15 Best Mods For Crusader Kings 3, Ranked

Grand strategy games might not be up everyone’s alley, but Crusader Kings 3 is such a great and intuitive introduction to this form of gameplay that players can actually contemplate the idea of getting into a series that has felt ridiculously convoluted for the longest time. The combination of better gamer design, informative tooltips, and helpful notifications has turned Crusader Kings 3 into one of the greatest strategy games ever made.

Players who get into this title will find themselves enjoying hours upon hours of amazing gameplay… although they might reach a saturation point after a while. However, there’s no need to worry — the modding community for Crusader Kings 3 is extremely active and allows players to reinvigorate the gameplay of this title with a host of stellar changes. Some of the best mods in this regard are listed below.

Updated November 15, 2024 by Emily McElroy: Half the fun of Crusader Kings 3 is playing around with mods. The main game is such solid ground for almost any mods that tons of them have been made since it was released. Here are some of the best mods available for Crusader Kings 3.

13

After The End

What Comes Next?

After the End is a total conversion mod that is set in a post-apocalyptic future. North America, and all the countries and states and provinces within, has fallen to some unknown event. The end has come, and what remains is ripe for the taking.

After the End is filled with a huge number of cultures and religions. Options for any playstyle are easily found. Residents of North America might take special pleasure in this mod as they recognize familar places and locations, albeit warped by time. After the End is a marvel of a mod that introduces the future to a game about the past.

12

Game Of Thrones

You Win Or You Die

If a world existed that was better suited for Crusader Kings 3 than Westeros, we don’t know what it could be. George R.R. Martin’s world of politics and murder has been converted to Crusader Kings 3 in the Game of Thrones mod.

Game of Thrones features a fully recreated Westeros that’s been crammed full of familiar characters. Bookmarks exist that range from the heyday of the Targaryens to the beginning of the books’ story. Whether you start as a canon character, or make your own cadet dynasty, there’s something for everyone. For players who have always thought they could do better than some of the characters at the Game of Thrones, here’s the chance you’ve longed for. Just don’t go to any weddings…

11

Better Barbershop

A Little Off The Top?

Crusader Kings 3 has gotten a lot of things right, but the amount of customization in terms of clothes is still lacking. Never fear, however as the Better Barbershop mod is designed to fill in the gaps. With this mod, your characters will never be unfashionable again.

The Better Barbershop mod offers a level of customization well beyond what the vanilla game has. Everything piece of clothing can be altered or manipulated, allowing rules to show off their wealth with rich, bright colors the peasants couldn’t dream of. Other NPCs such as spouses and councelors can be edited too, allowing for entire houses to show their royal colors.

10

A Spouse Designer

Make Your Perfect Match

When you create a character from scratch in Crusader Kings 3, there is an option to start married. Since marriage is one of the key mechanics in the game, this is an important option. Spouses can make or break a playthrough, but the spouse for custom rulers will be randomly generated.

A Spouse Designer mod allows players to create the perfect partner for their custom characters. Whether you want a spouse who is good at schemes, or somebody who can be diplomatic, this mod allows you to take the guess work out of matchmaking.

9

Sinews Of War

An Empire Alive

Sinews Of War is an underrated addition to the workshop, but it is really an amazing mod. The attention to detail in its fresh population system and empire management completely transforms the base game of Crusader Kings 3. Your sprawling empire will feel and behave more like a living, breathing entity.

Citizens can die. Fertility rates are judged on the nearby environment, like access to water, and the general climate. Brand new city and empire management let you pass edicts that can both help and hinder your population. Sinews Of War is a complex mod currently still in its open beta period, although it is compatible with some of the other popular mods on this list.

8

Shogunate

Hail To The Shogun

Shogunate is a conversion mod that takes place in 16th Century Feudal Japan. You can play as any of the historical Japanese lords, as well as any other landed character. It is filled with rich history, all lovingly created for the game by the amazing mod team.

While the mod is still in development, the map, characters, and a ton of flavor details have already been incorporated. Shogunate is still a work in progress, but it is a great mod if you’re looking for something different in CK3.

7

Historical Figure Mod

Who Was That, Again?

This Historical Figure mod is surprisingly huge and very intuitive. It basically introduces over 40,000 historical figures into your campaign of Crusader Kings 3. That includes people like William I and Richard the Lionheart.

It then draws information about these characters from Wikipedia and creates little bios for them. This adds another level of historical accuracy to the game, although these characters can still randomly die, be captured in sieges, and otherwise disappear into the fog. Catch ’em while you can.

6

Less Old Wives

Swipe Left On That Crone

Crusader Kings 3 is all about establishing legacies and strengthening dynasties. So, it’s rather odd to see the AI working against this notion at times. This can lead to dynasties dying out, even when they flourished throughout history.

Several times, the AI will marry off their teenage sons to older wives, which makes no sense from the angle of furthering lineages. This mod corrects the issue so that AI-controlled dynasties don’t end up pulling such hare-brained maneuvers.

5

Better UI Scaling

Get That Stuff Outta Here

The UI of Crusader Kings 3 is definitely one of the most massive and welcome improvements over the previous game in the series. However, one has to admit that there are times when this UI ends up feeling somewhat lacking or takes up too much space.

The Better UI Scaling mod aims to rectify this issue. Now, players can see more of the map and have a clearer view of things while flipping through the various menus of the game.

Add Some Flavor

Community Flavor Pack By El Tyranos

Crusader Kings 3 offers up a large variety of options when it comes to customizing characters. However, most people can attest to the fact that no amount of customization options is truly enough for PC gamers.

So, to satiate the appetite of these players, the official Community Flavor Pack is a perfect solution. Not only does it touch up and combine some of the accessories from the base game, but it also adds a whole bunch of hairstyles, beards, armors, crowns, and everything else along the same lines.

3

LotR: Realms In Exile

Take Your Game To Isengard

Conversion mods have proven to be some of the most popular mods for Paradox Interactive’s titles. So, it was only a given that a conversion mod based on Lord of the Rings was bound to be wildly popular as well.

LotR: Realms in Exile is an excellent mod that allows players to control titles and areas in Middle-earth. Filled with familiar lore and rich detail, any fan of this high fantasy series should definitely download this mod for Crusader Kings 3.

2

Princes Of Darkness

Lords And Ladies Of The Damned

Princes of Darkness By Flintsparc

Another conversion mod that has become intensely popular amongst fans is the Princes of Darkness mod. This mod adapts the World of Darkness and integrates them with the gameplay mechanics of Crusader Kings 3.

The end result is an excellent romp as players assume the role of an immortal vampire as they war against other princes to establish dominance. It’s a great combination that makes for a stellar mod.

1

VIET Events

Very Very Immersive

The simulation mechanics in Crusader Kings 3 are extremely compelling. In fact, players can get hooked on the game to such an extent that some of the events and happenings in the game end up repeating at times.

Players who want to avoid this circumstance can download the Very Immersive Events and Tales (VIET) mod. It adds various events about everyday life that makes characters feel more alive than ever before in Crusader Kings 3.