The Best DLC Of All Time

When a modern game is immediately beloved upon release, one thing constantly gets asked: when is the DLC dropping? In some cases, the DLC won’t exactly live up to the hype or is so much worse than the base game itself.

On the other hand, there are DLCs out there that make the game they’re expanding upon that much more epic. These expansions will take the story of the game and elevate it further. They might new content, characters, weapons, locations, enemies, game mechanics, or more.

Updated March 20, 2025, by Mohamed El Ouardighi: It’s long overdue for an update – so here it is! We’re not going to spoil which entry we’ve added, but trust us, it’s definitely one you won’t want to miss.

22

Final Transmission

The Callisto Protocol

One DLC that’s massively improved from the base game is the Final Transmission add-on for The Callisto Protocol. Many criticisms were addressed, such as the overuse of ventilation shafts to load new areas and melee combat.

Those vent shafts now have traps in them, keeping you on edge, and the game disincentives melee combat due to removing your melee weapon at one point.

Callisto is ten times more fun shooting your way through, so it’s good the game nudges you in that direction. The enemy count is also upped significantly, especially at one point near the end, which is just awesome to play.

21

Cold Stream

Left 4 Dead 2

When you think about it, there are not a lot of games that put together old content from a previous installment into the current one. There are a few like Hitman, but the first big one for many was Left 4 Dead 2.

While The Sacrifice DLC added No Mercy, which was a sweet bonus, the Cold Stream add-on included nearly every map from the original.

Plus, you also get the new campaign, the titular Cold Stream, which is solid in its own right. This DLC sort of made the original game obsolete, as the added features make Left 4 Dead 2 the best way to play these old campaigns.

20

Phantom Liberty

Cyberpunk 2077

The only expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 was Phantom Liberty, and it adds significantly to the title. While Phantom Liberty explicitly only includes one main area to the game world, that being Dogtown, it adds so much on top of that.

You get a whole new gripping storyline with multiple endings, plus a new ending for the main game itself.

The new quests, gigs, and abilities that primarily focus on stealth gameplay are all well done. Some of the quests here are the best in the entire game.

This DLC was simply important for Cyberpunk 2077 as a whole, resulting in many jumping back into the game after several years and seeing all the truckload of improvements that have been made.

19

Knife Of Dunwall And The Brigmore Witches

Dishonored

Dishonored is an incredible game where you can be a deadly assassin, or perhaps find less lethal ways of taking down your enemies. It had terrific, varied gameplay and a gripping storyline that concluded satisfyingly.

The Knife Of Dunwall has you playing as the very assassin that killed the Empress at the start of the main storyline: Daud. As Daud, you head off on a gripping redemption arc or a descent into darkness, depending on your choices. You’ll also gain exciting new powers and weaponry that Corvo could not access.

Daud’s story continues in The Brigmore Witches DLC as you encounter Delilah for the first time. She’s a powerful witch that will inevitably become the twisted antagonist of Dishonored 2.

18

Broken Steel

Fallout 3

Fallout 3 has become a classic post-apocalyptic RPG, but its ending was disappointing. Although the noble sacrifice was emotional, it did feel a little silly, especially if you had Fawkes with you, who could easily save the day without dying of radiation and keeping you from a pointless death.

After the main game’s plot is finished, you are left wishing you could carry on with your adventure. Broken Steel allows you to bypass that sacrificial moment of the main storyline’s ending and continue to aid the Brotherhood of Steel in their battle against the Enclave.

Alongside allowing you to carry on exploring the Wasteland post-game, you can now have a higher level cap of 30, new monsters to encounter, and exciting quests to complete, including getting to send the giant Liberty Prime out into combat once more.

17

War Of The Chosen

XCOM 2

XCOM 2’s War Of The Chosen DLC adds what feels like an entirely new game’s worth of content to enjoy. If you loved the turn-based, alien-blasting thrills of the main game, then this incredible DLC gives you a chance to really put your skill to the test.

War Of The Chosen introduces a new set of enemies to face, known as The Chosen. They have been tasked with recapturing the Commander and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. The enemies are even more unforgiving and deadly to face off against.

