The best PC games need considerable investment, as seasoned gamers are aware. This is due to the fact that those who adore them will use them to create their own unique models, skins, game modes, and even entirely new games—all of which are available for free download and play.
However, it can be difficult to distinguish between the good and the bad, so we’ve compiled a list of our top must-have modifications for games like Fallout 3, Half-Life, and more. Add your favorites in the comments if you like!
Fallout
You may have explored Bakkes website on your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, but the authentic post-apocalyptic experience can only be had after adding a few PC-only tweaks to the $30 base Fallout 3 game. Start with Fallout 3 Wanderer’s Edition, which includes a whole new assortment of tools and stuff along with more survivalist gameplay features (food and drink, more injuries). Also, get Fallout 3 Re-Animated for animations that appear more realistic, Enhanced Weather for weather effects that are more realistic, and NMC’s Texture Pack for textures that are more appealing. Additionally, visit Fallout 3 Nexus to pick up more goods.
Little Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is like the cricket of PC indie games: it’s the epitome of a gentleman’s game, yet new players are intimidated and turned off by the intricate rules and antiquated aesthetic. Thanks to mods like the Lazy Newb Pack, which entirely reskins Dwarf Fortress with a far more pleasant and user-friendly 3D interface, a vibrant community of hackers can assist you get beyond that tricky situation. Consider using mods like Xenomorphs (which introduces Aliens and Predators into your stronghold) and Wasteland to introduce new settings and adversaries once you’ve gained experience with the base version of Dwarf Fortress (which challenges you to survive in a setting of postapocalyptic desolation).
1+2 of Half-Life
With the release of Half-Life, Valve Software transformed the first-person shooter into a narrative genre, and thanks to the company’s passionate support of the mod scene (Valve provided the software development kit for free), talented programmers were able to produce timeless mods like Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat that were good enough to be purchased and released by Valve as stand-alone games. Due to the open nature of the Source engine, Half-Life 2 users have access to a ton of fantastic (and free) mods like The Stanley Parable. However, we advise paying for must-have mods like Garry’s Mod and Dino D-Day.
Quake
We’re here to speak about one mod in particular, Team Fortress, although Quake has reaped the benefits of Id Software’s mod-friendly design with all kinds of creative fan-made skins, models, and sound packs. Yes, the original QuakeWorld Team Fortress, the first game to feature precisely balanced class-based Capture the Flag combat, served as the inspiration for everyone’s favorite Team Fortress 2. Levels may change over time, but 2fort remains the same.
Doom 1+2
Unbelievably, the grandfather of first-person shooters is also the grandfather of game mods, mostly because it was made with the intention of making modding simpler. The Batman, Ghostbusters, and Mega Man projects are some of the Dooms mods that people are currently tearing apart.
Civilization
Since Civilization 4 is so difficult, you may anticipate that changing anything significant—much less changing the entire game—would be a tremendous undertaking. With the release of Fall From Heaven, a fantasy total conversion mod for Civilization 4 that is probably better than the original game, however, intrepid developer Derek Paxton did just that. Pick up Fury Road and turn Civilization 4 into a grim survival strategy game set in the post-apocalyptic wasteland if you’re not into heroic fantasy and gods living among humans.
Reign of Chaos/The Frozen Throne in Warcraft III
One of the few games on our list, Warcraft III, had a mod that was so well-liked that it spawned a whole genre. Defense of the Ancients, also known as “DotA,” is a multiplayer mod that takes the main gameplay of Warcraft, downplays the macroeconomic elements, and emphasizes hero-on-hero warfare. Along with several well-known competitive games (most notably League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth), it also inspired Basshunter’s original Swedish pop song.
