Best Skyrim Graphics Mods

Modding Skyrim is one of the great joys in life, provided you can handle the learning curve and the occasional crash or two… or three. Some mod categories enhance subtle aspects of this timeless game, like adding a few lore-friendly lances into the mix. Others, such as rainbow-colored dragons and happy-go-lucky new companions, are harder to miss.

But no player-built alterations are more immediately noticeable than graphics mods. Skyrim’s original creaky old visuals, while charming in their own way, are undeniably outdated. If you’re looking to beautify Tamriel’s harshest realm, read on. There are so many wonderful projects out there, but these are some of the best.

16

Noble Skyrim Mod HD-2K

There are many great mods out there that replace default textures with better-looking ones to help Skyrim look as good as it can. The more time passes, the more expectations you may have for good graphics, after all. This mod by Shutt3r retextures all the big things you’ll see during your playthrough — and even many of the small — to make it look like you’re really in Tamriel.

But one thing this mod has over other, similar ones is that it actually has two versions: one for enhancing graphics to their maximum, and one that takes performance into consideration while still upgrading your graphics for you. So, you can get some beautiful-looking objects in your game, whether or not your PC is super optimized.

15

Rally’s All The Things

Modder Rallyeator has created a lot of texture replacement mods for Skyrim, ranging from the tiniest ants to lava and tombs. They care about making the finer details in the game look good, and they excel at it. But going through every mod they’ve made would take a while, making it a bit of a hassle.

Luckily, they were nice enough to make Rally’s All The Things, where you can find many of their Skyrim texture mods in one place and download them accordingly. It has 37 mods for you to use, and all of them are guaranteed to make your game look better. It’s especially satisfying if you have a keen eye for detail.

14

SMIM (Static Mesh Improvement Mod)

SMIM by Brumbek is widely regarded as one of the most exhaustive graphics mods for Skyrim. Not only does it overhaul a huge chunk of Skyrim’s textures and models with an array of fixes, but it also provides several options for discerning players to reskin everything from chains to fences and tables.

SMIM is such an integral graphics mod that many other mods have compatibility patches to work alongside it without any conflicts. It’s recommended to install SMIM as one of your first graphics overhauls before installing secondary mods.

13

Skyrim 202X

Skyrim 202X by Pfuscher is one of the biggest texture packs that you can find on Nexus at the moment. It updates over 2,000 of the game’s textures and attempts to bring the 2011 game up to modern standards in a big way.

It’s quite a huge undertaking, and you’ll need to set aside a good few hours to download the entire mod — it comprises over 15 gigabytes of gorgeous textures. It’ll be worth it, though, when you’re walking through the most impressive version of Skyrim that you can acquire.

12

Blended Roads

Something you may have encountered on your travails through the lands of Skyrim is odd road and bridge textures. Sometimes there may be some pop-in, or even odd clipping where the textures haven’t been placed properly.

Blended Roads by T4GTR43UM3R seeks to solve this problem by mapping roads to the world’s mesh, rather than leaving them as textures. This mod also has optional bridge texture replacers that will serve to make even those look more natural and prettier. It’s simple yet effective, and the modder has even permitted making your own textures from it, so go wild if you’re into that stuff.

11

Vivid Landscapes – All In One

Vivid Landscapes AIO by Hein84 is a huge overhaul of Skyrim’s environmental textures and models, both indoor and outdoor. It enhances mountains, cliffs, dungeons, ruins, and more with top-shelf textures and parallax meshes.

The mod takes the guesswork out of having to hunt down a bag full of environmental mods to make your own slice of Skyrim look pretty, opting instead for an out-of-box redressing that requires no extra effort. As with SMIM, Vivid Landscapes is recommended as one of your base graphics mods before you install secondary mods on top.

10

Skyrim Flora Overhaul

The right graphics mods can breathe a level of realism into Skyrim that just pulls you right in. For the best possible pull, you’re going to need some good-looking flora. SFO by vurt has long been one of the most popular environmental mods for the game. It overhauls trees, flowers, and tundra to create an immersive landscape that you’ll want to get lost in.

It’s one of the graphics mods with a smaller file size, and you’ll notice the changes right away. Toss a nice Reshade or ENB preset on top, and cinematic majesty is at your fingertips.

9

Tamriel Reloaded HD

Tamriel Reloaded HD by 32cm is another Skyrim community masterpiece, a base-level mod that can enhance a wide swath of the game. It’s an updated version of a similar mod, so make sure you install this new, better version even if you already have the old one.