This DLC does not play as a follow-up storyline, as it will instead be woven into your next playthrough of the base game. The Chosen could show up at any moment and really mess with your plans, which adds a lot of tension to your playthrough.

16

Echoes Of The Eye

Outer Wilds

Just when you thought you uncovered every mystery that the Outer Wilds had to offer, along comes Echoes Of The Eye with even more hidden details for you to search for. Although it naturally slips into the base game, and you can complete it at any time, it is recommended to try it after solving the central mystery of the Outer Wilds.

Echoes Of The Eye is best going into without any prior knowledge, so there will be no spoilers here. It is a standalone experience that offers plenty of exploration and puzzle-solving, just like the base game. Still, it manages to incorporate entirely new gameplay mechanics and a spooky shift in tone and theme.

Despite feeling so different, it intertwines with the base game and offers you a fascinating, unique insight into the key themes of the Outer Wilds. It is a memorable experience that will blow you away as much as the main story. Who said lightning couldn’t strike twice?

15

2.0 Happy Home Paradise

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The base game of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is already chock-full of amazing customization items, a cast of quirky anthropomorphic villagers, and plenty of activities to keep you busy for hundreds of hours.

Not content to rest on its laurels, Nintendo released the 2.0 update, which added new content to the base game, most notably, the Happy Home Paradise DLC. This DLC was a game-changer for New Horizons in that it provided a brand-new game experience and, in essence, a whole new game entirely.

This DLC allows you to build the most creative and beautiful, if sometimes odd, houses for the cast of villagers you have come to know and love.

14

Freedom Cry

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is already an incredible and comprehensive open-world pirate game, even without the addition of the standalone DLC, Freedom Cry.

Fortunately, Freedom Cry delivers one of the series’ most refined and top-notch narrative pieces while still providing the fun ship combat, exploration, and assassinations of Black Flag.

Freedom Cry stars one of Black Flag’s best characters, Adéwalé, who, after an unfortunate turn of events against the Templars, finds himself shipwrecked in the Caribbean. It’s now up to Adéwalé to track down these Templars while helping to rescue those in the Brotherhood of Assassins.

Apart from the excellent story beats and gameplay scenarios, the beautiful Caribbean location of Saint Domingue makes this standalone DLC stand far above its counterparts.

13

The Fate Of Atlantis

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s The Fate of Atlantis DLC is arguably the best expansion pack in the entire series. This is the first time in the entire series that an Assassin’s Creed game allowed you to fully interact with the Isu species, which is one of the highlights of this DLC.

The Fate of Atlantis also made the world of this game so much bigger than it already was. It provided a different vibrance and atmosphere, tying up a couple of loose ends brought upon by the base game.

12

Minerva’s Den

Bioshock 2

Bioshock 2 was a follow-up game in a series already loved by many. While many may not consider the second game better than the first one, a lot of people won’t argue if you bring Minerva’s Den into the discussion. This DLC made the base game so much better.

It was highly emotional, and the atmosphere was perfectly set from beginning to end. This expansion took what the base game had and brought it up to a greater height, much to the delight of fans.

11

The Ballad Of Gay Tony

Grand Theft Auto 4

Some fans feel that the fourth GTA title is one of the best in the series, while others prefer one of the PS2 titles or GTA 5. But, without question, GTA 4 sure had one of the best DLCs.

The Ballad of Gay Tony has everything people loved about the series. It reminded them of what Grand Theft Auto is supposed to be: a lot of chaotic entertainment with a very alive and beating human story.

The Ballad of Gay Tony gave you more weapons to play around with and more fun missions to do. Especially the explosive finale, which feels straight out of the Fast & Furious movies and a great conclusion to the entire GTA 4 experience.

10

Left Behind

The Last Of Us

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is widely revered as one of the best video games of all time. What really drove this sentiment home was the game’s incredible story and perfectly fleshed-out characters.

When a DLC was announced that explored the backstory of one of the two main protagonists, the fans yelled in celebration.

Left Behind explores the backstory of Ellie and her relationship with a former companion who she, unfortunately, had to leave behind. On top of that, it also showed Ellie’s dedication towards saving Joel. It’s gut-punching and beautiful, which is exactly like the base game.

