Best Red Dead Redemption 2 mods
With the best RDR2 mods, you can make being a cowboy as immersive and realistic as you'd like.
Rockstar's essential western crossed onto a whole new frontier when Red Dead Redemption 2 came to PC. And what happens when a massive game makes the jump to PC? It gets filled with more mods than you can stuff in a ten-gallon hat. Here are some of the best Red Dead Redemption 2 mods that we've seen.
Mods are a cornerstone of the desktop gaming experience, and give a whole new lease of life to Red Dead Redemption 2. There are various different kinds of mods - some smooth out the technical performance of a game, while others add silly costumes or original content. Whatever they do, mods are just for fun and should be used with caution.
Especially with in-progress and early projects, mods can corrupt save files and cause unstable performance. Make sure you're not too attached to your current progress before you try to mod your game, and be sure to back-up your save files where possible.
Best Red Dead Redemption 2 Mods
Ped Damage Overhaul
The Ped Damage Overhaul mod by Hundsfott will make combat across RDR2 more dynamic and diverse. NPC's will react differently when you're fighting with them, and will behave differently when shot.
Photorealistic Reshade
The Photorealistic Reshade mod by haskeer212 is designed to enhance Red Dead Redemption 2's already incredible visuals on PC by improving the look of shadows, colours, tonemapping, and visual sharpness.
Simple Reshade
If you're not packing a top-tier rig, but still want to dip your toe into visual modding, the Simple Reshade mod by crubino is is a simpler reshading mod that aims to improve Red Dead Redemption 2's graphics without impairing performance.
Save Editor
The Save Editor mod by BigBizkit allows you to customise your RDR2 game massively, if you wish. The mod will allow you to edit your stats, your character, your satchel items, compendium, and more. So, if you want to keep your hair long and line your pockets with lots of money, this mod allows for just that.
Bank Robberies
If you fancy robbing banks in your spare time, the Bank Robberies mod by UnlosingPlays allows players to rob any bank teller in RDR2. While you reap rewards, however, do expect to be wanted by the law for doing so.
Bounty Hunting - Expanded and Enhanced
The Bounty Hunting - Expanded and Enhanced mod by Shtivi makes bounty hunting in RDR2 more of a side activity. There'll be endless bounty hunting missions to go on, and some random encounters to come across, too.
Crime and Law Rebalance and Enhancement
The Crime and Law Rebalance and Enhancement by Blackjacks420n is the original law fix mod for RDR2. This mod aims to fix issues with the game's law system. Just a few improvements to the law system featured are that lawmen will ignore minor crimes, the wilderness is lawless, and train robbery does not make you instantly wanted.
Ambient Gang
The Ambient Gang mod, also by Blackjacks420n, allows players to come across other gangs while roamning RDR2's open world. These gangs will have their own territories and pose a further threat for Arthur while exploring.
Cut Dialogue Restoration and Enhancement
The Cut Dialogue Restoration and Enhancement mod by PixieV aims to restore a lot of dialogue that was cut from RDR2 during development. This is done seamlessly, so that the dialogue doesn't seem out of place, and you'll ultimately get to hear more from some of your most beloved and loathed characters.
Dog Companion
Exploring the wilderness in RDR2 can be lonely, but the Dog Companion mod by Shtivi makes it a little less so. As the name suggests, this mod allows players to choose a dog companion that will explore and roam alongside Arthur.
Companion System
And if for some reason, you don't want a pet dog to follow you around in RDR2, you can try out the Companion System mod by bolmin70 instead. This allows you to recruit Van Der Linde gang members as your companions, so the likes of Sean, Micah, Hosea, and more can come and complete missions with you.
Unlimited Horse Whistling Distance
Failing that, there is one companion that will never let you down using the Unlimited Horse Whistling Distance mod by konstantinos96b. This mod means that wherever you are on the map, if you whistle for your horse, they will soon come running. You will need ScriptHookRDR2 to installed to be able to install this mod, however.
How to install Red Dead Redemption 2 mods
As we have previously mentioned, be sure to back up your Red Dead Redemption 2 save files before installing any mods. This ensures your progress is still safe and sound somewhere if modding your game goes wrong. In addition, discretion is advised when installing mods; only install files from websites and people that you trust.
Disclaimers aside, to install Red Dead Redemption 2 mods, you will want to track down the game files on your computer. If you have the game via Steam, this is as easy as right-clicking the game in your library, selecting 'Manage' and then selecting 'Browse Local Files.' Otherwise, you'll have to venture into your PC's folder and find where you installed the game files.
Once that's opened, all you need to do is download and extract any mods of your choice. Then, drag the mod file over into your game files. It's as simple as that, though, some mods will often feature more than one file that you need to place inside the games files. Bear this in mind, and always look at the mod description and any instructions the mod author has advised when installing a new mod.
That said, we do also recommend installing one mod at a time and testing your game before installing another. This way, you can easily determine and uninstall any problematic mods, rather than installing 50 mods at once and having to work backwards to find out which one is the problem... I've been there with Skyrim, and it's not fun.
All mods in this list, including ScriptHookRDR2, are hosted on Nexus Mods.
For some unmodified help with Red Dead Redemption 2, here's how to make money quickly.