It remodels most of the outside world including cliffs, the landscape, city textures, and roads with beautiful visuals of up to 4K quality. Updates have added greater variety between households and dungeons, which can be a sight for sore eyes once you’ve been playing the game for, oh, 500 hours or so.

8

Realistic Water Two

Skyrim’s water leaves a lot to be desired, which is why Realistic Water Two by isoku is viewed as so vital to the mod-gathering experience. It improves the water textures in lakes, ponds, and interior cells, but it also goes a step further by tweaking waterfalls, river movement, sound effects, and bobbing icebergs and rowboats.

It’s one of those mods you wouldn’t notice until you removed it from your load order, which is exactly why it’s so important to have Realistic Water Two there from the start.

7

Forgotten Retex Project

This mod by JDAnchor serves to overhaul some lesser objects in the game and bring them up to snuff when paired with other mods on this list. Baskets, tools, books, torches, food and many more items are given beauty treatments that go far beyond vanilla textures and models.

This really helps you engross yourself in the game, as if you were there yourself. If the prospect of hunting down mods for every little thing in the game doesn’t appeal to you, then FRP isn’t just a solid solution — it’s the best solution.

6

Ruins Clutter Improved

Ruins Clutter Improved by raiserfx is a must for any and all dungeon spelunkers! It drastically changes a truckload of textures and models. From the smaller things like candles, levers, and pots to more obvious objects like walls, doors, and chairs, this mod makes everything look that much better.

It even has some texture upgrades for the expansion packs, in case you have those. When compared side by side to the vanilla game, the differences are shocking. This mod goes a long way toward improving one of the most prolific parts of Skyrim.

5

Enhanced Lights And FX

This popular mod by anamorfus focuses specifically on crafting atmospheric lighting through the use of volumetric lights, smoke, and contrast. Certain effects are subtle, while others are standouts, but both work together to enhance the level of immersion as you play. It also balances out overexposed areas and enhances the richness of lighting and color for a more realistic look.

However, be cautious, as it can be a bit fussy when paired with certain other mods. Be sure to read the instructions on the mod page to avoid conflicts.

4

Any Kajuan Mod

This may be considered cheating since it’s not technically just one mod, but it’s worth breaking the rule. Mod author Kajuan has offered up a bevy of amazing character mods that rearrange everything from Sabrecats and Mammoths to Falmer and Hagravens. After all, encountering low quality fauna and creatures while playing wouldn’t be as satisfying.

Check out Kajuan’s user page over at Nexus Mods, browse to your heart’s content, and download as many as you dare. Some of these reworks have forged the sort of horror fuel Skyrim was always aiming to accomplish.

3

JK’s Skyrim

JK’s Skyrim by Jkrojmal and Teabag86 is a compendium of several large mods that extraordinarily overhaul Skyrim’s towns and cities, making them more atmospheric and realistic. New objects like gates, carts, barrels, and storehouses have been placed at key points through each town and city to flesh out the character of each, boosting immersion.

Skyrim’s major settlements are some of the most basic elements of the game, and this mod acts as an add-on layer to breathe new life into the very places that are supposed to be full of it.

2

Darker Nights

Some players will always be thankful that Bethesda’s open-world RPGs feature somewhat brighter evenings than fantasy realms and post-apocalyptic wastelands should realistically possess. Nighttime can get pretty scary in these games, and Skyrim is no exception. Being able to see a clear path ahead of you at all times can be handy.

If you’re not one of those players, Darker Nights by unforbidable is a mandatory graphics mod that will work wonders for that lovely sense of nocturnal immersion the vanilla visuals can’t quite muster. But what if the pitch-black icy plains are a bit much for you? Have no fear — Darker Nights features seven brightness settings, ranging from subtle to very obvious. Tweak to your heart’s content.

1

Dynamic Volumetric Lighting And Shadows

To the totally uninitiated, “Dynamic Volumetric Lighting and Shadows” almost sounds like something a shady used car salesman might pitch in a bid to make you overspend. But rest assured, it’s good to have a more dynamic range in your lighting, and prettier shadows are like lush eye candy you can’t get outdoors unless you’re camping in a full-fledged nature park.

Without modifications like this one by LonelyKitsune, shadows and volumetric lighting only occur between the in-game hours of 10am and 4pm. This stuff can lend a majesty to the home of the Nords that can’t be gotten elsewhere, so it’s unfortunate that it’s treated as a part-time job on a fresh file.