Freelancer
These days, it’s difficult to find epic starfighter simulations like Wing Commander and X-Wing Alliance. Therefore, getting the most satisfaction possible from a timeless fan favorite like Freelancer is critical. Grab a copy of a mod like Freeworlds: Tides of War to reskin every ship as a classic Star Wars starfighter and fill the bars with stormtroopers and scum in Mandalorian armor because the game is simple to edit and plenty of fans are still operating multiplayer servers. Pick up the Battlestar Galactica entire conversion if you’re really a Cylon.
Homeworld
Huge real-time strategy game set in space The PC gaming pantheon now includes Homeworld 2 as a legend. The Homeworld 2 Complex mod, which takes Homeworld 2 and demands that you explore deeper, is as fantastic (albeit sometimes ignored). It adds 40 new units, more support for ship subsystems, new research paths, and much more. As if you needed an excuse to pull out your copy of Homeworld 2 from storage.
Series of Unreal Tournament
Modders have always flourished in the Unreal/Unreal Tournament/Unreal Championship series. Many use their experience with the Unreal Games Engine as a launching pad for careers as professional game creators. For Unreal Tournament 3, The Crucible, a set of mutators themed around Armageddon, and Weapons Factory, a class-based game that plays like Team Fortress’ much weirder cousin, respectively.
San Andreas, GTA
Due to a notorious hack including a secret Hot Coffee minigame, the PC version of San Andreas gained widespread attention; nonetheless, despite the scorching news coverage, ardent fans continue to produce a ton of inventive and unique mods. Consider downloading the Jurassic Park: Operation Andreas mod and having a leisurely drive around Jurassic Park if you’re sick of wandering around San Andreas. Install the You Are Here mod to transform Grand Theft Auto into a survival horror game akin to Silent Hill if you’re searching for something a little weirder.
Oblivion
Because Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls Construction Kit is capable, a group of passionate German gamers developed a thorough conversion mod called Nehrim that turns it into a completely new game replete with musicians and voice actors. Consider purchasing fantastic fan mods like The Lost Spires (which adds 15+ hours of new gameplay and a new Archaeology Guild) and Martigen’s Monster Mod, which adds a massive amount of new content and more than 150 new monsters (including real mammoths!) if you simply want to spend more time in Tamriel.
Crysis
When it first came out, the $40 video game Crysis gained notoriety for having a graphics engine that was so powerful that we had to wait a few years for a consumer-grade PC powerful enough to run it at its highest settings. Predator: The Heat of the Jungle mods are a no-brainer because the majority of that processing power was used to produce the incredibly complex jungle surroundings. Don’t pass up the chance to exchange up your nanosuit for a 50-foot BattleMech with the MechWarrior: Living Legends mod if you happen to purchase the Crysis Wars multiplayer expansion pack for the original Crysis.
Morrowind
The Morrowind Rebirth mod should be the first thing you download if you want to hack your PC copy of Morrowind because it is the oldest Bethesda game on our list. That will add fresh textures and things to the dated graphics engine, making your experience in Morrowind a little more aesthetically pleasing. Installing Tamriel Rebuilt, an ambitious attempt by ardent fans to recreate the Elder Scrolls universe based on in-game descriptions and their imaginations is advised if you want to leave the island and explore the rest of Tamriel.
StarCraft
We know that the original StarCraft deserves praise for its library of custom games, which gave rise to various minigames and game-extension maps. The most ambitious mod ever, StarCraft Universe, which intended to replicate the World of Warcraft raid experience in a StarCraft 2 battlefield, is why we’re including StarCraft 2 ($60) on this list. Blizzard, please don’t end this one. To play as a Dark Templar has always been a goal of ours.
Doom 3
The Duct Tape mod is the sole factor that led us to decide to include Doom 3 on this list. You see, dimly light settings are what create the majority of the dramatic tension in Doom 3. You do have a flashlight, but you cannot use both it and your weapons at the same time. This is where the Duct Tape mod comes in, allowing you to tape the flashlight on your shotgun and machine gun. You are working in a cutting-edge research facility on Mars; do you really believe that they don’t have a roll somewhere?
