12 Great Total-Conversion Mods To Make Your Old Games Feel Brand New

Total-conversion mods are some of the most remarkable aspects of the PC gaming community. Innovative and daring amateur game developers look at beloved games and identify elements they wish to enhance, narratives they want to tell within that universe, and content they want to dig through for missing features. Several legendary games began as total-conversion mods; Stanley Parable originated as a Half-Life conversion mod, and Counter-Strike did too. Dota was previously known as Defense of the Ancients and began as an extremely popular mod for Warcraft 3. DayZ, the multiplayer zombie survival game, started as a mod for Arma III, a complex soldier simulator. All of these games have become massive successes in their own right. Total-conversion mods can present an entirely new universe to explore with its own story, introduce fan-favorite narratives and characters within the framework of an existing game, or serve as a sequel to a game that may not receive one anytime soon.

Below, we explore some of the most impressive total-conversion mods for a variety of games, including Skyrim, Doom II, FTL, Fallout, and more. For additional excellent ways to spend your time on a PC, check out our selections for the best PC games and best free PC games, as well as the most noteworthy mods for The Sims 4, Elden Ring, and Stardew Valley.

• Created By: SureAI
• Where to Download: ModDB
  

Enderal is a timeless classic when it comes to ambitious total-conversion mods. This Skyrim mod transports you to a completely new realm and features a campaign, voice acted by professionals with both English and German voice tracks, which the developers estimate takes between 30-120 hours to complete. It introduces a new skill system, new lore, and nearly everything else you would hope for from a new game–and it’s free. Also, don’t let the development team’s name–SureAI–put you off. The team has been crafting exceptional game mods since at least 2010 (more on that below), and Enderal was released in 2019, a time when AI simply referred to “what NPCs do in video games” instead of its more controversial modern interpretation.

For further details, explore our list of the best Skyrim mods.

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• Created By: AlexanderJVelicky
• Where to Download: NexusMods
  

Falskaar is not quite as ambitious as Enderal in sheer volume but is equally bold in its approach, being crafted by a single individual whose ultimate goal was reportedly to secure a position at Skyrim developer Bethesda–which they achieved. This mod is slightly more DLC-sized, yet it takes you to a brand-new location to explore and offers an engaging storyline that delves into Nordic politics, featuring, once again, an almost entirely voiced narrative.

• Created By: SureAI
• Where to Download: ModDB
  

Before SureAI–the team behind Skyrim’s Enderal total-conversion mod–made that project, they first developed Oblivion Nehrim. Released in 2010, this mod transports you to the island of Nehrim, utilizing the Oblivion engine. This game places less emphasis on a sprawling campaign, though there is one, focusing instead on rewarding exploration. As one user on Reddit stated, Nehrim is “more level design than dialogue,” featuring some truly magnificent dungeons to explore.

• Created By: TeamFOLON
• Where to Download: GOG
  

One of the aspects fans desire the most from the Fallout series is to explore the world outside of the United States. Bethesda’s game director Todd Howard has frequently stated that they are committed to delving into the series’ animated version of Americana. If you want to venture beyond the US, you might want to check out another location. The recently released Atomfall may scratch that itch as a standalone game, but Fallout enthusiasts will want to give Fallout London a try, which was launched in the latter half of 2024.

Fallout London is a substantial total-conversion mod for Fallout 4 that carries the story across the Atlantic. This mod rivals the scale of an actual sequel and creates a significant amount of content.

It may take 25 hours or longer to complete, with players indicating that exploring everything could extend this significantly. The game features massive, transformative choices that can result in significant narrative variations, complemented by a fully voiced storyline. The backdrop is a critical portrayal of Americana that melts away, presenting its distinctive interpretation of a post-apocalyptic, nuclear age world. Gamers have described it as quite exhilarating, making it potentially worth the time investment, as they report that it’s more than just content to sift through.

For additional information, check out our compilation of the top Fallout 4 mods.

