Summary

  • Some DLCs for video games offer great additional content, like the Minerva's Den DLC for BioShock 2 and the Blood Dragon DLC for Far Cry.
  • DLCs can enhance the overall experience of a game by introducing new stories, characters, and maps, such as the Iceborne DLC for Monster Hunter: World and the Artorias of the Abyss DLC for Dark Souls.
  • DLCs like the Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 and the Peril on Gorgon DLC for The Outer Worlds provide players with new races, missions, gear, and narratives, keeping the game fresh and engaging.

As much as some gamers detest downloadable content for making them spend more money, there is some amazing DLC out there that provides great value. Sometimes, the DLC is even the best part of the game, offering additional content for a world players already love. Some DLC introduce new and memorable characters, and others open entire new maps to explore. It is no wonder fans typically feel like they are being forced to spend more money. After all, it's understandable why players would want that content if they loved playing through the base game.

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Thankfully, there are many expansions that more than justify the money players have to spend to enjoy these additions to the games they love. Some of the best DLC in games breathe new life into these titles and let players interact with existing gameplay loops that have been tweaked in a meaningful way.

Updated October 8, 2024, by Hamza Haq: DLC Expansions to existing titles can often be a mixed bag. Sadly, developers cutting off chunks of an already completed game in order to later dole it out as paid expansions is a fairly common occurrence, which has, over the years, soured the idea for a lot of gamers. Thankfully, there are a lot of games that don't do this but add meaningful content updates in the form of DLCs and give players new ways to enjoy the titles in their library. Knowing which DLCs are worth buying is crucial information to have for anyone on a limited budget, as spending hard-earned money on an expansion instead of a new game will always be a hard sell.

31 Immortals Fenyx Rising

DLC: A New God, Myths Of The Eastern Realm, The Lost Gods

Immortals Fenyx Rising has significant DLC content taking players to a new realm
Immortals Fenyx Rising
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Action RPG
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Released
December 3, 2020
Developer(s)
Ubisoft Quebec
Genre(s)
Action RPG
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

Released in time for Christmas 2020, Immortals Fenyx Rising is an open-world action adventure from the developers of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Just like Odyssey, Fenyx Rising has an Ancient Greek setting but doesn’t take itself anywhere near as seriously.

Immortal’s art style and gameplay mechanics are more reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It also has a great sense of humor that is very tongue-in-cheek, a refreshing change from the somber and somewhat overly serious tone in most open-world Ubisoft games. Immortals is already a huge game, and it has three DLCs worth checking out for players who love the gameplay of this unique title.

30 Hitman (World Of Assassination Trilogy)

DLC: The Sarajevo Six & Patient Zero (Hitman), The Expansion Pass (Hitman 2)

The Hitman games have near endless replay value
Hitman World of Assassination
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Released
January 20, 2023
Developer(s)
IO Interactive
Genre(s)
Stealth, Action, Adventure

The new Hitman trilogy – also known as the World of Assassination trilogy – was released in 2016, 2018, and 2020 respectively. The games functioned both as a sequel and a reboot for the series after Hitman: Absolution failed to meet the studio’s expectations.

With the new Hitman trilogy releasing under a "games as a service" model, the developers were able to update it with new targets, goals, and brand new rewards with the Elusive targets. In addition, the games have seen new DLC missions like Patient Zero, which were significant to the narrative. Players are even able to add their Elusive targets, creating their levels and challenges to the game and ensuring it always feels fresh.

29 The Outer Worlds

DLC: Peril On Gorgon, Murder On Eridanos

Armored character in field of glowing blue flowers.
The Outer Worlds
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Released
October 25, 2019
Developer(s)
Obsidian Entertainment
Platform(s)
Switch, Xbox One, PS4, PC
Genre(s)
RPG
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

The Outer Worlds resembles a mixture of Bioware's Mass Effect franchise and Bethesda's Fallout series in terms of both story and gameplay. Like those games, Outer Worlds also got DLC: Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos.

Peril on Gorgon adds new perks, flaws, NPCs, items, and quests, as well as an entirely new planet to explore. The level cap was also increased, allowing players to build even stronger characters. Murder on Eridanos is a much more narrative DLC, appealing to players who love good storytelling. It also adds to the level cap and introduces new flaws and perks, new characters, and more items.

28 Dishonored

DLC: The Knife Of Dunwall, The Brigmore Witches

Dishonored has significant and meaningful DLC
Dishonored Corvo Attano
Dishonored
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Released
October 9, 2012
Developer(s)
Arkane Studios
Platform(s)
PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
Genre(s)
Action, Adventure, Stealth

Just like the Hitman series, Dishonored is a stealth series that is already packed with variety and content to keep players busy. This is thanks to the different approaches that are available for players in every mission.

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The DLC content in the first game alone is worth the price of admission. Both The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches play and feel like their own games. They also act as a bridge into the sequel Dishonored 2, which has some fantastic standalone DLC of its own.

