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 53 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.