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Mods are plentiful online after a big PC video game release, with some developers going as far as supplying players with the proper tools to create their own unique modifications. These often help to increase the longevity of a video game title after it’s released on the market, but few are popular enough to become their own game. These are the best of the best, and there’s more than you might expect.
#9 Black Mesa
Valve may never officially wrap up the Half-Life trilogy but that doesn’t mean we can’t experience some new games based in the Half-Life universe. In fact, Valve threw out their own new installment with Half-Life: Alyx, a game set prior to the events of Half-Life 2 and featuring a VR element. Some fans have gone above and beyond to deliver their own unofficial content based on Half-Life, and a mod called Black Mesa, crafted for the first installment of the series, has gone down in history. Black Mesa is a third-party remake of the original Half-Life that was made by a team of only forty people, all volunteering their time to bring an updated look to the classic game.
Starting as a mod to give players a fresh look at the franchise, the game was given a standalone release thanks to Valve’s permission. There are not too many developers out there that would allow fans to create a passion project of this magnitude, so props to Valve for respecting this team enough to turn Black Mesa into a standalone title. You can pick up the game through the Steam digital marketplace. If you haven’t played Half-Life yet, we’d recommend checking out Black Mesa first.
#8 The Forgotten City
Nominated for two BAFTA awards, The Forgotten City got its start from the beloved RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Skyrim is still home to countless mods, but the scale of The Forgotten City was incredible, offering players hours of entirely new gameplay and impressive writing. The developers continued to pour their hearts into the mod which later became a standalone title using Unreal Engine 4.
For those unfamiliar with the game, The Forgotten City is a murder mystery where players find themselves in an ancient Roman city. Knowing that the city would eventually find its downfall, the protagonist is tasked with exploring, interacting with the locals, and finding out what will cause the city’s destruction. If you enjoy a narrative-driven game, The Forgotten City features a branching storyline along with four unique endings, each dependent on your actions taken throughout the game.
#7 Counter-Strike
Valve’s Counter-Strike series has been around for over two decades. All starting with the original Counter-Strike mod, the series has had its share of highs and lows. With several game modes to engage with and various goals and missions to take on, such as placing and defusing bombs, the game is easy to pick up and even easier to get addicted to. The game came out in 2000 but began as a mod for Half-Life in 1999 thanks to Minh Le and Jess Cliffe. The two started work on their project while in college and upon its release, the game mod quickly skyrocketed in popularity. Ultimately, due to the popularity of players downloading the mod, Valve took notice, purchased the IP rights, and hired both Minh Le and Jess Cliffe. Talk about living the dream.
#6 Garry’s Mod
Half-Life spawned a number of popular games, either through modifications or by providing inspiration. One of the wackier titles to be introduced to the world thanks to Half-Life 2 is Garry’s Mod. Created by Garry Newman, the game acts as a home for player creativity. At its core, Garry’s Mod is a sandbox-style title where there are no objectives but plenty of tools and assets available for players to use to create their own unique worlds or scenarios.
Likewise, these tools allowed players to craft up a series of different video game modes such as hide-and-seek, obstacle courses, and even online role-playing servers. Given its vast number of uses and endless possibilities, Garry’s Mod took off in popularity, managing to become a standalone video game release in 2006 for PC.
#5 Killing Floor Series
Killing Floor was a mod crafted by Tripwire Interactive following the release of Unreal Tournament 2004. The gameplay is straightforward–players go through a series of rounds fighting off waves of hostile creatures and taking on epic boss fights. Essentially, the game plays similar to Zombies from the Call of Duty franchise. The overwhelming popularity of the mod allowed Tripwire Interactive to make a full standalone release in 2009 followed by a sequel in 2016. Likewise, the popularity of the series has even sparked a VR title known as Killing Floor: Incursion.
