Mods in gaming can elongate certain games with countless amounts of extra hours of playtime or even revive some games from the dead. There are genuinely numerous mods out there, and each one could change a fundamental aspect of the games they are for. Some mods might only change the aesthetics, but a few might improve aspects of the gameplay. A number of mods were created to add quality of life to the title, which the creators think should have been in the base game when others have created massive expansions.

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The modding community is easily one of the best parts of PC gaming, and this can be seen in the fact that fully-fledged video games with massive fanbases have arisen out of these mods! It's a truly remarkable achievement, and even the mods that haven't attained a standalone release for a variety of issues (such as licensing, copyrights, finances, and anything else along the same lines) can still end up providing unforgettable experiences in their own right.

Updated on July 3, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Modding is something that PC players should make the most of, with fan-made content and patches doing a great job of making these games more fun to play through than ever. Some people go all out when it comes to the development of these mods, resulting in creations so impressive that they've attracted everything from mainstream attention to interest from developers themselves. In some instances, entire game studios have arisen from the collaborative effort put into these mods, which is pretty impressive.

30 Farewell Of The White Wolf

An Epilogue To The Witcher Trilogy Handcrafted By Fans

The Witcher 2 is a great game, and people who want to experience more of Geralt's stories in the same engine can download the Farewell of the White Wolf mod. This fan expansion serves as an epilogue to The Witcher series, with the story focusing on Geralt's marriage to Yennefer.

While this mod lacks voice acting, people who can overlook this one particular gripe can install the Farewell of the White Wolf mod to enjoy another well-made chapter in the life of Geralt of Rivia.

• Created by: Rustine
• Download Link

29 New Threat/Randomizer

Refreshes Final Fantasy 7 In New And Interesting Ways

Players seeking out a fresh take on the original Final Fantasy 7 experience should check out a mod called New Threat created by SegaChief, which adds an array of stuff to Final Fantasy that everyone knows and loves – new bosses, additional conversations, two types of difficulty, plus tons more. This mod uses what players know about the original title and uses it against them. It indeed is an outstanding mod.

A randomizer can also be interesting. These mods have gotten massive over the last few years. Some change the contents of the chests, and a few can change the enemies that appear, plus more. SegaChief has also made a Final Fantasy 7 Randomizer and it looks fantastic. One of the best features of this mod is enemy model swapping, meaning that Cloud and Co. are going to get into some hilarious battles.

• Created by: Sega Chief
• Download Links: New Threat, Randomizer

28 Community Flavor Pack Official

Adds A Ton Of Enhancements To Make A Ruler Look More Unique Than Ever

Given the potential for great mods in Crusader Kings 3, it's quite impressive that a simple cosmetic mod is one of the most popular ones for this game. Such is the case with the Community Flavor Pack Official mod, which adds many trinkets in the game for players to mess around with.

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This pack goes a long way in ensuring that every character in the game looks unique, which helps when it comes to the game's immersion. It's a simple mod, but a must-have for players who want more visual flavor in Crusader Kings 3.

• Created by: El Tyranos
• Download Link

27 Roleplay Servers

Players Immerse Themselves In A World Where Following The Rules Is Oddly Engaging

GTA has been out since 2013, and it's still one of the most popular games played at present, especially since GTA Online is continuously updating with a plethora of new content. But for those who want a unique experience, they can try one of the many GTA Roleplay servers, known as FiveM.

These servers host a heavily modded version of GTA, where role-playing is necessary to play. Players become that character, they have to voice that character, and traffic laws are a thing that needs to be obeyed. Since there are role-playing police on every server, jail time is also a real thing. It's a very immersive experience.

• Created by: Multiple modders
• Download Link

26 Item Randomizer, Irregulator, & StraySouls

Three Great Mods That Make Dark Souls 3 Feel Fresh And Engaging For Returning Fans

Dark Souls 3 is a notoriously hard game by FromSoftware, many players have raged eternally over attempting to beat this game. People seeking out a way to make this game harder can explore three avenues. When combined, these will create an entirely different run-through while maintaining the vanilla game's sensibilities

First is an Item Randomizer mod, where every item in the game is randomized. Second is the Irregulator, which changes the stats of all equipment in the game, but also the moveset of said weapons – a club could have the attacks of a rapier. And lastly, StraySouls can randomize enemy placement and the amount that appears, so that the first enemy in the game could be an endgame one.

• Created by: LukeYui (Item Randomizer), TKGP (Irregulator), Jacks0n (StraySouls)
• Download Link: Item Randomizer, Irregulator, & StraySouls

25 Portal: Prelude

A Great Fan-Made Set Of Levels That Make The Most Of Portal's Mechanics

Before Portal 2 was a thing, fans were hard at work making custom levels of their own to satiate the fanbase till then. One particularly impressive mod that explored the history of Aperture Science before the inception of GLaDOS is Portal: Prelude.