9

Brave New World

Civilization 5

Civilization 5 is a game that’s widely regarded as what turn-based strategy games should be. The game is incredibly immersive and entertaining, with tons of historical figures. You can pour hundreds of hours into this game, and you still will not be sick of it.

With that in mind, when the game released an expansion pack called Brave New World, it gave you an abundance of things to explore further. On top of Civ’s replayability, this expansion only added to the game’s quality.

8

Citadel

Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is a game that some would consider close to perfection if not for its infamously glaring flaw: the ending. While many of the characters and subplots had satisfying conclusions, the main plot was the issue.

Overall, however, Mass Effect 3’s characters and narrative were met positively, the art direction was stunning, and the combat was (broadly) an excellent upgrade from its predecessors’.

As a result of near-univeral fandom pleas, one of BioWare’s ME3 DLCs gave the cast an excellent chance to shine in ways that the ending, by its very nature, couldn’t really afford to do. The Citadel DLC is often cited as a gorgeous love letter to the series, and speaking for ourselves here, but we ate it up and then some.

7

Burning Shores

Horizon Forbidden West

While many may think of the Frozen Wilds DLC from Horizon Zero Dawn – which is just as fantastic and worth checking out – Burning Shores for Horizon Forbidden West culminates in one of the best and biggest battles of the entire series.

Not only does the Burning Shores expansion take Aloy to a new location, but it offers up new types of enemies, some excellent scenery to explore, new characters to meet and grow attached to, and a boss battle that will leave you in awe.

It’s easily worth playing if you loved the game itself, and will add so much more to the experience, while setting up the future of the series.

6

Trespasser

Dragon Age: Inquisition

When Dragon Age: Inquisition launched in 2014, BioWare fans received what may very well be the last of the studio’s games with this much praise. It’s gorgeous (and holds up remarkably well all these years later), and it touts several standout characters, including the enigmatic Solas – whose last-second twist in the main game stuck with us big-time.

It’s been nearly ten full years since Inquisition launched, and we’re only now relatively close to its sequel. Which is, uh, wild, considering the Solas-centric cliffhanger. At least that cliffhanger was picked up in delightful fashion in the game’s last DLC, Trespasser.

With a bit of Mass Effect 3’s Citadel DLC’s character-celebration cheer, and a lot of tantalizing setup for the long-awaited fourth game, Trespasser enhanced one of BioWare’s coolest characters while leaving us salivating for more.

5

Artorias Of The Abyss

Dark Souls

Dark Souls is one of the most popular modern video game series. Even those who haven’t played a single Dark Souls game have at least heard about them in some way. Many who have played them will tell you they’re among the best games ever made.

FromSoftware doubled down on the success of the original and released one of the best DLCs of all time. The Artorias of the Abyss adds a tad bit of challenge to this already challenging game, and it also expands upon the game’s lore.

Those who picked up on its narrative found an emotional and disheartening story worthy of this universe’s atmosphere.

4

The Shivering Isles

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

Who doesn’t love the Elder Scrolls series? Well, plenty of folks, we’d imagine. But hey, we don’t number among ’em! They’re often taken as inspirations by some of the RPGs we know and love today.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion may not have achieved the monumental popularity of its successor, Skyrim – but then, that’s a generational achievement – but it’s got legions of fans, to be sure.

About a year later, Bethesda released Shivering Isles, an expansion pack, and it was welcomed by the gaming community with arms wide open.

It made this game’s world that much bigger with a brand-new region and epic quests. The story is often cited as superior to the main game’s, with an excellent central character in the Daedric Lord, Sheogorath.

3

Blood And Wine

The Witcher 3

The Witcher 3 is CD Projekt Red’s magnum. Long-time fans of the series and newcomers alike managed to find absolute enjoyment in playing this game. The story is superb, and the side quests are that much better.

Aside from the base game, you’re also treated with two expansion packs. One of them, arguably the better one, is Blood and Wine. This DLC brought you to a new location and introduced you to more characters, monsters, an awesome boss, and a fantastic cap-off to Geralt’s journey.