The Best FPS Games With Extensive Modding Support

Key Takeaways

• FPS games like
  Cyberpunk 2077
  offer extensive modding capabilities to enhance player experiences.
• Standout titles like
  Arma 3
  and
  Half-Life
  have thriving modding communities, providing diverse gameplay options.
• Games like
  Fallout 4
  and
  Doom
  also benefit from mods that introduce new areas, quests, and features for players.

FPS games, or First-Person Shooters, are some of the most popular games in the world. The FPS genre has stood the test of time and is a staple of the gaming industry, and it has evolved to the point where FPS games are a medium for other genres to exist on top of. For example, many games take an FPS core but may style themselves around RPGs, puzzle games, and everything in between.

It is no surprise, then, that FPS games are one of the most popular types of games to build a modding base upon. Plenty of FPS titles have a dedicated community that continues to iterate upon the base titles, including new features, graphical improvements, overhauls, and sometimes entirely new games. Any PC gamers who love FPS titles should be aware of the games that they can get a whole new experience out of through the use of third-party mods.

7 Cyberpunk 2077

Plenty Of Enhancements And Restorations

Cyberpunk 2077 is the latest full release from CD Projekt Red, developers of The Witcher series. Despite mixed reception upon its initial release, Cyberpunk 2077 managed to restore its image through updates and a very well-received DLC. The game uses a almost entirely FPS format in order to offer a hybrid between an Open-World RPG and a shooter, set in an incredibly compelling cyberpunk city.

Since its release, Cyberpunk 2077 has experienced a lot of love from the dedicated modding community, releasing all sorts of mods to enhance and improve the experience of the base game. One example of the more simple enhancement mods is Better Vehicle Handling by RB, fixing the inconsistent and frustrating vehicle handling. Some mods are more elaborate, such as Metro System by keanuWheeze, which restores the originally planned metro system to Night City.

6 Arma 3

Military Simulation At Its Best

Arma 3 is a very deep and intricate military simulation title, demonstrating unprecedented levels of immersion and using the FPS format entirely to its advantage, although it can also be played in third-person for players who prefer that viewpoint. Arma 3 is almost a blank slate, aside from some single-player levels, meaning it is designed as a base for player input and creation, including mod integration.

Arma 3 is most known for its total conversion mods, offering military simulation in various fictional and historical settings. Highlights of these total conversions include Operation TREBUCHET by Article 2 Studios, which offers players an entirely fleshed-out experience set in the Halo universe. The most famous total conversion to come out of Arma 3 would be PLAYERUNKNOWN’s Battle Royale by PLAYERUNKNOWN, which would become the highly successful standalone battle royale game, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

5 Garry’s Mod

A Template For Many Experiences

Garry’s Mod is the incredibly famous and beloved sandbox title, developed by Rust developers Facepunch Studios. It is a complete canvas for player creativity, offering the ability to spawn and utilize various assets from titles such as Half-Life. Players can then use these assets to do as they please, whether it be building structures or setting a pack of headcrabs loose on Half-Life characters.

The nature of Garry’s Mod lends itself to player creativity, and as such, a vast array of workshop mods have been created over its long tenure. These mods have then often been compiled to be utilized in, or used to create, some incredibly famous game modes and experiences. These experiences include the social deduction game mode, Trouble In Terrorist Town, or the hide-and-seek experience Prop Hunt.

4 Half-Life

Where Entire Games Began

Half-Life is one of the most classic and genre-defining FPS titles of all tiem, merging a semi-horror experience with an action-adventure sci-fi shooter into one of the most beloved PC titles. Half-Life utilized Valve’s now famous Source engine, and was a massive technological step forward for the games industry.

The utilization of the Source engine, along with the innovations within the engine itself, is what makes Half-Life one of the most modifiable FPS games. There is no greater example of a mod for Half-Life than the creation of Counter-Strike by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe. This mod would go on to be acquired by Valve and turned into one of the most beloved and famous competitive FPS games, a modern iteration of which is still one of the most played games on Steam each year.

3 Fallout 4

New Quests, Areas And More

Bethesda titles are no stranger to being heavily modded by dedicated fans, a treatment Fallout 4 was sure to receive. Fallout 4 is the latest single-player Fallout title which has a much heavier reliance on its shooter elements, operating as an action FPS first and an RPG second.

Many mods have been released throughout the tenure of Fallout 4, offering a variety of features and experiences. One notable example is Sim Settlements by kinggath, offering an entire quest chain alongside brand new NPCs and more base-building content. Some mods add entirely new areas to the game, like Fallout 4 – Point Lookout by The Capital Wasteland Team, a mod that features the Point Lookout area from the Fallout 3 DLC of the same name.

2 Doom

A Classic And Highly Customizable FPS

The original Doom, released in 1993, is a beloved and critically-acclaimed title, forever cemented in gaming history. Many would argue that Doom was the most important FPS title in gaming, allowing for the genre to thrive and grow to the behemoth it is in the modern age.

Numerous people still play Doom, using updated engines such as GZDoom to experience the plethora of community mods, levels, and overhauls. These mods range from entire gameplay reworks like BrutalDoom by Sergeant Mark IV, to complete overhauls that change the game entirely, such as Sonic Robo Blast 2 by Sonic Team Junior.

1 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call Of Pripyat

Entire Overhauls

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are a post-apocalyptic survival horror FPS series that offers hardcore simulation and survival elements. Pitting players against a war-torn landscape filled with mutated and monstrous horrors, alongside mysterious anomalies and warring human factions. As expected, such a setting is perfect for modding communities to build upon, utilizing the FPS nature of the games to allow for unprecedented levels of immersion.

Easily the most famous modding project in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise is entitled S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly by Anomaly Developers. This ambitious modding project uses Call of Pripyat as a base to create a new and immersive experience on a custom engine that allows for more stability and content inclusion. If such a project wasn’t ambitious enough in and of itself, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly has its own modding community, releasing projects that iterate upon it. The most famous example of which is G.A.M.M.A. by Grok. This project is a mod pack that makes for a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. experience like never before, making the game even harder and improving graphical fidelity to create an incredibly immersive and hardcore experience.