• Developed By: Ashes Dev Team
• Where to Download: ModDB
  

Ashes 2063 utilizes the original Doom engines GZDoom and Freedoom2 to deliver a complete conversion mod that hearkens back to the first-person shooters that followed in Doom’s legacy, such as Duke Nukem and Blood, featuring sprawling environments and fast-paced gameplay. According to the developers, it also draws some inspiration from Fallout and Stalker. While there are numerous Doom total conversion mods available, this particular one stands out as a notably fresh take on such a classic title.

• Developed By: Blade of Agony
• Where to Download: ModDB
  

Doom and Doom II were monumental releases, but Wolfenstein 3D hinted at the potential evolution of the Doom franchise. Wolfenstein: Blade of Agony places you back in the shoes of B.J. Blazkowicz, in a fresh narrative influenced by WWII shooters from the ’90s and ’00s. It features 30 levels across three chapters, complete with interactive NPCs and authentic quest items. The mod includes over a dozen new weapons, aside from the supernatural ones—no spoilers here—featuring multiple shotguns, machine pistols, and rifles, all based on actual WWII firearms. You may also find a grenade launcher, flamethrower, minigun, and rocket launcher. Additionally, there are nine enemy types, each with three or four variants compared to those found in Wolfenstein 3D. In other words, there’s plenty to explore. Like many popular Doom mods, including Ashes 2063, this game runs on the open-source GZDoom engine.

• Developed By: The Multiverse Team
• Where to Download: ModDB
  

FTL is a challenging game to put down; however, even the most dedicated fans will eventually run out of things to do. Fortunately, space navigators, FTL Multiverse is here to greatly enhance the experience. This mod introduces a new narrative set many years after the original game’s storyline, where the Federation and Rebel forces have shifted the conflict into new dimensions through the Multiverse Drive. It includes “nearly 200 new playable ships, over 500 new enemy ships, over 200 new weapons and drones, and more than 30 new sectors to explore,” according to the developer.

• Developed By: Various Creators
• Where to Download: ModDB
  

There are simply too many monumental Total War mods to mention them all here. A fan-favorite is Third Age, a modification that transports Total War to the realms of Middle-earth and features a campaign focused on the Battle of the Ring. If you’re looking for more Lord of the Rings action, there’s also Divide and Conquer, which offers its unique interpretation of the Third Age and is regarded by many fans as the superior Lord of the Rings mod. Total War Westeros allows you to engage in the ultimate battle, the Game of Thrones. The Elder Scrolls Total War encompasses a variety of factions, where you can pit the Stormcloaks from Skyrim against the ruling Houses of Morrowind to see who would prevail. If you are more interested in historical conflicts, there’s The Great War, which brings the full brutality of World War I to Total War, while The American Revolution focuses on the struggle of the United States for independence from England’s monarchy with a depth you’d expect.

• Developed By: Walshicus
• Where to Download: Steam
  

Stellaris is already an expansive game—players often log over 1,000 hours of gameplay on Steam. There’s a lot to accomplish here. However, if you’re looking to rejuvenate your experience, or if you are a long-time Trekkie eager to create your own adventure in the Star Trek universe, this mod is perfect for you. Star Trek: New Civilizations introduces numerous new events, anomalies, and crisis chains, along with new entities that you can use to engage with your empire. You’ll also get a plethora of new visuals to enjoy, featuring 860 new ships, 160 species, and various futuristic megastructures. Additionally, this mod simplifies aspects like the technology tree and economic systems for a smoother gameplay experience. If you’re a Star Trek enthusiast, this one is definitely worth checking out.

• Developed By: CK2:AGOT Mod Team
• Where to Download: ModDB
  

The Crusader Kings series revolves around grand strategy—political intrigue, maintaining your empire, and winning wars instead of mere battles. You play as a monarch interacting with various rulers, much like the narrative of a game: a game of thrones. Unlike traditional campaigns, this total conversion mod invites you to engage with characters from the books across several eras of Westeros history, exploring various what-if scenarios. What if Joffrey wasn’t the worst ruler? What if that last season of the series had a satisfying story? You get to delve into.