50 Best Skyrim Mods In 2025

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the game that made modding a regular gaming experience, and plenty of players have formed an opinion on the best Skyrim mods over the years. Released in 2011, Skyrim was an immediate commercial and critical success, surpassing all expectations and redefining what an open-world game could be. Over the years, it has kept a thriving player base as well as a fantastic modding community, with players able to download thousands of unique mods.

However, not all mods are created equal, and there are some that you should prioritize downloading first. Below, we highlight the 50 best Skyrim mods you can download right now, which range from gameplay tweaks to massive DLC-sized mods. There are also quality-of-life mods and others that allow you to bypass the slower parts of Skyrim.

As a note, this list includes mods for both the base version of Skyrim and the Special Edition version, as the mods are slightly different for both editions. These mods will work with all installation methods unless otherwise specifically outlined by the mod's creator. You can click the link for each mod to see what edition it's specified for and what the creator recommends for installation.

SkyUI

Created by: SkyUI Team

Up first, we have arguably the most recognizable mod for Skyrim of all time. SkyUI is available for both the base version and the Special Edition and it's largely meant for PC players. It completely changes the interface and adds a plethora of features users can take advantage of when they're browsing all of the in-game menus.

Skyrim 202X

Created by: Pfuscher

Next up is Skyrim 202X, which is by far the most downloaded mod for the Special Edition of Skyrim. This mod adds high-resolution textures to a number of different objects in the game, including full-scale cities, dungeons, weapons and armor, and much more. You won't even recognize Skyrim after downloading this mod, even with the Special Edition's new coat of paint.

Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch

Created by: The Unofficial Patch Project Team

We're sticking to the top overall mods for the Special Edition for now, as the Unofficial Patch is the second-most downloaded mod on Nexus Mods. As you can likely tell from the mod's title, the Unofficial Patch does its best to get rid of every major bug left behind by the developers. While there are still some nagging bugs left behind, your copy of the Special Edition won't feature nearly as many issues when you have the mod installed.

Immersive Armors

Created by: Hothtrooper44

Immersive Armors is the first mod for the base version of Skyrim on this list, aside from SkyUI. The mod completely overhauls the armor system in Skyrim, adding dozens of new armor sets that are flawlessly added to the world so your immersion isn't broken. In addition to new armor sets, you can also find new types of armor and clothing, such as capes, earrings, eye patches, and more. All of the new armor can be crafted, but you can also find all of it through various means in Skyrim.

A Quality World Map and Solstheim Map

Created by: User_3142012

If you're a longtime Skyrim player, you likely know how confusing the default map can be. It's difficult to pinpoint where you are and where certain cities and points of interest are located. With the Quality World Map mod, you can customize how you see your map in Skyrim. The main selling point of the mod is the hand-drawn roads, allowing you to see how to get to places much easier. The mod also features different types of mods, including a paper map and one with higher textures.

RaceMenu

Created by: Expired

The default character creator in Skyrim is quite substantial, letting you customize your character down to their facial features. However, if you want to go even more in-depth, you need the RaceMenu mod, which opens up a world of new possibilities for the character creator. You can customize your character even further, adding body paints, revamped facial features, and better-looking character models in general. You can download RaceMenu for any version of Skyrim.

ImmersiveWeapons

Created by: Hothtrooper44, Ironman5000, and Eckss

We couldn't add the ImmersiveArmor mod without also including the ImmersiveWeapons mod. Designed for the base version of Skyrim, this mod does the exact same thing as the ImmersiveArmor mod, only this time with weapons. You can find all new weapons, either through crafting or in the world, and fresh variants of the weapons you know and love. Both of these weapons are 100% lore-friendly and only add to your Skyrim experience.

Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim

Created by: Enai Siaion

The perk system in Skyrim is widely considered to be one of the weaker points of the game, featuring a convoluted system and some unnecessary clunkiness to the character-building. With the Ordinator- Perks of Skyrim mod, you can actually enjoy unlocking new perks. The mod overhauls the perk system, revamping every single perk tree and allowing for a larger variety of character builds. There are 469 new perks with the mod, so this can completely alter any previous experience you have with Skyrim.

