This is just a minuscule preview of the breadth ofBaldur’s Gate 3mods available on the game’sNexus 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 asBaldur’s Gate 3: Forsaken.

6The Sims 3andThe Sims 4

While some games, such asBaldur’s Gate 3, are phenomenal even without mods, other games, such asThe Sims 3andThe Sims 4, offer an objectively inferior experience if you decide to play them without mods, especially the former.

Thanks to the deluge ofDLCsand content packs EA released for the two games over the years, bothThe Sims 3andThe Sims 4aren’t as stable and performant as they were on release.

If you want the best vanillaThe Sims 3experience, you should installThe Sims 3GPU Add-on Support, which makes the game compatible with newer graphics cards and theSmooth Patchmod that improves the game’s overall performance.The Sims 4, on the flipside, doesn’t have any larger community patches. Instead, you’re able to 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 toMod The Simswebsite, the primary source of The Sims mods, and browse The Sims mods to your heart’s content. You can also checkThe Sims 3andThe Sims 4pages on Nexus Mods.

7Assetto Corsa

Assetto Corsais another game where mods are a must. Not because the game runs poorly, has a ton of bugs, or lacks content, but becauseAssetto Corsamods add loads of new cars and tracks, turning it into a must-play title for everysim racingfan.

Now, unlike most other games, where mods are free, manyAssetto Corsacontent mods are paid. You can find a solid number of free tracks and cars over atAssetto World, but for the best (read: paid) mods, check out sites such asOvertake,Race Sim Studio,Virtual Racing Cars, andUnited Racing Design.

Also, watchthis handy video tutorialby the Sir Spats Gaming YouTube channel to learn how to install tools and other stuff needed to enable and install mods for the game.

8Cities: Skylines

WhileCities: Skylines 2has been available for some time, the game is still quite buggy and anything but stable. If you ask me,the originalis a better starting place for newcomers. If you’re interested in becoming a virtual mayor of your own digital town, ensure 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’sSteam Workshop page, but you can also find a small number of mods over atNexus Mods.

Now, if you want to play the sequel, mods are kind of mandatory considering the current state ofCities: Skylines 2,which hasn’t improved dramatically since launch. A fewCities Skylines 2mods are hosted onNexus Mods, but you’ll find a much better selection over atParadox Plaza.

9Kingdom Come: Deliverance IandII

I finishedKingdom Come: Deliverance IIa few weeks ago, and no, you don’t have to playthe first gameto enjoy the sequel. All you’ve got to do is watchthe story recap videomade 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 playKingdom Come: Deliverance II, start withUnlimited Saving IIandInstant Herb Picking II. If you don’t want to run between a dozen merchants to sell your loot, you ought to also install theRich Merchantsmod. I didn’t use it during my playthrough, but it can be handy. I also recommendEasy SmithingandEasy Alchemy.

If you like the Dice minigame, check out theLuck Laid Bare modthat 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, installThe Master Lockpickermod 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 formods for the first gameas well asKingdom Come: Deliverance IImods.

10RimWorld

RimWorldis 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 areCamera+,Follow Me,RimHUD,Allow Tool,Common Sense,Wall Light, andDon’t Block Door.

To find mods, visit the game’sSteam Workshop pageand itsNexus Mods page, the former being a much better mod source.