Games That Were Completely Transformed By Player Mods

While many video games are incredible upon launch, the modding community has swiftly changed gamers’ expectations for what is possible. Whether a game achieves critical acclaim or struggles with a more difficult launch, the newfound ability to make substantial changes to these products through mods has seen many games live on for years after players would have originally completed them.

This world of modding has completely changed the landscape of gaming over time, giving players access to features that otherwise were not possible. With the potential to add entire new areas, dimensions, characters or character customization options, dialogue, or mechanics, there are endless possibilities for everyone’s favorite games to receive new life. That’s not all either. Some games, like Starfield, that were less well-received at launch are finding some resurgence in the creative minds of their player bases.

5 Minecraft

A Never-Ending World Expanded In Every Way

Minecraft may be one of the most beloved games of all time, but it’s no secret that its updates and new content are few and far between. While the base game’s additions have kept players coming back, the modding community has truly allowed Minecraft to thrive far beyond expectations. Some of the finest examples come in the form of new dimensions, with players able to explore the Twilight Forest or the Ether and battle new bosses, loot new areas, and fight new mobs.

There are plenty of mods that completely transform the farming and cooking abilities that Minecraft typically allows. Through new crops, cooking pots, and recipes, players finally have a new incentive to harvest bountifully. Meanwhile, furniture mods can completely transform what players know about Minecraft, implementing tables and chairs, decorative pieces, teddies, picnic baskets, and more. Whether players want massive, expansive dimensions, new ways to play, new tools, enhanced crafting, or anything in-between, there’s a mod for it all.

4 Stardew Valley

New Towns, New NPCs, And New Romances

The base game of Stardew Valley is already seriously impressive, crafted independently by ConcernedApe and continually updated with a vast amount of new content to this day. However, mods have allowed Stardew Valley to reach much greater heights than ever expected, with players given the ability to travel to entire new towns, such as Ridgeside Village, new locations, and a handful of incredible new NPCs to meet too.

That’s not all that Stardew Valley mods have to offer either, with filter re-colors for the game and different building themes, like “Cottagecore”, for players to tailor to their own tastes. There are also plenty of new buildings, new romances, new cutscenes, new items, and so much more. Players can also implement helpful mods that make the game a little easier, such as various automated tasks or combined interactions.

3 Fallout 4

Survive This Enhanced Open-World Experience

Fallout 4 has found a lot of its success through the modding community, with gamers continually adding large-scale new additions themselves, keeping the game alive for years since its launch. Through mods like Father Companion and Subversion, players will find their available choices made throughout the game will increase, immersing them further into the narrative experience on the whole. Some other mods expand upon different groups within the core experience, adding new story elements and narrative.

Other modding possibilities, like Chaotic Sun, make for an enthralling gameplay loop, with players thrust into a series of dungeon-like locations fighting both standard enemies and bosses, as well as exploring and picking apart small specs of a story. Other mods add more characters and dialogue to the base game’s journey for something unforgettable, with massive undertakings like Fallout London essentially creating an entire new game from the bones of the initial release. Whatever players are looking for, Fallout 4 likely has an incredible mod for it already.

A Whole New World

Since its launch in 2011, Skyrim has made a profound impact on the gaming scene in many ways, defining a genre and delivering an experience that many still see as a peak of both Bethesda’s works and RPGs in general. Skyrim has, in many ways, become outdated in terms of its gameplay aspects, exploration, and NPCs, with players still desperate for more to experience in their beloved classic gem. With the multitudes of mods that allow for some vast changes to the base game’s experience, it’s hard to go back.

With large-scale expansions like Shumer and the Priest Kings that add over 200 new locations, 180 quests, and 8,500 lines of voice-acted dialogue, this nostalgic experience is one that can still be relived in ways that generate the same experience as a first-time playthrough. With more core mods, like Interesting NPCs, adding further immersion, and Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim completely overhauling the skill tree, there are endless ways to refresh the base Skyrim experience. With changes ranging fro simple to vast, Skyrim is one of the greatest games to relive through mods.

1 Cities: Skylines

Take Full Control Modding This Management Sim

While the base game of Cities: Skylines offers a lot, many player mods have made the game thrive via tweaks and necessary changes that make the experience run much smoother. Things like Traffic Manager allow players to be less consumed with the complicated details of planning their roads, or the Electric Roads mod, which allows for cities to no longer be ruined esthetically by sprawling masses of powerlines.

Other unique mods expand the game further, such as The Agricultural Field Collection, wihch allows players an expansive bundle of fields to fit their cities. The Quad mod steers things the other way, heavily focusing on a more futuristic approach, with advanced building options for a more cyberpunk feel. Whether players are looking to add skyscrapers or real-world locations to their cities, there’s so much that can be implemented into Cities: Skylines that absolutely transforms the base game experience.