JK's Skyrim

Created by: Jkrojmal and Teabag86

Are you tired of the same old cities and towns in Skyrim? In addition to downloading a texture pack mod like Skyrim 202X, you can also install JK's Skyrim, which enhances Skyrim's cities to a new level. Locations like Whiterun, Solitude, Markarth, and others are overhauled visually, making them look much more distinguished. There are over a dozen locations enhanced with the mod.

Relationship Dialogue Overhaul

Created by: cloudedtruth

If you're fed up with hearing the same old lines of dialogue from Skyrim's NPCs, then you need to download the Relationship Dialogue Overhaul mod. This single mod adds over 5,000 lines of unique dialogue for dozens of NPCs and uses the characters' same voices. In addition to completely new dialogue, there's also cut dialogue added that's in the game files, but has never been heard in the base game.

Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim

Created by: Enai Siaion

After a while, the magicka system in Skyrim can grow boring if you've played through the game a few times. Luckily, the Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim mod exists, adding 155 new spells into the game, as well as new visuals and animations. All of these new spells are lore-friendly and can be accessed in a few different ways, including through scrolls, staves, vendors, and more. The new spells are added across the different magicka branches (Restoration, Destruction, etc.).

Alternate Start - Live Another Life

Created by: Arthmoor

One easy way to experience Skyrim differently is to change up the opening sequence. While several mods offer an altered version to the start of the game, the Alternate Start - Live Another Life mod is my personal favorite. It sees your character thrown into a dungeon and clinging to life when something magical happens. The mod still allows you to pick your character and you'll be able to select certain choices that have an impact on the rest of the game.

Beyond Skyrim - Bruma

Created by: The Beyond Skyrim - Cyrodiil Development Team

Beyond Skyrim - Bruma is a DLC-sized mod that allows you to travel to the very northern part of Cyrodiil and explore the county of Bruma. There are Ayleid ruins to go through, NPCs to speak to, and enemies to defeat throughout the newly explorable area. This mod is larger than the Dragonborn DLC in terms of size and scope, so it's one you don't want to miss out on as a hardcore Skyrim fan.

The Dance of Death - A Killmove Mod

Created by: DaedalusAI

An underrated aspect of the combat system in Skyrim is the killmoves, which allow you to eliminate an enemy in a unique way. With The Dance of Death mod, you gain access to several different killmoves previously inaccessible in Skyrim. You also have more control of what killmove you perform, which doesn't sound like a big deal but it can really change up your combat experience.

Convenient Horses

Created by: Alek

Convenient Horses is the best horse mod for Skyrim, allowing you to customize your mount to a completely new degree. You can now equip horse armor, whistle for your horse to come to you, store items on your horse, and gather materials while on horseback. Your followers now also have access to a horse as well as all of the other features I just mentioned. Your horse even has access to a charge attack and faster dismounts, making them viable for combat in Skyrim.

Skyrim Immersive Creatures

Created by: lifestorock and jackstarr

Another way you can change up your Skyrim experience is through a new onslaught of enemy creatures. The Immersive Creatures mod adds dozens of new enemies to see and fight in Skyrim, as well as adding fresh variations to existing enemies. There are all sorts of creatures to find, including some in dungeons, in and around the water, and on land.

Deadly Dragons

Created by: 3JIou and Redshift

Let's face it, dragon fights can get really old, really quickly in Skyrim. After your first couple of dragon encounters, they all start to mix together. Fortunately, you can download the Deadly Dragons mod to turn any dragon encounter into one to remember. This mod gives different dragons varying health, damage rates, types, and abilities. No one dragon fight will feel the same after downloading the mod and you'll actually be presented with a challenge during each encounter.

Falskaar

Created by: AlexanderJVelicky

Falskaar is one of the most successful large-scale mods in Skyrim's history. It adds a totally new explorable area to the map and over 20 hours of gameplay, including newly voiced NPCs, fresh quests, and several dungeons to explore. The quests are not considered canon, but they are well-done and keep your attention while exploring the new locations. If you're looking for some new DLC to consume in Skyrim, Falskaar should be one of your first stops.

Lucien - Immersive Fully Voiced Male Follower

Created by: Joseph Russell

While you can always pick up a follower along your journey in Skyrim, why not save yourself the trouble and add a premade one? Lucien is a male follower who comes with several perks, such as a level-up system, 5,000 lines of dialogue, and more. As you progress in Skyrim, so will Lucien, giving you a true companion to grow with.

