Best Graphics Mods For Fallout New Vegas

Many fans would argue that Fallout: New Vegas is the best in the series. Released in 2010, the game has aged considerably in the intervening years. The fact that gamers keep coming back to it, again and again, is a testament to its superb overall quality. The RPG mechanics are one-of-a-kind, with the game combining the best of both the old-school Fallout games along with modern innovations to make for a brilliant role-playing experience that continues to be Obsidian Entertainment’s magnum opus to this day.

However, there’s no getting around the fact that visually, Fallout: New Vegas is a fossil. Luckily, as with most products associated with Bethesda and Obsidian, the modding community is quite active. With the right essential Fallout: New Vegas graphics mods in place, this game can be given a new lease on life. These mods should serve as the core of any player’s load order.

Updated January 31, 2025 by Benjamin Joe: There’s no shortage of mods for Fallout New Vegas. Despite being released in 2010, the game is still seeing new fans take to the world of New Vegas today. While the game’s graphics weren’t bad, there are always improvements that can be made. The last update to this article introduced a couple of new graphics mods. This update will do the same thing.

Three new mods will be added to this piece. They are Nevada Skies – Weather Effects, A Little More Lamplight, and Natural Waters For New Vegas. These mods, while relatively small, make a considerable difference to the game’s aesthetics.

1

Nevada Skies – Weather Effects

Downloads: 4,785,208

This mod completely overhauls the weather system. It introduces over 400 weather variations that help to change the game’s overall feel. Not only that, but this mod also overhauls interior lighting, making it so the outside weather and the interior lights work seamlessly together.

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This mod is perfect for those who want to inject a bit more life into the world. The weather patterns in the vanilla version of the game get a little boring after a while, and this mod really allows players to spice things up.

2

A Little More Lamplight

Downloads: 551,348

For all the things the developers got right, there were a few things that slipped the net during the game’s development. One of those things was the way that streetlights work. Unfortunately, most of the streetlights in the vanilla version of the game are rather lackluster. They have very little detail.

This mod completely changes the way that streetlights work, making them much more visually pleasing. Instead of a blurred light, this mod injects some pretty detailed light mechanics into streetlights in various locations all over the map. While the mod is small, it is very well-made, and it helps to change the feel of nightlife in the Mohave.

3

Natural Waters For New Vegas

Downloads 116,373

Getting water to look good in a video game is a challenge. Even big-budget games such as GTA 5 have some issues surrounding water. The Natural Waters For New Vegas mod makes the water look considerably more realistic than it normally does. With this mod, water is more reflective. Not only that, but the color of the water will change to match environmental factors such as the weather.

This mod works great alongside most other graphic mods out there, making it a great choice for those who like to download lots of mods.

4

Improved Lighting Shaders

Downloads: 813,332

The lighting in the base version of Fallout: New Vegas is all over the place. Each cell is limited to four light sources when it can support ten, which leads to odd moments where the lights get cut off illogically, illumination flickers as players move around, and certain areas aren’t lit up properly. Suffice it to say, players would want to get their hands on a Fallout: New Vegas graphics mod that does a great job of ensuring that anyone who wants to enjoy the magic of New Vegas isn’t pulled out of the game’s immersive qualities because of these issues.

This is accomplished with the Improved Lighting Shaders mod, which does precisely what is stated in the title. Players don’t have to deal with odd lighting issues with this mod, which is pretty unintrusive and doesn’t add too much load to an engine that can buckle in no time if people download too many incompatible mods in one go. Given how lighting plays a huge role in augmenting the visuals of a game, it’s easy to see why many players would be interested in acquiring this amazing Fallout: New Vegas mod.

5

Atmospheric Lighting Tweaks

Downloads: 411,949

There are many well-designed interiors in Fallout: New Vegas that are oozing in atmosphere, giving players an incentive to explore as many interiors in the game as possible. However, many years have passed since the release of this game, and some players may find the lighting and visuals of these interiors to be dated by modern standards. This makes it important to download a Fallout: New Vegas graphics mod that does a great job of bringing these interiors up to par.

The Atmospheric Lighting Tweaks mod ensures that interior spaces are lit up logically while enhancing their immersive qualities. The locations of New Vegas feel more dynamic and visually stimulating than ever before, while the other locations in the Mojave also enjoy a much-needed lighting uplift that goes a long way in improving a player’s experience with a game that is dated in some aspects, even if it’s one of the greatest RPGs that holds up well to this day.

