8 Video Game Mods Better Than The Actual Game (2025)

Video gaming plays host to a loyal, passionate fan base. Fans don't just play games: they discuss them, create fan art, crowdfund their creators, and overhaul them entirely. Many games have gotten community-created patches and fan translations after the original publisher abandoned them.

One of the most compelling types of fan creation is the total conversion mod. In essence, these are labors of love: fans have no chance of monetizing the hard work put into these creations unless they want a cease-and-desist letter at their doorstep. To celebrate the fans who made them, here are mods so great that they surpassed the original game.

8 Grim Borough

Chasm: The Rift

Chasm: The Rift is best described as discount Quake. It featured impressive visuals for the time and some memorable monsters, but the actual gameplay was miserable due to the cramped level design. This forgotten boomer shooter received a surprise remaster in 2022.

Even more surprisingly, it received a fan-made sequel on the same engine in 2021. Grim Borough finally ties up the loose ends left by the plot of the original Chasm, 24 years after the game came out. It also features a much more enjoyable and open map design, allowing you to go wild with the weapons Chasm provided but never let you enjoy.

7 Stone Of Balance

Dink Smallwood

Dink Smallwood is a 1997 isometric RPG developed by a three-person team. It was indie before the term was coined and was quickly released as freeware after the initial pressing sold out. This game had all the cards stacked against it: it wasn't going to be a has-been; it was set to be a never-was.

But Robinson Technologies had an ace up its sleeve: with the game's level editor included in the freeware version, it allowed its small but dedicated fan base to develop hundreds of new mods for the game. Many surpass the original game in quality, and the one the community holds in the highest regard is Stone of Balance.

6 Sigil

Doom

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4.5/5

Doom (1993)

First-Person Shooter

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating: 86/100 Critics Recommend: 92%

Franchise

DOOM

Platform(s)

PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Stadia, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox (Original), PS1, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Android, iOS

Released

December 10, 1993

Developer(s)

id Software

Publisher(s)

id Software

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

Doom engine

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

How Long To Beat

5 Hours

X|S Optimized

No

File Size Xbox Series

527 MB (November 2023)

PS Plus Availability

Premium

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

See at Official SiteSee at SteamSee at Xbox Games StoreSee at Playstation StoreSee at Nintendo eShopSee at WalmartSee at Best BuySee at AmazonSee at Xbox Game Pass StandardSee at PC Game PassSee at Xbox Game Pass UltimateSee at PlayStation Plus Premium

The creator does it right: John Romero's Sigil amps up the horror factor of Doom while creating an even more tense, challenging game than the original. There was a lot of hype around Sigil, owing to John Romero's involvement, and as such, the mod was subject to meticulous scrutiny.

It lived up to expectations. Sigil is more heavy metal than Doom itself was and features clever design choices that show Romero hasn't lost his touch. It also has two superb soundtracks: one by prolific guitar maestro Buckethead and the other by James Paddock.

5 Defense Of The Ancients

Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos

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DotA

MOBA

Systems

Platform(s)

PC

Released

2003

Developer(s)

Valve

Publisher(s)

Valve

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

Source 2

ESRB

m

See at Official Site

Warcraft 3 was a popular game in its own right; Defense of the Ancients outpaced it by a country mile. This mod took away the real-time strategy elements of Warcraft and replaced them with team-based multiplayer battles that spawned an entire genre. If not for DOTA, we might not have MOBAs.

The cultural phenomenon surrounding DOTA was crucial to the creation of esports and solidified the multiplayer team roles we're familiar with today. Few games can claim to have made as much of an impact on multiplayer gaming as this mod.

4 Counter-Strike

Half-Life

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Counter-Strike

First-Person Shooter

Tactical

Systems

Franchise

Counter-Strike

Platform(s)

PC, Xbox (Original)

Released

November 9, 2000

Developer(s)

Valve

Publisher(s)

Sierra Studios, Microsoft Game Studios

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

GoldSrc

ESRB

Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence

How Long To Beat

128 hours

PC Release Date

November 9, 2000

Number of Players

1

Steam Deck Compatibility

Playable

See at Steam

Within a year after its release in the Half-Life modding community, Valve had hired the developers of Counter-Strike and acquired the property. Gabe and co. saw something in Counter-Strike that the world quickly cottoned onto: deathmatch was dead. Long live team-based multiplayer.