Cutting Room Floor

Created by: Arthmoor

One easy way to add more content to Skyrim is to experience what the developers have already added to the game. However, there are several pieces of content in the game files that never made it to the final build. The Cutting Room Floor mod restores all of this cut content into the full game, allowing you to experience everything the developers designed. This cut content includes new locations for the most part, but there are also new NPCs quests, locations, and items.

Apothecary - An Alchemy Overhaul

Created by: Simon Magus, DeltaRider, and Oreo

We've already included mods to overhaul the perks, magicka, weapons, armor, and followers in Skyrim, so why not Alchemy as well? The Apothecary mod gives you a completely new Alchemy system to master, featuring new effects, recipes, and XP rates, along with a plethora of more features. Whether you're an Alchemy master or someone who never partakes in the system, this mod alters how you'll play the game.

Legacy of the Dragonborn

Created by: icecreamassassin

If you're looking for a complete tectonic shift in how you play Skyrim, you need to download the Legacy of the Dragonborn mod. This mod adds over 100 hours of gameplay, complete with new quests, locations, NPCs, items, and more. It essentially acts as dozens of mods in one, so I don't recommend mixing this mod with others on this list. This mod is best served as a standalone mod that you play through an entire save with.

Better Jumping

Created by: meh321 and z65536

The jumping mechanic is one that truly shows Skyrim's age, as it's totally outdated and almost unusable in today's age. However, with the Better Jumping mod, you can now jump while sprinting, double jump, and adjust how high you jump. It's a small gameplay change, but one that can make a huge difference during any playthrough.

Achievements Mods Enabler

Created by: xSHADOWMANx

One of the major downsides to downloading mods in Skyrim is the inability to earn achievements in-game. If you download the Achievements Mods Enabler mod, though, you can bypass that restriction. This is especially useful for newer players who have yet to earn many of the achievements in Skyrim but still want to use mods.

Campfire - Complete Camping System

Created by: Chesko

Not every mod has to be about constant action, improving visuals, or upgrading your character in Skyrim. Some mods aim to simply increase your immersion, and few do it better than the Campfire mod. This allows you to construct campfires for you and your followers to sit around. The fires can be built brighter and higher with resources you collect around the map and you can use the fire to cook food or interact with your followers with unique dialogue.

Realistic Needs and Diseases

Created by: perseid9

Skyrim can be too easy for many veterans of the game. If you fall into this class, or simply crave a more difficult experience, then you'll want to download the Realistic Needs and Diseases mod. This essentially turns Skyrim into a hardcore survival experience, making it so your character needs to eat, sleep, rest, drink, and do everything else a human requires. You can also be infected with diseases that need to be cured, otherwise you'll perish.

Frostfall - Hypothermia Camping Survival

Created by: Chesko

Building off the Realistic Needs and Diseases mod comes the Frostall mod. This adds a cold-weather system to Skyrim that cannot be taken lightly. From frigid temperatures to cold water, you need to be mindful of every surrounding on the map if you want to stay alive. This mod requires the Campfire mod to work, as that's going to be your primary way of staying warm with this mod installed. I don't recommend mixing Frostfall with Realistic Needs and Diseases, though, as the mods might not mix well and are two entirely different experiences.

Breezehome FullyUpgradable

Created by: Sku11M0nkey

There are too many house mods in Skyrim to name, but arguably one of the best overall ones is Breezehome. This installs a wonderfully designed home right inside of Whiterun and features plenty of amenities, including a weapons rack, crafting stations, a follower's room, and more. This version of the mod also allows you to fully upgrade the home to feature even more amenities.

I recommend also looking through Nexus Mods for more home mods, as there are plenty to choose from across every location in Skyrim. You can also download the base Breezehome mod, which doesn't come fully upgraded.

Opulent Thieves Guild

Created by: Sokkvabekk

The Thieves Guild is an immensely popular faction in Skyrim, and the Opulent Thieves Guild mod only enhances your experience with it. The mod overhauls the guild's headquarters as well as the Ragged Flaggon, but only in stages. The locations become better-looking, new NPCs are added, and other fixes are made as you progress through Skryim and the Thieves Guild questline.

TrueHUD - HUD Additions

Created by: Ersh

While some players might not like anything on their HUD in Skyrim, others could lean in the opposite direction. If you're someone who wants more information on their screen, then TrueHUD is a perfect mod for you. The mod adds HUD details such as a boss HP bar, follower bars, and additional widgets that you can freely customize and move around.