27 Prey

DLC: Mooncrash

Moon, earth in the background
Prey
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Released
May 5, 2017
Developer(s)
Arkane Studios
Platform(s)
PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre(s)
FPS
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

Players who loved the core gameplay loop of Prey and don't mind checking out a roguelite spin on this concept will love what Mooncrash has to offer. It can take a while to get used to this concept, but players who give Mooncrash a shot will love how it forces them to interact with numerous aspects of Prey's gameplay, helping this immersive sim stand out as a fun and engaging experience.

Only one character is unlocked at the start of the game, and special missions must be completed for players to unlock the rest of the cast and uncover the mystery surrounding the Pytheas facility and the events that occurred there. Just like the base game, Mooncrash is a simulation where players must piece together the narrative while trying to make meaningful progress in each run.

26 Sleeping Dogs

DLC: Year Of The Snake, Zodiac Tournament, Nightmare In North Point

Sleeping-Dogs recreates hong kong
Sleeping-Dogs recreates hong kong
Sleeping Dogs
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Released
August 14, 2012
Developer(s)
United Front Games
Genre(s)
Open-World, Action

Sleeping Dogs is one of the most underrated video games ever made. Born from the ashes of the True Crime series, Sleeping Dogs is a great title, with its open-world exploration and combat being pretty engaging indeed.

If that wasn't great enough as is, the game also has three DLCs that are a ton of fun to play through. Nightmare in North Point and Year of the Snake are fun stories in their own right, but it's the Zodiac Tournament's homage to classic kung-fu movies that take the cake.

25 Splatoon 2

DLC: Octo Expansion

Splatoon octoling boy or girl menu.
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Splatoon 2
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Third-Person Shooter
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Released
July 21, 2017
Developer(s)
Nintendo EPD
Platform(s)
Switch
Genre(s)
Third-Person Shooter
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

The Octo Expansion of Splatoon 2 changed the game for everyone, even for those who did not buy the expansion themselves. The MMO now had octoling characters running around. After all, it's pretty cool to play characters of a race that were mostly known as the bad guys in the franchise. That being said, it is revealed many of them were mind-controlled, offering extra context for their evil nature.

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Not only did the DLC give the player a new race choice, but many new missions and some new gear to wear. DLC like this helps keep fans engaged and ensures the game never gets old.

24 Horizon Zero Dawn

DLC: The Frozen Wilds

aloy-cliff-horizon-zero-dawn
Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
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Released
February 28, 2017
Developer(s)
Guerrilla Games
Platform(s)
PS4, PC
Genre(s)
Action, RPG
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

The Frozen Wilds was the first and only DLC for the first game in Sony's favorite franchise, Horizon. In the DLC, Aloy hears about strange things going on in The Cut, a new area in Banuk territory, where witnesses have reported seeing dangerous machines patrolling the area. After going through a series of challenges, conversing with the locals, and taking down machines in typical Aloy fashion, she learns that HEPHAESTUS, one of GAIA's subsystems, is the DAEMON the good guys are fighting, a tie-in to the main story of the game.

The DLC introduces a bunch of new weapons for Aloy to obtain, new locations to explore, a cauldron to conquer, additional side quests, and a whole bunch of collectibles to satisfy the completionist urge. But perhaps most impactful of all is the addition of the new machines, including the Frostclaw, which gives Aloy new enemies to fight, fixing the lackluster machine variety in the base game.

23 BioShock Infinite

DLC: Burial At Sea

BioShock Infinite Burial at Sea
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BioShock Infinite (dupe)
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Released
March 26, 2013
Developer(s)
Irrational Games, 2K, Aspyr
Platform(s)
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
Genre(s)
Action

The two-episode game expansion for Bioshock Infinite, Burial at Sea, takes players back to Rapture from the first couple of Bioshock titles. The characters are seen in a new light, with Booker as a private detective and Elizabeth as a femme fatale character.

This did not just hook in players of Bioshock Infinite but fans of the first games as well. Fans of the first games got to see what Rapture was like before its fall. The expansion also works as a great ending to the series, making it all come full circle.

22 Cuphead

DLC: The Delicious Last Course

Cuphead Delicious Last Course Glumstone Fight
Cuphead
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Released
September 29, 2017
Developer(s)
Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc.
Div
Platform(s)
PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Genre(s)
Platformer
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

Cuphead is a game that grabbed everyone's attention with its painstakingly hand-drawn art style, which elicited the feel of classic Disney cartoons. This title's core focus revolves around side-scrolling shoot-em-up gameplay that is ridiculously challenging and demands perfection.

Eventually, players came to grips with this title's challenge and had a great time taking out the many well-animated bosses. The Delicious Last Course lets fans take on even tougher bosses, with the welcome option of controlling a brand new character by the name of Ms. Chalice. Getting a chance to play as this character makes for a fun time as players help Chef Saltbaker make a Wondertart and help this new character enjoy a permanent life.