The best Starfield mods

Starfield mods - A person looking at a map in a city
(Image credit: Bethesda)

The wide worlds of Starfield mods are expanding every day. Everything from simple graphics and UI tweaks to gameplay changes have made their way to the stars, and the Starfield modding scene is only going to explode more now that it has official modding tools to match the Elder Scrolls and Fallout scenes.

With the creation kit having arrived, things are looking good for Starfield, and the mod-juice is flowing for creators. Todd Howard told Kinda Funny that "Starfield is going to be a modder's paradise," which sounds like exactly what we all want for our star-futures, and that prediction seems on point with how the mod scene is exploding with the creation kit.

If you're ready, there's already plenty of ways to tweak Starfield and dial it in to your preferences with mods right now. Make sure you also check out our guide to Starfield console commands and cheats for other ways to modify Starfield.

Starfield utility mods

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Starfield Script Extender
Adds scripting functionality that will likely be used by many future Starfield mods. Already required for some mods.

Baka Achievement Enabler
Lets you earn achievements even if you're using console commands. Requires the Starfield Script Extender. This mod is recommended over the original Achievement Enabler mod.

Add spaceship to fleet
Lets you skip making a ship your home ship and just add it to your fleet directly.

Starfield graphics and UI mods

(Image credit: Bethesda, modded by "m8r98a4f2")

Starfield HD Overhaul
Prettifies the Starfield experience with thousands of texture upscales and replacements, from water to surfaces and far more.

StarUI Inventory
Our favorite UI mod, adds sortable inventory lists.

Move or Disable XP Bar
Don't like the XP meter hovering your crosshairs? No one does! Why is it there? This fixes it. Requires an .ini tweak to work.

DualSense PS5 Icons
If you play with a PS controller, this will make the on-screen icons match your controller buttons.

Cleanfield
Removes intro videos and message of the day for a faster start and prettier main menu.

Ship Skip
Skips docking animations, and can skip takeoffs and landings, too.

In-Game FOV Changer
Adds a way to change FOV on the fly with console commands. We also have a guide to changing Starfield's FOV without mods.

Neutral LUTs
Makes the color grading in all scenes neutral, removing the bluish haze in some scenes. Also includes instructions for making space darker.

Dark Mode for Terminals
Every computer screen needs Dark Mode, right?

Starfield gameplay mods

(Image credit: Bethesda)

Starfinance
Have you ever wanted to really crack into the world of space financiers? Play the galactic stock market, use a galactic bank, manage your credit rating, and take out loans.

Skully's Emporium
One for the builders, Skully's Emporium adds 376 items to your build menus to customize your settlements to your hearts desire.

New Atlantis Billboard Map
Puts a big, labeled map of New Atlantis in the city at several locations near transit hubs.

Less spongy enemies
Lowers enemy health if you prefer a faster time-to-kill, as we say in the FPS scene. 

Starfield Combat Overhaul
If you're interested in a more complicated solution, SCO does everything from rebalancing health level scaling to rebalancing weaponry and skills 

Project Reality
Simulates a more "hardcore" experience by buffing gun damage for the player and enemies,  making stealth more realistic, and limiting NPC ammo.

Simply Faster Ladders
Does what it says, and thank goodness for it.

Craftable Ammo and Utilities
Lets you craft Digipicks, Med Packs, and ammo.

How to install Starfield mods

Most Starfield mods can be installed by placing their files in Documents\My Games\Starfield\Data, but refer to each mod's specific instructions—some are more complex than that (such as the mods that add DLSS support), and require special .dll files.

Almost all Starfield mods also require an .ini file that tells Starfield to load loose mod files instead of the default files stored in its various archives. It's easy to make this file, and you only have to do it once:

  1. Navigate to Documents\My Games\Starfield
  2. Create a new text document and open it with Notepad
  3. Add the lines listed below.
  4. Close the document and rename it StarfieldCustom.ini Ignore the warning about changing the file extension. (If you don't get a warning, make sure file name extensions are visible in Explorer. You can turn them on in the View > Show menu.)

Starfield custom .ini file text:

[Archive]
bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
sResourceDataDirsFinal=

Once you've done that, Starfield should load mod files you add to the My Games\Starfield\Data directory instead of the default files. You can also try adding mod files to the Data directory in the Starfield install folder if something isn't working. Most likely, though, there's just a problem with your StarfieldCustom.ini file. You can try downloading a copy if creating one didn't work.

Image

Starfield guide: Our hub of advice
Starfield traits: The full list, with our top picks
Starfield companions: All your recruitable crew
Starfield romance options: Space dating
Starfield console commands: Every cheat you need
Starfield mods: Space is your sandbox

Tyler Wilde
Executive Editor

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.

With contributions from