Ars Metallica - Smithing Enhancement

Created by: Arthmoor

The smithing system in Skyrim leaves plenty to be desired, and the Ars Metallica mod fixes most of the issues players have with the system. It adds the ability to gain XP while mining and smelting, craft arrows and lockpicks, smelt down weapons and armor for resources, and more. You can also craft specific armor depending on what faction you belong to, so you can equip the appropriate gear for a certain quest.

Unread Books Glow

Created by: duggelz

If you're a history buff in Skyrim, then reading all of the available literature spread throughout the game is going to be extra important to you. To simplify the task of reading through every book in the game, you can use the Unread Books Glow mod, which makes books you haven't read before glow a bright color. This allows you to know whether you've read a book or not before interacting with it.

Moonpath to Elsweyr

Created by: MuppetPuppet and An_Old_Sock

True modding veterans of Skyrim might know the Moonpath mod already, but it deserves a place on this list. Moonpath to Elsweyr was one of the first DLC-sized quest mods for Skyrim and still enjoys regular updates to this day. The mod allows you to explore several different environments you can't experience in the base game, including deserts, jungles, and more. There are also new quests to complete, NPCs to meet, and enemies to defeat.

The Forgotten City

Created by: Nick Pearce

The Forgotten City is one of the most expansive and immersive quest mods you can download in Skyrim. It's a roughly eight-hour experience that features an award-winning script based on a murder mystery set in an underground city. You'd be hard-pressed to find a mod more worth your time than The Forgotten City.

Helgen Reborn

Created by: Mike Hancho

Helgen is the first location you visit in Skyrim, unless you install the Alternate Start mod, but you never really have to visit it again after the dragon destroys it in the opening minutes of the game. The Helgen Reborn mod aims to rectify that by offering a full voiced-acted experience that sees you restore the town to its former glory and uncover some of its secrets. There's a battle arena, interesting characters, an expansive storyline, and plenty of other sights to see in Helgen Reborn.

Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim

Created by: Enai Siaion

Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim is a lore-friendly religion mod that allows you to worship different dieties in Skyrim. You can pray at shrines and complete objectives for your chosen diety to build a stronger relationship with it that can eventually reward you with new strengths. There are several different dieties you can choose to worship, some of which you'll recognize from previous Elder Scrolls titles.

Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers

Created by: toaDime

The Stones of Barenziah are one of Skyrim's most expansive collectible item. There are 24 total stones on the map that you need to find to complete the "No Stone Unturned" quest. All the Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers mod does is add a small marker above each of the stone's location, making it much easier to spot them. However, one major caveat with the mod is you won't get to see the individual locations of the stones, so this quest still relies on your ability to know their general location.

Immersive College of Winterhold

Created by: Grantyboy050

The College of Winterhold is one of the most stunning locations in Skyrim, but the Immersive mod for the location takes it up a notch. The mod increases visuals across the board, brightening up the entire area and adding improvements to all of its buildings. The characters in and around the college are also overhauled, increasing your immersion when walking throughout the location.

Rich Skyrim Merchants

Created by: Eddie The Eagle

This is about as simple as a mod can be in Skyrim, but Rich Skyrim Merchants makes your life ten times easier. All it does is give the various vendors around the map more gold in their inventory, allowing you to sell a greater number of items to them. This completely eliminates the time spent waiting for a vendor's inventory to restock. The mod allows you to customize how much gold the vendors have, ranging from two, five, or ten times the normal amount.

Wyrmstooth

Created by: Jonx0r

Wyrmstooth is another DLC-sized quest mod that centers around dragons. As Dragonborn, you're contracted by a company to kill a dragon that's wreaking havoc throughout Skyrim. However, as you progress through the various quests in the mod, you discover the dragon might have some ulterior motives with its destruction. The mod features an entire new area to explore, the ability to buy a castle, new weapons, spells, and other gear, and over 10 hours of gameplay.

At Your Own Pace

Created by: agd25

At some points during Skyrim's story, you're presented with several different questlines that can be difficult to keep track of. The At Your Own Pace mod tries to fix this by completely revamping all of the questlines in Skyrim. The revamp adds breaks, new ways to role-play, and a general slowdown of the game so you can enjoy everything it has to offer at whatever pace you'd like. You can read more about exactly how the mod achieves this on its Nexus Mods page.

