'Skyrim Special Edition' Mods List: How to install mods and the best ones to get

Millions of players fell in love with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim back in 2011, diving deep into its humongous open world and its interesting themes. However, one of the most popular aspects of the game, mods, has never been available to console players.

Until now.

Thanks to Skyrim Special Edition, players on Xbox One and PS4 (and hopefully Nintendo Switch) can finally install mods to significantly change up the Skyrim experience for themselves. Here's how it works and which mods you should install.

How Skyrim Special Edition mods work and how to install them on PS4 and Xbox One

In case you aren't familiar with them, mods are fan-created modifications to a video game which can change things as small as menu layouts or as large as quests and graphics. 

In the console versions of Skyrim Special Edition, installing mods is as easy as going to the Mods section of the main menu (go figure). Before you can install them, you'll need to make a Bethesda.net account, which you can do here.

Once you do that, you'll be able to sort through available mods by most popular, highest rated and other categories. It's worth noting that, due to restrictions by Sony, the PS4 version of the game supports far fewer mods than it does on Xbox One. Specifically, the PS4 version doesn't support any mods that add new assets (such as character models or enemies) to the game.

Once you find a mod you want to install just hit the download button. Mods can be fickle, though, and certain mods won't work nicely with other. So you should read the description to see if your mod is incompatible with any other. Mods can break the game if you aren't careful.

After you've downloaded a few, go to the Load Order section of the Mods menu to enable or disable mods. You can also change which order they load in, which is important because that can affect whether or not they work properly. If a mod isn't working, try making it load earlier or later in the process.

There are tons of mods for Skyrim ready to go. Kotaku and VG247 have comprehensive lists of mods to try, but we've selected a handful to recommend as well.

Skyrim Special Edition best mods: Calm down the wildlife

If you've ever played Skyrim, you know how annoying it is to be attacked by mudcrabs or wolves while you're out exploring. Thanks to the "Less Aggressive Animals" mod on PS4 and Xbox One, this problem is a thing of the past. 

How it works is pretty simple. It makes it so wild animals will be much less likely to attack you on sight. This is perfect for those who just want to explore the beautiful world of Skyrim without being forced to turn bears into an endangered species.

Skyrim Special Edition best mods: Fix those bugs

Skyrim is notorious for its glitches. Quest givers will disappear, horses will appear on rooftops and other goofy or game breaking anomalies will pop up from time to time. Thanks to the "Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch" mod, many of those can be fixed!

It simply aims to fix bugs which haven't yet been addressed in official patches, such as quest impediments. It's only available on Xbox One for now, sadly.

Skyrim Special Edition best mods: Go camping

If you love camping in Final Fantasy XV or the survival mechanics of No Man's Sky, the "Campfire: Complete Camping System" mod is for you.

It adds new survival mechanics that reward resourcefulness through crafting and hunting for food. It's only available on Xbox One, though.

Skyrim Special Edition best mods: Become a pack rat

One of the most annoying parts of Skyrim is when the game punishes you for carrying too much in your inventory. Thanks to the "Ring of Increased Carry" mod on Xbox One and PS4, you can wear a ring in the game that adds 1,000 more points of inventory weight to your character.

Skyrim Special Edition: Upgrade your GPS

Finally, the world of Skyrim has tons of hidden nooks and crannies to explore, but the in-game map isn't especially great at making them visible. "Point The Way" on Xbox One and PS4 will help you out quite a bit in this regard.

Basically, it adds new signposts and other indicators around the world to let you know when something that would otherwise be unmarked is nearby. Happy trails!