The premise of Counter-Strike is exceedingly simple, with two teams competing against each other in a few FPS game modes. However, it quickly grew more popular than Half-Life's basic deathmatch multiplayer and created an entire culture around itself. Many LAN cafés would have gone out of business if not for Counter-Strike: its simple yet engaging gameplay loop made it a worldwide hit.

3 Tomb Raider: Biohazard

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

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Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

Action-Adventure

Systems

Franchise

Tomb Raider

Platform(s)

Sega Dreamcast, PC, PlayStation (Original)

Released

October 31, 1999

Developer(s)

Core Design

Publisher(s)

Eidos Interactive

ESRB

T For Teen // Animated Blood, Animated Violence

How Long To Beat

17 Hours

See at Steam

Far away from the limelight, the classic Tomb Raider games have maintained a dedicated modding community for decades. Fans have crafted thousands of adventures for Lara Croft using the Tomb Raider Level Editor. One of the most highly acclaimed mods is Tomb Raider: Biohazard.

Don't let the name mislead you: this isn't just Resident Evil recreated in the Tomb Raider engine, but an entirely new game. It is on par with a retail game of the era with its clever level designs and high production values. Just come prepared for a challenge: this mod is extremely difficult, as it was designed for Tomb Raider veterans.

2 Enderal

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

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10/10

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

RPG

Action

Adventure

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating: 81/100 Critics Recommend: 83%

Franchise

The Elder Scrolls

Platform(s)

PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S

Released

November 11, 2011

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

Publisher(s)

Bethesda Softworks

Engine

Creation Engine

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol

Expansions

Skyrim: Dragonborn, Skyrim: Hearthfire, Skyrim: Dawnguard

How Long To Beat

35 Hours

X|S Optimized

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

29 GB (DECEMBER 2023)

Metascore

96

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium (Special Edition)

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Cross Save

no

Cross-Platform Play

no

See at AmazonSee at Playstation StoreSee at Epic Games StoreSee at SteamSee at Xbox Games StoreSee at Best BuySee at Humble BundleSee at Nintendo eShopSee at Bethesda OfficialSee at Xbox Game Pass StandardSee at PC Game PassSee at Xbox Game Pass UltimateSee at PlayStation Plus ExtraSee at PlayStation Plus Premium

At this point, there are probably more modded copies of Skyrim installed than vanilla ones. The game offers endless possibilities for tinkering, but most mods are simply alterations of the base game. Not so for Enderal, which is, in essence, an entirely new game within itself.

Enderal features high-quality voice acting and a story to match any WRPG being sold on Steam. Originally restricted to a German-language release, it was soon translated into English and became a fan favorite. If only Bethesda would take the right lessons from their fans' talent for modding.

1 Stalker: Anomaly

Stalker: Call Of Pripyat

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat

Survival Horror

Systems

Franchise

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Platform(s)

PC

Released

February 2, 2010

Developer(s)

GSC Game World

Publisher(s)

GSC Game World, Deep Silver, bitComposer Games

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

x-ray engine, proprietary engine

ESRB

M // Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence

How Long To Beat

15 Hours

Metascore

80

See at Steam

Stalker is one of the most intense first-person survival experiences on the market but features an unfortunate amount of jank in each and every release. The stories of Stalker also play second fiddle to their setting: most fans are there for the gameplay and for the oppressive environment of the Zone itself.

Stalker: Anomaly is a standalone mod created by fans, for fans, that allows you to have exactly that. While it has a short story mode, the focus is mainly on its variety of maps, modes, and settings. You can have the ultimate Stalker experience here, opting to survive in a sandbox or have a combat-heavy FPS experience.