In this, we will go over the Top 10 Most Downloaded and Popular Skyrim mods of All Time. This list will not determine the mod’s quality or enjoyability (though those will likely play a factor) but the objective reality behind what has been considered, by Skyrim’s community itself, to be most popular or exciting. For this, we will be using the aggregate number of mod downloads for Skyrim on Nexus, Skyrim Special Edition on Nexus, Bethesda’s Skyrim for Playstation 4, Xbox, and PC, as well as on Steam.
There will likely be a few expected choices as well as some headscratchers. If you haven’t played any of these mods or only a few, they may turn out to be a few hidden gems worth looking into.
10. Immersive Armors
Coming in at #10, we have Immersive Armors. Many in the modding community have used this awesome mod and. As such, it is likely not a surprise for many who have been playing the game for a while.
Immersive Armors retextures many of the more commonly seen armors globally, giving them a more immersive look while also appearing completely stunning. The mod also adds several brand new armor options while giving them to numerous NPCs throughout the Dragonborn’s journey.
9. Alternate Start – Live Another Life
Another excellent mod that won’t be too surprising for many players, Alternate Start – Live Another Life is, as the name implies, an alternative start to the game’s intro. Rather than being moved into Helgen as a prisoner destined for execution, this mod gives you many alternative beginnings. For example, you could start the game as a new member of a guild, a soldier in one of the two warring armies, an adventurer from another land, and many more, making the game as straightforward or as difficult as you’d like.
One reason it is so widely received is due to the many supporting mods connected to it. Numerous additional alternate starts to even alternate starts to other mods in the community, creating an in-depth experience that many players love.
8. Enhanced Blood Textures
At number 8, we have Enhanced Blood Textures. While not nearly as initially impressive as the earlier two, this mod has a lot of versatility while adding to the overall immersion of the game.
Like Immersive Armors, Enhanced Blood Textures improves much of the blood splatter and overall look of blood in the game. Now, whenever fighting an enemy, sharp or bladed weapons will leave a blood splatter of varying sizes based on the weapon. Two-handed swords leave huge swaths of blood while daggers only a relatively small pool.
What makes this mod so impressive is its continued progressive updates as well as incredibly long life. Not only are updates coming out for this mod even as recent as late 2020, but the mod itself first arrived for players as early as 2011, a day after Skyrim was first released. There’s no wonder why it’s made it so far on this list.
7. APACHIISKYHAIR
An exciting ranking at #7, APACHIISKYHAIR is a hair mod that adds numerous additional hair model options for the player to choose from. Many of these hair options come from earlier games such as Oblivion, while others come from other games like the Witcher or the Sims.
Besides its overall simplicity, one of the reasons this has made it so far up on this list is. Because many other visual character mods require this mod to be installed as a base, for example, if a mod creates a potential follower option or recreates a preset character for you to play, you’ll often have to play with this mod added.
6. CBBE
A bit of an expected option for those that enjoy beautiful women, CBBE comes in at the 6th spot. This mod allows you to fully customize the attractiveness of the various female inhabitants of Skyrim, including your character. This ranges from exceptionally smooth and beautiful skin to much more potentially exaggerated body proportions.
Besides the attractiveness that it grants the female characters in the game, one of the main reasons it has so many downloads is the extensive amount of customization to the player for both their character and others. For many, the more they can affect and control the Skyrim world, it’s only natural for them to become more engaged with it.
5. A Quality World Map
A Quality World Map does what its name implies, making it take a definite spot in our Top 5. Replete with a variety of different map options for you to view, this mod dramatically improves the standard vanilla World Map in the game. Not only is it much more detailed in appearance, but you can observe various connecting roads throughout the northern province as well as the option to look through Skyrim with a more Tolkein-esque visual paper appearance.
4. Skyrim HD – 2K Textures
Now nearing the Top 3, we have Skyrim HD – 2K Textures. This mod is, for many, a must-have due to the immense amount of quality textures it gives the game. Especially if you’ve been playing the standard vanilla version, 2K Textures has been shown to utterly transform the visual experience for many players, reaching well over 20 million downloads.
That said, despite its incredible popularity and amazingly high downloads, the mod itself is a bit dated and arguably a hard sell for most people coming into Skyrim in 2021. This is mainly due to it only being available on the original version of Skyrim and not the later editions. Not only that, but its most recent update was in 2015, meaning that it’s likely dead at this point. Still, one can’t help but respect the level of popularity this mod had and what it inspired others even to this day.
3. Unofficial Skyrim Patch
At number 3 with just under 25 million downloads, the Unofficial Skyrim Patch is the definitive evidence that preempted Skyrim Special Edition. Available on virtually all versions of the game, Unofficial Skyrim Patch fixes many of the bugs and issues Bethesda was unable to resolve. This has resulted in many, many people downloading this mod across every platform available. For many, it is another “must-have” mod requirement, ensuring that the game runs as smoothly and bug-free as possible.
2. Fores New Idles in Skyrim
Now for the runner-up for most downloaded mods throughout the time of Skyrim, Fores New Idles in Skyrim comes in at just over 27 Million downloads and is only available for the original version of the game as well as Skyrim Special Edition.
What makes this mod so appealing and has resulted in it doing so well over the years is that it allows for custom animations for your character when performing various tasks. This can vary from seeing your character eat foods, fighting while using different weapons and fighting styles, and even accentuating character physics. It is incredibly versatile and is often used as the foundational springboard for numerous other mods out there.
1. SkyUI
Coming in at our #1 most downloaded mod is none other than the great behemoth itself, SkyUI. With over 30 million downloads to date, this incredible mod essentially overhauls the clunky and annoying vanilla inventory menu. It allows for items to be easily categorized and available by scrolling through your options. This is used for all menus, from standard inventory to NPC inventory and trading options to even magic.
SkyUI is something that nearly every PC player using mods will pick up and is available on every platform save consoles. Its incredible versatility and easy interface work well with tons of other mods, making it a foundation point for virtually any customizing mod out there. And it is because of this that it takes the top spot in most downloaded Skyrim Mods ever.