Darkend

Created by: JKrojmal

Darkend is another DLC-sized mod, but this one doesn't feature any sort of questline. Instead, you travel to a new island, fight never-before-seen enemies, and explore several different areas in the pursuit of a set of ancient weapons. The Soulsborne genre inspires this mod, so don't expect any quest markers or help when you arrive on the mysterious island. You'll have to figure things out for yourself in this punishing, yet rewarding mod.

Thunderchild - Epic Shouts and Immersion

Created by: Enai Siaion

Shouts are an incredibly unique and useful combat mechanic in Skyrim, and the Thunderchild mod enhances your experience with them. The mod adds 29 new shouts that all have different effects as well as several other features to the game. There are even bug fixes for the existing shouts in Skyrim, so this mod is truly an all-encompassing way to experience the mechanic.

Marriage Mod - To Have And To Hold

Created by: joeThinkStudios

Let's face it, the marriage system can be a little bumpy in Skyrim. With the To Have And To Hold mod, you're able to remarry as much as you would like and even marry multiple spouses. If you want to stay with a partner, though, this mod allows you to get closer to your spouse by adding new side quests and events specifically focused on marriage. The mod also improves the marriage system overall by addressing bugs related to it that Bethesda has not fixed.

Potion of Ultimate Leveling

Created by: Avatar1971

While some mods on this list are focused on fixing issues or smoothing out Skyrim's shortcomings, others are just about fun, and the Potion of Ultimate Leveling mod is one such example. If you can manage to find a Daedra Heart and a Human Heart, you can combine them to create the Potion of Ultimate Leveling, which when consumed immediately increases all of your skills by 85. This maxes out all of your skills, but you can even go a step beyond that and achieve legendary status in every skill to earn more perks for your character. To unlock all perks in Skyrim, you need to be level 252, which requires a total of 10 Potions of Ultimate Leveling to achieve.

Throwing Weapons

Created by: Bouboule

Have you ever just wanted to chuck a weapon at an enemy in Skyrim? Maybe you're out of arrows or have no Magicka to use and the best way to damage an enemy would be to throw a weapon at them. The Throwing Weapons mod adds an entire skill tree around this, introducing new weapons into the game and giving you the ability to throw any weapon at enemies with some decent voracity. NPCs can also get in on the action, as higher-level characters will also start throwing weapons around.

Chocobos Mounts and Followers

Created by: gg77

If you're a big fan of Final Fantasy or just want to see some colorful new mounts scatter the world of Skyrim, try out the Chocobos mod. This adds the famous multi-colored birds from the world of Final Fantasy, allowing you to use them as mounts or followers. As a mount, the Chocobo does everything you'd expect it to and is often more stable than horses, which tend to knock you off their backs at any given time. The Chocobo followers feature several normal commands, such as Wait, Trade, etc., that make them useful to have out in the world. You can find these Chocobos at stables in major towns across Skyrim.

Build Your Own City - Becoming a lord

Created by: hertznca

We have plenty of mods on this list that add fully developed cities to Skyrim, but what if you could design your own? The Build Your Own City mod gives you that chance, allowing you to become a lord of Tamriel. You can start the city-construction process as soon as you visit an NPC in Riften. Blueprints for everything you can build in a city are available for purchase and then constructed using resources. You're able to build a Lord's House for yourself, smaller houses for NPCs, and merchant stalls, while also placing NPCs/guards around the city.

Skyrim Fishing

Created by: B1gBadDaddy

Fishing has been a part of Skyrim since the release of the Anniversary Edition. The Skyrim Fishing mod upgrades the experience, adding some extra functionality to fishing. You can use special types of bait to catch specific types of fish and increase your chances of hooking something on your rod. You can still only fish at designated spots in the water, but this mod makes it far easier to reel in a fish than the base Skyrim fishing mechanic.

Faction - Pit Fighter

Created by: ThirteenOranges

If you're looking for a new faction to join to spice up your Skyrim playthrough, look no further than the Pit Fighter Faction mod. It allows you to engage in duels all over Skyrim and increase your standing rank within the faction as you win more combat encounters. Special rewards await at certain ranks, and you'll encounter fleshed-out NPCs, side quests, and gambling mechanics.