8 of the Best Video Game DLCs in History

A DLC, which stands for downloadable content, is an additional game expansion pack. To play DLCs, players must already have the original base game. More and more developers are releasing stellar DLCs that expand upon base games with compelling new content for players to explore. These are some of the best video game DLCs in gaming history.

Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

The original Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was a gaming masterpiece, but some players rate its Blood and Wine even higher. Blood and Wine is one of the great video game DLCs in history because of its visually stunning, sun-drenched Toussaint map for players to explore. This DLC incorporates a mix of a grim, vampire detective story with a fairytale aesthetic for a compelling main story quest. It adds about 30-plus hours of content for players to explore, with a revamped mutations progression system, upgradeable vineyard, and many additional side quests to play through.

Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare

Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare brilliantly flipped the more serious tone of its base game into a hilarious zombie B-movie. In Undead Nightmare, John Marston is searching for a supernatural plague cure rather than hunting outlaws. It completely overhauls the base game’s mechanics with settlements that need to be defended from zombie hordes.

So, Undead Nightmare was certainly a bold DLC, but players loved the shift in emphasis. This is one of the best video game DLCs because of its creepy vibe, unique gameplay mechanics, and entertaining story. It provided a refreshing contrast to its base game as a creative playground for players to indulge in.

Cyberpunk 2077 – Phantom Liberty

Phantom Liberty adds a new dense Dogtown district for players to explore. The thrilling spy-thriller narrative and high-stakes plot make Phantom Liberty one of the best video game DLCs to play. This was also a great DLC because of how it transformed the combat and cyberware mechanics with the 2.0 system overhaul. Many players rate Phantom Liberty as better than its Cyberpunk 2077 base game because of its more focused narrative and more atmospheric world design.

Elden Ring – Shadow of the Erdtree

Shadow of the Erdtree is one of the most highly-rated video game DLCs in history that matches the scale and quality of the Elden Ring base game with a huge amount of additional content. The massive, vertical world design of Realm of Shadow makes Shadow of the Erdtree a great DLC to play. Added to that is a wide variety of new weapon types that introduce fresh playstyles in this DLC. Players also love the unforgettable and visually stunning boss encounters in Shadow of the Erdtree.

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen transformed the strong tactical gameplay of its base game into a more replayable masterpiece with new elite factions and memorable rival bosses. It overhauled the core XCOM 2 campaign with the addition of Chosen alien assassins who stalk squads and new faction heroes, such as Reapers, Templars, and Skirmishers. This DLC makes its XCOM 2 base game feel somewhat incomplete with all the layers of mechanical depth and tactical variety it adds to the game.

BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den

Its predecessor sometimes overshadows BioShock 2, but this sequel offers one of the finest self-contained narrative video game DLCs in history. This DLC introduces a new Subject Sigma protagonist for navigating the underwater Rapture city. It is a game that incorporates a compelling story mixed in with streamlined, fast-paced gameplay. Although relatively short in terms of playing time, Minerva’s Den still has a legacy because of its devastating plot twist and how it refined the base game’s dual-wielding combat mechanics.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Shivering Isles

The Shivering Isles is one of the greatest DLC packs in history for the unique dual-realm landscape it introduced. Its surreal, creatively rich Oblivion plane offers a wealth of engaging quests and side content for players to explore. Shivering Isles bucked the minor add-on trend as a classic expansion pack with fresh monster types, a distinct new world, and a separate identity that almost makes it feel like a new Elder Scrolls game rather than a DLC expansion.

Mass Effect 3: Citadel

The Mass Effect 3: Citadel traded the apocalyptic Reaper war dread for a more comical celebration of the ME trilogy. Players love the Citadel DLC because it’s more like an action-comedy movie that brings back most of the major squadmates from the ME series for memorable character reunions. It’s a DLC in which players can have fun exploring an unforgettable apartment, Armax combat arena, and arcade minigame content.

Those are the best video game DLCs in history because they transformed great games into unforgettable ones. They’re DLCs that, in some respects, eclipsed their great base games with creative tonal shifts or by addressing minor structural gameplay flaws. Such DLCs show that the fun only starts long after the main game story ends.