Mods for Games – Complete Guide for PC Mods
What game modding is, DLC vs mods, where to find mods (Steam Workshop, Nexus Mods), how to apply them safely, and the best games with the largest modding communities.
Before we start off Modding Games, let’s see what modding is and when it started. The word “Mod” comes from the root word “modification,” which means modifying something or altering it for a change. The term mods for games, as it sounds, can be applied to literally anything that modifies a game’s code from the original to a whole new updated state, providing new experiences for PC gamers.
The history of PC gaming mods is older than you think. The first recorded mod, to my knowledge, was for an old 1981 game called Castle Wolfenstein, where modifications were made to its visuals by turning all of the Nazi enemies into Smurf characters.
Now, almost every PC game gets modded by skilled artists and/or programmers who contribute to gaming communities by adding art to the game, along with additional content such as new skins for characters or altering game mechanics, animations, improved graphics, and user interfaces to deliver a more immersive experience.
One good benefit of mods is that, if you have expertise in modding, you can make a change to your favorite game’s content by contributing your idea and making it more interesting to play. This is a good way for artists to inspire official game developers with more ideas that they can add to make PC games more interesting.
DLC Packs VS Mods
Basically, DLC is provided by the official game developer or publisher. On the other hand, mods are created by the community and are not official add-on content for the game.
And before I share my opinion on why mods are better than DLCs, let’s get a quick overview of a DLC pack.
What Is DLC?
DLC (Downloadable Content) is additional content developed and released by the official developing team of a game to add more features to the original game after its initial release.
The DLC pack keeps the game on shelves by making it more interesting for players. It usually contains extra in-game items, events, costumes, characters, extra skins, etc. DLCs are mostly not free and are a bit expensive for a small add-on, but some packs are made available for free in bundles.
Why PC Mods Are Better?
- The first and main advantage is that mods are free.
- Developed by the gaming community for the gaming community.
- Everyone gets a chance to share their creativity to make the game awesome.
- Makes the game more fun to play.
- Can enhance the graphics with realistic looks.
- Infinite possibilities in PC games.
Only sad thing about mods is that they are not available for console gaming communities.
Where To Find Mods For Games
With increasing demand for mods in video games, creators from all over the world started contributing by modding popular games. Fans of popular games made different communities to share and discuss mods.
There are some independent development communities that help you make major changes to your favorite games, like Fallout 4, Resident Evil, Grand Theft Auto V, Skyrim, Call Of Duty, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and many more. Here are 3 top-rated modding communities that offer mods for the most popular video games.
Steam Workshop Community For Mods
If you’re getting started with mods, Steam has one of the best communities for video game mods that you should join. You can browse and follow your favorite games and modders to make new content automatically appear in your profile and game library. Steam is known as the home of video games, and Steam Workshop is one of the largest active communities of gaming mods for free download.
Modders and creators also earn money by selling in-game items they make for popular games like Counter-Strike, Dota 2, etc. And for free mods, donations are made to modders for helping gaming communities who make great mods.
Nexus Mods
Nexus Mods is one of the top websites to get PC Games Mods for almost every PC game for free. NexusMods has a huge database of thousands of mods for many popular games like Skyrim, GTA V (Grand Theft Auto 5), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Assassin’s Creed Series, Fallout Series, Devil May Cry Series, and many other well-known PC games.
They allow free customization for users but also have a premium subscription for a month, 6 months, or a year. With a premium subscription, it removes all advertisements and uncaps file downloads. You can join their Nexus Forums by making a free account to get in on discussions for guidance, tutorials, news, and issues regarding mods. Creators and contributors also get rewards for making and uploading mods to NexusMods.
Some of the games I have played with their mods activated include Devil May Cry 5, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 3 Remake, and GTA V. You can watch the videos below of the mods I have tested.
How To Apply Mods For Games
Now that you know about mods and their communities for finding mods for your PC game, you should know all the basic steps to apply a mod in-game without any issues or loss of your in-game progress. It’s always good practice to make a backup of your files before editing them. Don’t apply two mods of the same kind at the same time to avoid crashing.
Most popular games have their own modding software to apply mods easily. Open IV is a modding tool used for modding GTA V, and it now supports Red Dead Redemption 2. Another widely used modding tool is the Fluffy Mod Manager 5000, which is used for modding most of the latest high-graphics games like Resident Evil and Devil May Cry, etc. You can download it for free from NexusMods.
Vortex is an open-source mod manager with powerful features that can be downloaded from the Vortex Mod Manager official page. It provides a graphical user interface and is quite user-friendly for beginners.
Best Games With Largest Modding Community
Grand Theft Auto 5 With Mods
Experience the best mods for Grand Theft Auto V and read the complete guide on where to find them and how to apply them with our step-by-step tutorial for beginners in the modding community. Learn about GTA 5 Modding, GTA 5 Mod Menu, GTA 5 Car Mods, and GTA 5 Graphics Mods.
Read Here: How to install GTA V Mods
Note: Do not apply mods when playing online or your account will get banned.
Skyrim Mods
Minecraft Mods
Modded Games Top 10 List
- Witcher 3 Wild Hunt
- Devil May Cry 5
- Resident Evil 2 Remake
- Resident Evil 3 Remake
- Cyber Punk 2077
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Spider-Man Miles Morales
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
- Hogwarts Legacy
Conclusion
That’s it for now — I guess if someone wants to use mods on any PC game, they now know where to start. Join communities for the games you like and have fun playing your favorite games with new experiences. I will update this guide soon with step-by-step procedures for the games I mentioned above, including the best tested mods for you to enjoy. Thank you for reading.
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