This unofficial prequel to the Portal series features several great and tough puzzles that are a blast to play through. Fans of the series who want to play through another tightly-paced and engaging chapter in the Portal universe should definitely check this mod out.

• Created by: Portal: Prelude Team
• Download Link

24 Enhanced Edition/Ghost Mode

Revamps The Gameplay To Make The Witcher 3's Combat More Exciting And Frenetic Than Ever Before

Players who want to replay The Witcher 3 but have completed the game before can opt for an overhaul of the game. Two mods do this exceptionally well, Witcher 3Enhanced Edition and Ghost Mode.

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Enhanced Edition is an overhaul mod that focuses on immersion. Not only does it change combat, but it changes most things from alchemy, the level system, to how the loot works. It changes a lot of stuff utterly different from the vanilla game. Ghost Mode is an overhaul that tweaks the vanilla game, so it keeps as close to the base game as it can, but provides enough changes to make it a new experience.

• Created by: Kolaris (Enhanced Edition), Wasteland "wghost81" Ghost (Ghost Mode)
• Download Link: Witcher 3 Enhanced Edition, Ghost Mode

23 Long War

Adds Way More Content To The Game And Gives Players More Strategic Options To Experiment With

The return of the XCOM series was praised by many, with everyone loving the permadeath feature of this game and how it made every mission stressful as players implemented the best tactics possible to take out an oppressive alien threat. The scope for this title was impressive, and modders decided to take things into their own hand with the release of Long War.

Featuring numerous gameplay improvements, new features, and a wealth of equipment to choose from, Long War makes XCOM more deadly and immersive than ever before. Most players find this mod to be a necessary download to enjoy everything Enemy Unknown has to offer, and it's easy to see why these developers went on to form their own studio and release Terra Invicta, a fun grand strategy game that has already shown a lot of promise.

• Created by: Pavonis Interactive
• Download Link

22 NeoTokyo

One Of The More Underrated Mods For Half-Life 2

A tactical multiplayer mod for Half-Life 2 that ends up being wildly enjoyable in every way, shape, and form, NeoTokyo is an excellent mod that is quite a blast to play through for several reasons.

The multiplayer face-offs that occur in this mod are quite intense and entertaining, with the cyberpunk setting and backstory of the game also being quite amazing in their own right. A demo for a single-player campaign set in the NeoTokyo universe has also been released, although there's no word on when this project will be completed.

• Created by: Studio Radi-8
• Download Link

21 Kung Fu 3.0

Adds Matrix-esque Combat In Max Payne

The original Max Payne is one of the most enjoyable narrative action games ever made. Controlling this grizzled cop in this quest for revenge is a blast that pays off every single time.

With the Kung Fu 3.0 mod, Max Payne can essentially turn into an action fest like The Matrix as players pull off amazing moves, with the mod adding melee combat as well. Running up and over walls to shoot enemies is always entertaining, with the fluidity of the animations being pretty impressive given the obvious limitations this mod had to deal with.

• Created by: killerwhale
• Download Link

20 OpenRCT2

A Mod That's Downright Necessary To Make The Game More Palatable On Modern Hardware

The RollerCoaster Tycoon series used to be one of the greatest amusement park simulators, before the latest release tarnished its legacy for good. As a result, most people opt to experience the good old days of RollerCoaster Tycoon by playing the second game in the series, which is easily the best 2D park simulator around.

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With OpenRCT2, various tweaks and fixes are made to improve the engine of RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, make it more playable on modern systems, and even change the gameplay without making too many major tweaks! It's the definitive way to enjoy the golden age of the RollerCoaster Tycoon series.

• Created by: OpenRCT2 Team
• Download Link

19 Moguri Mod

The Perfect Modern Enhancement For A JRPG Classic

Final Fantasy 9 is easily one of the greatest games in the series. It's a tale that harkens back to the classic era of Final Fantasy games, with a charming cast of characters and excellent writing driving this game and its events forward.

With the Moguri Mod,Final Fantasy 9 can now be visually enriched and enhanced to make it more playable on modern systems. This mod makes several small yet notable changes that make it crystal clear that the people behind this mod's development knew exactly what they were doing!

• Created by: Moguri Team
• Download Link

18 Calamity Mod

Completely Revamps The Endgame And Makes The Game Feel Fresh

Most people write off Terraria to be nothing more than 2D Minecraft, which is doing a huge disservice to the allure of this title. Despite releasing more than a decade ago, a stream of content patches and post-release support has led to a dedicated fanbase that simply can't get enough of this title.

Of course, it helps that ardent players of Terraria can enjoy all the benefits that arise out of the Calamity Mod too! This incredible mod has been made solely to make the endgame of Terraria more engaging than ever before, featuring an immense amount of content that effectively doubles the time players can spend in the game, if not more. The list of additions includes new biomes, enemies, weapons, music, difficulty modes, recipes, leveling mechanics, and a wealth of other tweaks.

