Bethesda games have always boasted great mod support and Starfield is no exception. Within just a few days of the game's early access launch, there were already hundreds of mods available on Nexus, with countless more being added by the day.
The best Starfield mods focus on improving the game's visuals and the way that it runs, though there are already a handful that add brand-new mechanics to the mix. If games like Skyrim and Fallout are anything to go by, it seems fair to suggest that this is only the beginning.
1 Achievement Enabler
A lot of the best Starfield mods prevent players from being able to unlock achievements, as too does the use of certain console commands. Though some may frown upon the practice of using mods to unlock achievements in these circumstances, Starfield is a single-player-only game, so it's not like using Starfield mods is hurting anybody else's experience.
Then there are the players who just want to use Starfield mods to improve the game's visuals or cut out all of the annoying loading screens, some of which may also block achievements by mistake. Thankfully, Priqrade's Achievement Enabler mod can help here, as it allows players to unlock achievements even when using mods that are supposed to make doing so impossible.
2 Starfield Upscaler
At the time of first writing, Starfield Upscaler by PureDark is easily the best Starfield mod available. It allows players to replace FSR2 with DLSS or XeSS, which can make a huge difference to the number of frames that players get at higher resolutions.
It seems likely that Starfield will eventually support DLSS officially, at which point, this mod will no longer be needed. In the meantime, though, those playing Starfield on slightly older hardware will definitely want to download this mod, particularly if they plan on playing in 4K.
3 Instant Scan
Those hoping to fully map out Starfield's universe are going to have to do an awful lot of scanning due to the game boasting more than a thousand planets and moons. This task is made all the more daunting by the fact that flora and fauna typically need to be scanned multiple times in order to fully survey a planet or moon, much to the ire of some players.
Thanks to the Instant Scan mod from Just AnOrdinaryGuy though, players can make life considerably easier for themselves, with all flora and fauna being fully indexed with just a single scan. Just AnOrdinaryGuy also created another Starfield mod for increasing scan range, which will likely come in handy for those hoping to fully chart the vast nothingness of space.
4 Starfield FOV
Being able to change one's field of view is an important feature that is common in pretty much every modern FPS game. For whatever reason though, Bethesda decided not to include this functionality in Starfield, forcing modders to take matters into their own hands.
The Starfield FOV mod from hellstorm102 allows players to change their field of view with little more than a simple text file. Better still, the mod works for both the first and third-person camera, meaning that those who prefer playing the game in third-person can also make use of it.
5 Icon Sorting Tags - Starfield Edition
Like all good Bethesda games, Starfield is a looter's paradise, with players able to pick up and walk away with anything that's not nailed down. This can come with its own set of problems though, the most notable being the Encumbered status. Players can get around this by increasing their carrying capacity, but this will only help so much.
The Icon Sorting Tags mod from mcguffin aims to tackle this problem a little differently, instead making it easier for players to know which items are actually worth picking up. Once installed, the mod adds a small icon next to the names of all lootable items both in the world and in the player's inventory, making it much easier for newer players to tell which items are useful and which are just junk.
6 StarUI Inventory
Starfield's inventory system isn't particularly user-friendly, with the interface taking up a considerable amount of screen real estate while providing players with very little useful information. Sure, players can cycle between different datasets or change the way that items are sorted, but this is a somewhat cumbersome process, to say the least.
The StarUI Inventory mod from m8r98a4f2 is a godsend in this regard, as it allows players to view every piece of information they could possibly need all on a single screen. This is particularly useful when looking over weapons, or trying to find resources that are both heavy and cheap to drop to avoid encumberment.
7 DualSense - PS5 Icons
Starfield may be an Xbox-exclusive franchise, but that doesn't mean that those playing on PC will necessarily be using an Xbox pad. In fact, many prefer the smaller size and superior triggers of Sony's Duelsense controller, including, it would seem, a modder named EASKATER.
Shortly after Starfield's early access release, they put out their DualSense - PS5 Icons mod, which, as the name suggests, allows players to switch out the Xbox button prompts for their PlayStation equivalents. This can make life a lot easier for Dualsense users, making it something of a must-install mod.
8 Cleanfield
A lot was made of Starfield's minimalistic start screen, but now that the game is finally here, it's actually all of the pop-ups and warning screens that some players are taking issue with. From Bethesda logos to epilepsy warnings, players have to sit through quite a bit before they can finally start playing the game.
Gametism's Cleanfield mod does away with all of this, providing players with instant loading and removing all of the unnecessary waffle that player players are faced with before reaching the start screen. It's even possible to remove the Starfield logo once they get there, though most will probably opt to keep it.
9 Easy Digipick (Lockpick)
Figuring out how to pick locks in Starfield is relatively straightforward for most players, but some may lack the patience to fully master the skill. Others may simply want a faster way to open safes and locked doors, as some of the game's more complicated locks can take a few minutes to figure out.
The Easy Digipick (Lockpick) mod from Ixion XVII will likely appeal to both sets of players, as it will allow them to completely ignore the lockpicking mini-game if they so wish. It's compatible with most other Starfield mods and can also be used to increase the player's Security rank, allowing them to tackle Expert and Master locks right from the get-go.
10 Quantum Reshade
There are already quite a few great Reshades for Starfield, but Quantum Reshade by HelloImCrimson is arguably the pick of the bunch. It makes the game a thousand times more vibrant and really helps the beauty of the great unknown to shine through.
Some may prefer the original visuals, which, to Bethesda's credit, are beautiful in their own right. However, given how murky and muted the colors are in a lot of the locations that players visit, it's easy to understand why so many are turning to this fantastic Starfield mod.
11 All The Materials
Building outposts in Starfield can be an awful lot of fun, allowing players to track down all kinds of rare materials for crafting and research purposes. Some materials can be incredibly difficult to come by though, forcing players to scour the universe scanning every planet and moon that they happen to come across.
v2461's All The Materials mod aims to make that search a little easier, allowing players to add materials to their inventory with just a few button clicks. Some may see this as cheating, but anyone who has spent countless hours looking for Tantalum or Vanadium will likely see things a little differently.
12 Responsive Grabbing
Like any great Bethesda game, Starfield allows players to pick up just about everything they come across, meaning that it won't take long until they find themselves having to increase the playable character's carrying capacity to avoid the dreaded Encumbered status. Thankfully, doing so is relatively straightforward, but encumberment is just one of several annoyances that players who love to loot will have to contend with.
After a while though, players will start to realize that the process of grabbing something takes way longer than it needs to. Sure, it may only be around a second or so, but when players are picking up tens of thousands of items over the course of a playthrough, this quickly begins to add up. Seb263's Responsive Grabbing mod reduces this time to just 300 milliseconds, making it the best Starfield mod for anyone who loots a lot.
Starfield is available now for PC and Xbox Series X|S.