You ever find yourself playing what you thought one of your favorite games and it just isn’t the same? Maybe It’s just gotten a bit bland, maybe you’ve just played it too much and its gotten predictable. Maybe its just a bit dated by modern standards. Well, there is a solution just a few clicks away: Modding! Modding games has been a long standing, community tradition for tons of different games, injecting new, community driven life into old classics and new releases alike. In this article, we’ll be going over some of the best game mods you can download to give yourself an enhanced or completely new experience for your favorite games. Here are some of the best game mods you can download right now.
Elden Ring: Reforged
Elden Ring is without a doubt one of the best games released in the past decade, but, unfortunately, some of the magic is lost after your first few runs, and Elden Ring Reforged is one of the best game mods to remedy that. If you’re looking to recapture some of that discovery and difficulty after your 5th, 6th, or 7th playthrough, Elden Ring: Reforged might be for you. Featuring a complete rebalance of weaponry, new mechanics, new enemies and restored cut content, this mod aims to offer the complete Elden Ring experience. Highly customizable, adaptable, and, most importantly, staying true to the original game, Elden Ring: Reforged is a great mod for any fan of Elden Ring.
Skyrim: Enderal
There’s a case to be made that Bethesda’s Skyrim is perhaps the most moddable game of all time. There are hundreds, if not thousands of high quality, in depth mods transforming the land of Skyrim into new experiences. However, the jewel in Skyrim’s modding crown is no doubt Enderal. Sporting a completely new map, storyline, full voice acting and near 100 hours of gameplay, Enderal is close to being a full game in itself. Its a testament to the love and passion of the Elder Scrolls community that projects like this even exist.
Factorio: Space Exploration
Factorio already has a reputation for being one of the most addictive games out there. However, if you’ve somehow just gotten a bit too bored with the base game, there’s always Space Exploration. Featuring an all new tech tree, new buildings, and full space exploration, this is essentially Factorio+. Complete with building your own spaceship and colonizing other planets, this mod will satisfy any aspiring colonizer with the amount of content on display.
Titanfall 2: Northstar Client
If you found yourself wanting to run some multiplayer in 2016’s incredible Titanfall 2, but were subject to DDoS attacks and hackers, than the Northstar Client is for you. Featuring an improved anti-cheat and full server-browser, this custom client has made Titanfall 2 playable again. However, that’s not all it did. Using mods, users have successfully created custom weapon and character skins and custom game modes such as Infection and Gun Game. Titanfall 2 remains an incredible game to this day, and the Northstar Client mod is a perfect way to re-experience its multiplayer.
Halo 3: Resurrection Revamp
Halo 3 is the definition of classic. However, even the most classic of experiences can begin to show their age after 16 years of replays. That’s where Halo 3: Resurrection comes in. Currently in development with 3 missions completed, the Halo 3: Resurrection mod aims to add both completely new content while implementing enemies, weapons and vehicles from other Halo games. Additions include Elite enemies, new variations of the Warthog, Banshee and Wraith, and a usable Jackal shield, just to name a few. Its a massive labor of love for one of the greatest games of all time, and I’d keep a lookout on its continued development. The best part? You can use the Master Chief Collection!
SQUAD: Galactic Contention
If you’re anything like me, you love the feeling of being just another soldier on a massive battlefield. You also probably like Star Wars. While I enjoyed the new Battlefront reboots, it didn’t quite scratch that large-scale itch for me. That’s where Galactic Contention comes in. A total conversion mod for the tactical, semi-realistic shooter SQUAD, Galactic Contention gives the tactical and squad-based gameplay of SQUAD a Clone Wars themed makeover, complete with classic Star Wars weaponry such as the DC-15 and movie locations such as Geonosis and Kashyyk redone for 50 vs 50 combined arms warfare. Galactic Contention is a must play for any Star Wars fan.
Warhammer 40k Dawn of War: Reunification Mod
40k is one of the biggest universes out there, and the Dawn of War games are one of the best adaptations of the 40k universe. However, there is a way to make them even better: The Soulstorm Unification mod. Taking content from all of the expansions, giving love to existing factions in the form of new units for factions such as the Imperial Guard, Necrons and Eldar, and adding all new factions such as the Death Korps of Krieg, Tyranids and the Inquisition Witch Hunters, this mod has everything any 40k fan needs to make their dream battlefield. Including Titans and nuclear weapons. Because what 40k battle isn’t complete without a giant robot and a nuclear wasteland.
Half-Life 2: Entropy Zero
One of the best expansion packs in video game history came in 1999 with Half-Life’s incredible Opposing Force expansion, allowing you to step into the shoes of the bad guys as a U.S. Marine special forces operative. However, despite their iconic presence, Half-Life 2’s villains, the Combine, never got an equivalent. That’s where Entropy: Zero comes in. If you ever wanted to step into the shoes of the fearsome Overwatch security forces, this is your stop, and its quality is similar to that of an actual expansion pack. Now it can be your turn to beat up rebels with a beatstick and tell people to pick up cans.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly
The STALKER games are not everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, they have a reputation for being quite alienating to the mainstream audience. However, if you like the original STALKER games or are a fan of cosmic horror, post-apocalyptic settings, survival games and/or Slavic staples such as Balaclavas, Kalashnikov rifles, vodka, post-human monstrosities, depression and the color grey, you’ll love STALKER Anomaly. Anomaly aims to replace the dated parts of the STALKER games and restore almost all of the cut content from all 3 of the original trilogy. You can even mod STALKER Anomaly itself if you find something isn’t to your liking (I personally recommend STALKER Gamma). STALKER is one of those game franchises that I think everyone should try sometime. For the low, low price of free and not requiring any other STALKER game to try, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
And that’s that! There are thousands of other mods out there for thousands of other games, so if none of these strike your fancy, there’s no doubt you can find something that does. However, these mods are both universally beloved by their communities and offer a high-quality, memorable experience in their own right, independent of the game they’re attached to. I recommend them all, especially if you already own the game’s they’re attached to. Have fun modding, and don’t forget to read the instruction pages for anything you download!