• Created by: Calamity Mod Team
• Download Link

17 SA-MP

The Multiplayer Mod That Made Roleplaying As A Citizen So Immersive

San Andreas is the personal favorite of many GTA fans, even if there's no denying that the scope of Grand Theft Auto 5 blows this game completely out of the water. The game has a loyal community that is still extremely active to this day, with the SA-MP mod allowing players to engage in multiplayer shenanigans in this title.

San Andreas' multiplayer tweaks are a thing of beauty, with these serves encouraging everything from following the law to rampant chaos and destruction. The role-playing servers are especially impressive, with players being encouraged to live a proper virtual life where they do jobs, adhere to the police, and fulfill a wide range of realistic activities using their virtual avatars.

• Created by: Kye (Kalcor) and spookie
• Download Link

16 Vanilla Expanded

Jam-Packs RimWorld With More Content To Keep Things Fresh And Engaging

RimWorld is easily one of the greatest simulator games around. Controlling a colony and helping its members enjoy a good life while their brilliant procedural stories play out is a blast every single time.

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The vanilla experience of RimWorld is pretty fun as is, but the quality of this playthrough becomes infinitely better with the advent of mods. One such mod pack that is almost critical to a player's RimWorld playthrough is the Vanilla Expanded collection of mods that improve the scope and fidelity of the gameplay without taking away from the base game experience.

• Created by: Oskar Potocki, Sarg Bjornson, Kikohi, legodude17, and Smash Phil
• Download Link

15 Have Some Personality Please!

Helps Deepen The Gameplay Of The Sims Makes These Characters More Unique Than Ever Before

The Sims 4 is an experimentation ground for modders who want to see just how many ways they can alter the core experience of the game. Given the many criticisms for this game surrounding Sims who act the same, it's only a given that any mod that makes every Sim feel more personal is bound to be great.

Such is the case with the Have Some Personality Please! mod, which does exactly what is stated in the title. The changes made by this mod are pretty non-intrusive, allowing players to get way more mileage out of a single playthrough.

• Created by: PolarBearSims
• Download Link

14 Stardew Valley Expanded

Helps This Rich Farming Sim Feel More Loaded With Content Than Ever

Stardew Valley is an incredible achievement, all made by one person, Eric Barone, and he's still updating the game with plenty of content. As well as that, he knows mods are an important thing to the gaming industry, so Eric goes out of his way to help them out.

The base game has an abundance of content already, but those who have sunk thousands of hours into this farming sim might want something new and different. Stardew Valley Expanded is a mod created by FlashShifter, which adds new locations, characters, a new village, plus loads more additions. So for those after something new, mods are the way forward.

• Created by: FlashShifter
• Download Link

13 Tale Of Two Wastelands

Merges The Two Gamebyro Fallout Games Into An Enjoyable, Cohesive Unit

• 	Fallout 3	Fallout: New Vegas
  Platform(s)	PS3, Xbox 360, PC	PS3, Xbox 360, PC
  Released	2008-10-28	2010-10-19
  Developer(s)	Bethesda Game Studios	Obsidian Entertainment
  Genre(s)	Action RPG	RPG

The Gamebyro Engine was useful for the development of some of the best open-world RPGs around, but to call it stable would be a stretch. So, anyone who managed to create a mod that combined two of the biggest and most engaging Fallout games around into one cohesive package deserves all the praise in the world and then some.

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The Tale of Two Wastelands mod is a great way to merge Fallout 3 and New Vegas, letting players seamlessly switch between the two with little to no problems standing in their way. Jumping between the Mojave and the Capital Wasteland is quite painless and does a great job of letting players choose how they approach the content of both games without feeling too overwhelmed.

• Created by: Tale of Two Wastelands team
• Download Link

12 The Nameless Mod

A Meta Addition Where Players Physically Explore A Forum And Engage In Classic Deus Ex Gameplay

The original Deus Ex is nearing its 25th anniversary of release, as it was released in June 2000. Deus Ex is a first-person action game cyberpunk game that really boosted that niche genre. If players have checked out this game multiple times and know pretty much everything about it, they should definitely play a Deus Ex mod called the Nameless Mod.

The Nameless Mod is a total conversion mod released in 2009 and received a 2.0 update recently that improved the level design and visuals. It adds a new story, new items, weapons, and enemies, and it's not set in the Deus Ex universe. This mod is created around internet forum humor, so players should take everything lightheartedly.

• Created by: Off Topic Productions
• Download Link

11 Europa Barbarorum

A Mod Focused On Realism That Revamps The Gameplay In New And Interesting Ways

The Total War series features some great grand strategy games with a focus on warfare. One of the more popular titles that contributed to the immense popularity of the game is Rome: Total War.

A group of modders has created a mod solely focused on realism, called Europa Barbarorum. The sheer amount of work put into accurately reflecting the time period is quite impressive, making this mod one of the more notable ones out there.

• Created by: Europa Barbarorum Development Team
• Download Link