Top 10 Graphics Mods That Make Games Way Better
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#10: “RE IMMERSION – RESHADE 2.0” by JimmyAndresRg “Resident Evil 2” (2019)
The “Resident Evil 2” remake was a graphical triumph in a lot of ways; its shadows and lighting, gore effects, and realistic damage modelling were all held in high regard. But that hasn’t stopped talented modders from pushing the limits of the RE Engine further than even Capcom dared. This reshader doesn’t do anything too complex, but the tweaks it makes are enough to make the graphics much more realistic. By enhancing the game’s blue tones everything looks a lot less yellow, and many of the other colors are made much brighter. Everything is sharper and it even adds true HDR.
#9: “NaturalVision Remastered” by Razed “Grand Theft Auto V” (2013)
User mods are the main reason why people usually to wait until Rockstar games release their games on PC to play them, even if it means waiting a long time. When you see mods like this one, it makes the wait worth it. “NaturalVision Remastered” was finally finished in late 2018, and treats players to Los Santos like they’ve never seen it before. Razed has gone the distance and improved many aspects of the game, such as the weather effects, the colors, and most of the game’s important textures. Now you can cruise through the streets of Vinewood and be blown away by the puddles on the roads and reflections on the cars.
#8: “Super Turbo Lighting Mod” by Essenthy “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” (2015)
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Controversy around a suspected graphical downgrade plagued “The Witcher 3” upon its release, with many fans quick to point out that not even the PC version could hold its own against early trailers released pre-2014. This lighting mod aims to restore “Witcher 3” to its pre-downgrade glory, fixing fog and atmospheric effects in cutscenes and in the Skellige Isles as well as overhauling the lighting. The result is a much brighter and more beautiful version of the Continent that only tweaks existing settings, not adding or removing any large files that might make the game too hard to run.
#7: “Ortho’s 4K Clone Legions” by Orthohex & Slypear “Star Wars Battlefront II” (2017)
The “Battlefront” series has always promised gamers that they’ll experience what it’s like to be in a “Star Wars” movie, and while the franchise has come under fire for its excessive microtransactions among other issues, it’s hard to fault the graphics. This mod however goes one step further and improves details such as weathering, PBR materials and the soldiers themselves. The clone army now has a whole new level of detail, making them look like they were ripped straight from the film itself. One can only hope future installments of the series will be able to match this mod.
#6: “Morrowind Overhaul - Sounds & Graphics” by Ornitocopter Team “The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind” (2002)
If you want to go back and check out the acclaimed “Morrowind”, either for the first time or because you’re feeling nostalgic, you might find yourself put off by the clunky polygons of early Noughties visuals. If this is the case, or even if you just want to add something extra to your experience of this classic, you can install the third and final version of this sound and graphics overhaul. Its aim is to preserve the integral feeling of playing an “Elder Scrolls” game while improving the aesthetics. Designed to be easy to install for first-time mod users, you can’t go wrong with this one.
#5: “Blastcore” by Opticalsnare “ARMA 3” (2013)
This mod is relatively simple, and is intended to improve smoke and explosion effects to make a game that already prioritizes realism even more realistic. You don’t need any other mods enabled to run Blastcore – though some players like to mix it with other mods that improve lighting and sound effects – and it’s celebrated in the “ARMA” community as one of the best mods available for the title. Guns have realistic sparks attached now and smoke grenades billow and disperse naturally. For an intense, tactical game like this, the devil is in these details.
#4: “PhotoRealistic Commonwealth” by L00 “Fallout 4” (2015)
After so many “Fallout” games, it’s easy to want to put some life and energy back into the wasteland. This mod might not add new NPCs or vegetation to make roaming the Commonwealth a less lonely experience, but it does make everything brighter, bolder, and all-round nicer to look at than the usual greys and browns of post-apocalyptia. It uses a host of custom shaders to make “Fallout 4” operate on a whole new visual level, and uses photo-grading techniques from films and photography to make the Commonwealth stunning. It’s a truly cinematic reimagining of nuclear devastation.
#3: “Cinematic Mod” by FakeFactory “Half-Life 2” (2004)
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This beloved game has no shortage of graphics mods or long-running projects to remake, remaster, and overhaul it, and none are more polarizing than FakeFactory’s Cinematic Mod. It’s hard not to be blown away by the sheer detail in the new textures, making everything more immersive and realistic, including environments, weapons, and character models. But it has just as many problems, including unnecessarily reworked gameplay and no shortage of out-of-place, pornographic images slapped on the walls of City 17. Love it or hate it though, it certainly mixes up the “Half-Life 2” experience, so if you want something pretty and unique you may still be interested.
#2: “PhotoRealistic Tamriel” by L00 “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)
It’s one of the most modded games out there, and no shortage of “Skyrim’s” user-generated improvements are aimed at revamping the graphics. Even Bethesda themselves keep turning up the details in their seemingly endless re-releases. This mod however, comes from the same creator as “PhotoRealistic Commonwealth,” so it also replicates cinematic color-grading and graphical effects on-par with Hollywood blockbusters. With these high-end coloring and lighting techniques at work, you’ll be seeing Skyrim as you’ve never seen it before. You can also combine it with the thousands of other mods available, making “Skyrim” so visually customizable it’s difficult to quantify.
#1: “SEUS” by Sonic Ether “Minecraft” (2011)
While “Minecraft’s” appeal doesn’t really lie with its graphics, there’s no reason not to try and streamline them. Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders mod has been years in the making and is still getting updates today; recently realistic ray tracing was integrated, which improves lighting effects by mimicking how sunlight works in real-life. At its peak, a computer which runs “Minecraft” normally may struggle to run “SEUS” and its partner mods at the same time, but if you can get it up and running it’ll give you better clouds, realistic water, improved rain effects, and even vegetation that sways in the breeze.
