RPGs are some of the most replayable genres in video games. The number of choices they let players make encourage multiple playthroughs using different approaches to combat and dialogue. Bethesda games do this well already, but adding mods into the mix makes this even better.

Talented modders are the backbone of most Bethesda games. From fixing critical bugs to adding ambitious mechanics, there is no shortage of content for these games. Fallout 3 is no exception, having hundreds of thousands of mods on the Nexus website alone. Here are 15 Fallout 3 mods that make the game much more enjoyable.

Updated on December 8th, 2020 by Derek Draven: Modding is a big draw for Bethesda games, and those who aren't dabbling in it are missing out. As the community is huge and very creative, there are almost too many worthwhile mods to count, but some do stand out from the crowd. As a big reason to revisit Fallout 3 is to try out a new mod, here are a couple more that should transform someone's next playthrough for the better.

15 Custom Beginning (AKA CB) - Deluxe Edition (Updated)

Alternate start mods are very popular within the Bethesda modding community, and they can help gamers forge their own path via some tweaks to the roleplaying experience.

Custom Beginning is one such mod for Fallout 3 that allows users to begin playing from a different point. You can choose to bypass the original opening act and start out with an alternate character background. This is handy for subsequent playthroughs where the player may not wish to go through the same tedium.

14 GNR Enhanced

Many Fallout players spend time wandering the wastelands while rocking out to classic radio hits from the timeless bygone era. GNR Enhanced beefs up that experience with over 100 new tunes added to the station, as well as some interesting bug fixes.

The mod integrates seamlessly with the game and triggers particular events at the right time, depending on character progression through the story. This makes it more than just a music expansion.

13 Fallout Character Overhaul - Races

This amazing mod makes huge changes to the characters in Fallout by introducing more graphical and racial diversity into the mix. Head meshes and textures are greatly enhanced, which is a welcome sight for such an older title.

Players would do well to read the mod's description page to avoid any graphical issues such as neck seams. This is sound advice when installing any mod, so be sure to follow it to the letter.

12 Immersive HUD - iHUD

The Fallout games are all about immersion and the ability to lose yourself in a post-apocalyptic adventure world. That being said, little things can detract away from the experience and hamper that immersion, and this includes the heads-up display.

Immersive HUD - iHUD helps solve that problem by offering several options as to how Fallout 3's HUD behaves in-game. This allows for certain HUD elements to be hidden if they are not needed.

11 The Imaginator For FO3 - Visual Control Device

Many Skyrim modders seeking new experiences have come across the Imaginator mod which allows them to customize the in-game lighting, color, and effects. As it so happens, Fallout 3 has its own version as well. This handy tool helps gamers create their picture-perfect visual presets with no fuss.

This mod has some competition in the form of Nvidia's own in-game graphics tweaker, as well as other third-party offerings, but those who want something a bit more stable might choose Imaginator for full game integration out of the box.

10 UPDATED Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/19122?tab=description

Not every mod for Fallout 3 adds new content or overhauls the game. This simple mod fixes thousands of bugs that Bethesda never patched.

The UPDATED Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch fixes a whole suite of bugs. Quests breaking, dialogue misspellings, or even restoring cut content are included here. It's a great mod that every player should have installed.

9 Sprint Mod

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/1854

After playing Fallout 4 or Skyrim, traveling across the wasteland can feel like a chore with how slow the character moves. That is where the Sprint Mod comes in.

Sprint Mod does what it says. While installed, players can bind a key that lets your character sprint, decreasing the AP per second while improving the movement speed. It makes reposition in combat and exploration much faster, allowing players to focus more on gameplay and less on navigating across miles of rubble.

8 RH_IronSights - FOSE

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/6938?tab=description

Transitioning from an isometric view to first-person was a massive shift for Fallout 3, one that many hardcore Fallout fans criticized when it was announced. It worked well for exploration, but combat is a different story.

V.A.T.S. is the main way of fighting in Fallout 3, because real-time combat feels so bad. That is where RH_IronSights comes in. This mod allows players to aim down the sights of their weapons, ranging from the starter pistol to Plasma Rifles. It works with most mods as well if you install a compatibility patch, and it makes gunfights without V.A.T.S. feel much better.

7 Weapon Mod Kits

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/3388

No doubt Obsidian took massive inspiration from this mod when developing Fallout: New Vegas' weapon mod system. Weapon Mods Kits adds attachments for weapons that players can find or purchase.

These attachments range from suppressors to extended magazines. Each attachment has a tangible effect on the weapon's performance and stats, arguably more so than the system Fallout: New Vegas uses. Anyone who wants more progression systems in Fallout 3 should check Weapon Mods Kits out.

6 Fellout

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/2672

Fellout is such a small mod that changes the feel of Fallout 3 so dramatically. It only does one thing: removes the green tint to the environment.

It works on interiors and exteriors to make sure that the green tint is forever removed. The game is both more colorful and bleaker thanks to this mod, allowing the light blues of the sky and water to contrast the dull grays of abandoned buildings.

5 Darnified UI

http://modsreloaded.com/darnified-ui-f3

Fallout 3's UI is pretty terrible for PC users, with its console-friendly font sizes and spacing. Darnified UI does a great job converting the UI to be PC friendly without altering the original style.

Installing Darnified UI takes slightly more work than most mods, requiring an INI edit before working properly. Once installed, the game becomes much more PC friendly, with menus displaying upwards of 3 times more information on the screen.

4 The D.C. Interiors Project

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/5573?tab=description

The Capital Wasteland has many places to explore and loot, but most of Fallout 3's locations are boarded up. The D.C. Interiors Project aims to fix that.

Many buildings can now be entered with this mod installed. It makes exploring the outskirts of D.C. more interesting, but this mod truly shines when exploring the city proper. D.C. Interiors makes Fallout 3 more immersive than it already is and makes exploring the Capital feel fresh again.

3 NMC's Texture Pack

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/12056?tab=description

Textures have always been a weak point in Bethesda games, usually looking muddy or not on par with games of the time. Fallout 3 is no exception to this.

Those who've been spoiled by more modern games should install NMC's Texture Pack. This mod overhauls nearly every environment texture in the game, bringing the quality up to 2K without a significant performance decrease. The game looks infinitely better with this mod installed and can look even better when used alongside an ENB.

2 FWE - FO3 Wanderer's Edition

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/2761?tab=description

Similar to New Vegas' Project Nevada mod, Wanderer's Edition aims to overhaul the entirety of Fallout 3's systems to make a more challenging and immersive experience.

Combat saw the largest overhaul in this mod, increasing the lethality of all weapons while reducing the strength of V.A.T.S. Skills now have a larger impact on gameplay as they do in Fallout: New Vegas. Those who found Fallout 3 too easy will love FWE. The mod is highly configurable as well to make it as challenging as you wish.

1 F3TF - Fallout 3 Tick Fix

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/23542

Micro stutters are a serious issue in most Bethesda titles. These stutters last a fraction of a second but happen constantly, which is further apparent on higher-end hardware.

Stutters like these can result in headaches or annoy those who want consistent performance. Fallout 3 Tick Fix is a ported version of the same mod from New Vegas that fixes this micro stutter issue. This mod also makes exiting the game with a large list of mods near-instant. While this mod is not compatible with the Fallout 3 Stutter Remover mod, Tick Fix works on all platforms including Windows 10 without any configuration necessary. Everyone who plays modded Fallout 3 should have a stutter remover mod.

NEXT: Ranking Every Fallout Game From Worst To Best