6

Energy Visuals Plus 2.0

Downloads: 295,393

The Energy weapons in the Fallout series have been a blast to use time and time again, and New Vegas is no exception. There’s something inherently satisfying about shooting an enemy until they’re nothing more than a formless lump of goo and ash that can be looted. However, the base visuals in this department can be a bit lacking for players more used to modern sensibilities, making it the need of the hour for a Fallout: New Vegas graphics mod to immerse players in this department.

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The Energy Visuals Plus 2.0 does a great job of enhancing numerous aspects of the game’s visuals, both in and out of combat. The energy weapons are an obvious mention here, feeling more punchy and satisfying than ever before. Watching enemies melt and burn to a crisp feels more cathartic than ever. On top of this, the mod also does a great job of adding extra effects to special melee weapons, projectiles, explosions, and flares, making them awe-inspiring in the best way possible.

7

WTH – Weapon Textures from Heaven

Downloads: 471,432

Texture mods are all the rage for Fallout: New Vegas and there’s no denying that some of the mods for the game that add new textures to the game can end up compromising the vanilla aesthetics of the game quite a bit. This can be quite immersion-breaking if players download weapon mod textures that make these armaments look completely different from the rest of the game and its art style.

Players who want to be careful about the visual mods they download for New Vegas can try this one out. The improved textures make every weapon look authentic and beautiful, with players having the option to choose alternate textures for mods that look different from their regular look if they wish.

8

Power Armor Visual Enhancement (PAVE)

Downloads: 465,672

Power Armor is one of the most iconic aspects of any Fallout game. While Fallout 4 may have arguably perfected the implementation of this massive armor in the game, this doesn’t mean that using Power Armor in New Vegas isn’t viable. As long as players have the training required to wear this armor, they can tank damage and decimate foes while wearing this powerful suit of armor.

However, even the biggest New Vegas fans have to agree that the look of the Power Armor is a bit too muddy, given the many years that have followed since the game’s release. With this simple mod, Power Armor gets a noticeable visual upgrade that is in line with the original design of this armor. It’s a simple yet great mod that players should use if they love using this powerful suit of armor in the game and want it to look as imposing as it feels.

9

Legacy Reborn Texture Pack

Downloads: 344,827

The landscape of New Vegas is iconic in its own right, with the wasteland of the Mojave serving as the perfect backdrop for a Fallout setting that is as scintillating as it comes. That being said, players can always try and improve the landscape textures so that they don’t end up looking grating after the many hours they spend in the game.

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The Legacy Reborn Texture Pack is a perfect fit here. It’s one of the newer texture mods to grace New Vegas, meaning that there shouldn’t be too many conflicts with other mods. Still, it’s a good idea to check the comments of the mod post and do some testing before going all out with one’s decision to download this mod and improve the landscape textures of New Vegas.

10

Ultra-Luxe Interior Retexture

Downloads: 35,962

Interior lighting overhauls go far beyond general improvements. There’s also an abundance of lighting mods that focus on specific locations. Many of these mods are geared toward making the Strip look even more impressive, particularly on the inside.

One great example that’s hard not to mention is the Ultra-Luxe Interior Retexture mod. According to the inhabitants of the Strip, the Ultra-Luxe is arguably the most luxurious casino in New Vegas. This mod aims to capture that magnificence by upgrading the textures and their color scheme. It makes the casino look just as impressive as it’s described by the in-game inhabitants.

11

Audleys Misc. Textures

Downloads: 123,184

Even the most comprehensive of texture mods tend to miss a detail or two. Oftentimes, players are forced to install small, individual mods that retexture just a single object. It can all become a bit cumbersome, especially if one decides not to use a mod manager.

Audleys Misc. Textures is a highly useful mod that helps fill in some of the blanks without the need to hunt down individual retexture mods. The scope of the add-on is modest, but it’s very well-made and can save fans some extra time when giving the overall visuals an upgrade.

12

3D Rain

Downloads: 415,146

Rain in Fallout: New Vegas isn’t anything to write home about. Sure, it gets the job done, but that’s about it. The flat textures look horrid when viewed from certain angles, which can take away some of the atmosphere from the world for players who find immersion to be incredibly important in a video game.

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For these players, the 3D Rain mod is the perfect solution to their problems. As the name of the mod suggests, players can now enjoy the rain weather effect without being taken aback by its low quality. Rain doesn’t look weird when players look upwards, which is a welcome change that isn’t too intrusive.

