Skyrim is easily one of the most modded (and obviously moddable) games of all time. Tens of thousands of mods have been made across both the original and Special Edition releases, with several billions of downloads shared between them. Among this sea of fan-created content, some of these mods have gained widespread notoriety for being high-quality expansions on the base game. One mod in particular called The Forgotten City was so well received by both fans and critics that it was eventually remade into a standalone game with the same name.
The Forgotten City, however, is just one of several mods that could be translated into a full release. Skyrim has many DLC-sized mods with their own game worlds, stories, enemies, items, and much more that have yet to be remade as a full game. Here are just of few Skyrim mods that deserve a full game release.
5 Falskaar
Falskaar was one of the first huge, DLC-sized mods made for Skyrim. It was initially released in 2013 for both the original and Special Edition versions of the game and received updates until 2015. The mod takes place on the island of Falskaar to the north of Skyrim. It's an area that takes up roughly the size equal to that of three Skyrim holds, and features a story that centers around an ancient prophecy that involves the player coming to the island.
While it's a bit dated by today's standards, taking the basic premise of the mod and recreating it as a straightforward fantasy game would be the perfect opportunity to modernize it. It could improve upon its ideas and themes and make it feel like a more unique experience in the process.
4 Beyond Reach
The Reach is one of Skyrim's most volatile holds due to the struggles between the different groups of people living there. Beyond Reach puts the player directly in the middle of this conflict as they travel to the province of High Rock. Here they will encounter a much darker and morally gray world design and story, to the point where the mod almost feels like an attempt to inject a little bit of Fallout into Skyrim.
Much like other "new lands" mods, such as Falskaar, Beyond Reach adds an entirely new world space for the player to explore that is roughly the same size as three of Skyrim's holds. The story therein is the real treat of this mod, however, as it's strong enough that it would work in a standalone fantasy game with only a little bit of reworking of factions and certain lore details.
3 The Grey Cowl Of Nocturnal
The Grey Cowl of Nocturnal is a massive "new lands" mod that takes the player on a long and winding journey to the Alik'r Desert in Hammerfell. Here they will encounter new enemies, explore never-before-seen dungeons, and uncover centuries-old mysteries as they pursue the infamous Grey Cowl of Nocturnal. The experience is geared more towards stealth and puzzle solving than other large-scale mods and features a large desert area for the player to explore at their own pace.
Though it relies heavily on pre-established Elder Scrolls lore to tell its story (specifically, lore established in Oblivion), the mod could be reworked into a standalone experience, although it would also be interesting to see it adapted into a future Elder Scrolls game set in or around Hammerfell.
2 Enderal - The Shards Of Order
Enderal is an interesting DLC-sized mod that uses the base game of Skyrim to create a different experience with all new lore, story, locations, and characters. Enderal is one of Skyrim's best total conversion mods. The mod doesn't take place in the Elder Scrolls universe, which means it's probably the most straightforward one to remake as a standalone game.
Enderal itself is a sequel to the Oblivion total conversion mod, Nehrim: At Fate's Edge. Enderal also has an expansion available called Enderal: Forgotten Stories and even a spin-off novel written by Nicolas Lietzau entitled Dreams of the Dying, which expands the universe and further explores some of the mod's main characters.
1 Wyrmstooth
As far as the bigger Skyrim mods go, Wyrmstooth is considered to be a classic. Relying on spectacle, Wyrmstooth features some of the most exciting dragon battles Skyrim modding has to offer and a brand-new island world space from which the name of the mod derives its title. In addition to featuring a sizable new game world, the mod features a famously long and complex dungeon quest that will test even veteran Skyrim players.
Given the ensemble nature of the story, this is a mod that could theoretically be turned into a co-op fantasy adventure game, with different players occupying the team of mercenaries as they travel to the island of Wyrmstooth to fight the dragon. It could work as either an Elder Scrolls spin-off game or as a standalone fantasy RPG experience (assuming the lore is changed to reflect this, of course).
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.