13

High-Resolution Water Fog

Downloads: 412,620

Aliasing is one of the worst things that can completely ruin a player’s visual immersion because of how intrusive it can be. The last thing anyone wants to see is jagged edges that make the game look worse than it should and old games like Fallout: New Vegas suffer from this the most. This is especially apparent when players see structures underwater, which can look rather jagged and poor.

This is where the High-Resolution Water Fog mod will prove to be a major help in every way. It fixes this issue, which shouldn’t crop up on most modern systems with decent hardware anyway. It may be a simple mod, but players who found this aliasing to be particularly grating will consider this mod a lifesaver for their eyes.

14

Lumen – Ambient Lighting

Downloads: 704,994

With the advent of ray-tracing, many people have realized just how much of an important role a game’s lighting plays to make its visuals stand out. This simple change has tweaked both new and existing games at a level that most people still can’t fathom. While it’s impossible right now to add ray-tracing to Fallout: New Vegas because of the game’s dated and unstable engine, there are still ways to make the game’s lighting stand out even more.

The Lumen – Ambient Lighting mod is a great example of what video game mods can do with minimal changes. The sheer improvement in the game’s atmosphere after downloading this mod is impressive and adds to the game world without being too intrusive. It’s a great, simple mod for Fallout: New Vegas fans who want to immerse themselves in this game’s world as much as possible.

15

High-Resolution Bloom

Downloads: 487,433

PC players love to tweak every aspect of the games they play, so it’s easy to see why any mod that lets them customize a particular graphical element would be coveted by fans. The High-Resolution Bloom mod not only increases the quality of the bloom that is present in this game but allows players to configure exactly how it functions as well.

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Given how prominent of a role bloom plays in areas like New Vegas, it’s only a given that players would want the central city of this game to look as beautiful as possible. With this customized bloom setting, players can make this city pop out at night in the best way possible!

16

Moonlight

Downloads: 655,554

Sometimes, the simplest mods end up being the very best ones of the lot. Such is the case with the Moonlight mod, which changes the way light works at night so that shadows are cast in the right direction.

Given how much the Gamebyro Engine creaks and buckles under the weight of more resource-intensive mods, it’s easy to see why the Moonlight mod is such a breath of fresh air. It may not seem all that impressive, but any player who prioritizes immersion in their games will love what this mod brings to the table.

17

PipBoy 3000 HD Retexture

Downloads: 353,243

The PipBoy is perhaps the Fallout franchise’s most ubiquitous gadget. It serves as a menu for the player to organize their items, gear, and weapons. The all-important map of the Mojave Wasteland is also accessed through the PipBoy. Anything important is contained within this wrist-mounted tool.

As such, it’s likely the player will be pulling up their PipBoy every few minutes. The PipBoy 3000 HD Retexture mod, although small, is pretty important. Why look at the same ugly texture for hundreds of hours on end? The mod upgrades the gadget’s resolution, making it much crisper and easier on the eyes.

18

Vanilla HUD Remastered

Downloads: 356,721

Before getting into the meatier graphical enhancements, there’s a very simple add-on to install first. Players are no doubt familiar with New Vegas‘s HUD. When looking to upgrade the visuals of the game as a whole, it’s important not to neglect this small detail.

Vanilla HUD Remastered is an essential mod to have in one’s repertoire. It updates the HUD to either an HD or 4K resolution. The crispness of the details is such that once installed, it’s almost impossible to play the game without it.

19

Rudy ENB

Downloads: 837,110

ENBs are not graphics mods in and of themselves. They add and improve a game’s post-processing effects, heightening the visual fidelity of the graphics far beyond what was initially intended by the developers. ENBs tie all graphics mods together, making them look their very best.

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A great choice for Fallout: New Vegas is Rudy ENB. It gives everything a stunning photorealistic quality to it without tanking one’s PC. When combined with the above mods Fallout: New Vegas will look amazing. It just might make you want to reinstall the game and experience it from a new (and sleeker) perspective.

20

Improved Robots Textures

Downloads: 1,098,056

Having human characters look their best is all well and good. But the inhabitants of the Fallout universe are varied. Robots are a common sight, coming in a diverse range of makes and models. They deserve to look the best they can too.

For a comprehensive all-in-one mod regarding robots, Improved Robots Textures is an excellent choice. From Sentry Bots to Mr. Handys and everything in between, this mod ensures all robots receive a much-needed makeover.