8 Star Wars Mods for Original Games You Need to Try Out this May the 4th

Today marks every Star Wars fan's favorite day of the year: May the 4th, where fans gather round to revisit the series, load into Battlefront 2, and watch Chef Gormaanda show off her impressive whipping and stirring skills. Unfortunately, we've been experiencing a drought of new Star Wars games of late, these past few years, which has pushed the Star Wars modding community to fill the void in our hearts.

Mods have always had the potential to alter a game's experience, and over the years, we've seen very talented hobby developers create some quality Star Wars-themed mods for already beloved video games, transforming them into entirely new Star Wars games.

Some of these projects look to re-skin pre-existing systems, replacing the standard army with the iconic Rebels or Empire, while others massively overhaul the game to recreate a faithful Star Wars experience.

If you're looking for a new Star Wars-themed game to get you into this year's celebrations, here are some mods for non-Star Wars games that are absolutely worth playing at least once.

A Star Wars Revamp of a Turn-Based Tactics Experience

If you're twiddling your thumbs waiting for the official Star Wars XCOM game, Star Wars: Zero Company, to come out, then you'll want to check out the number of great mods for XCOM 2.

Some of these can see you turn your XCOM soldiers into Delta Squad from Republic Commando, which uses their same voice lines from the classic squad-based shooter. Instead of shooting at grey aliens, the mod will also have you tearing through legions of battle droids, letting you feel like you're a general commanding a legion of soldiers during the Clone Wars.

Thankfully, you can find something like XCOM 2: Star Wars Total Conversion collection, which has gone through the effort of assembling a huge collection of all the mods you might consider playing with to run your ultimate campaign. If you've ever wanted a Star Wars turn-based strategy game that has you utilize every member of a squad, making use of XCOM 2's impressive blueprint is a great start until Star Wars: Zero Company releases.

You can find a number of these Star Wars mods and more on GGMods.com for a full list of mods to revamp your XCOM experience.

7 Helldivers 2

A Unique Take on the Clone Wars

It's undeniable that the Helldivers universe was inspired by the Star Wars galaxy, which makes this entry a full-circle moment for the IP.

While there aren't any definitive total overhaul mods for the game, there are plenty of individual mods out there that can transform Helldivers 2 into a Star Wars game. Instead of playing as your usual Helldiver, you can instead play as clone troopers, landing in the midst of an all-out Separatist offensive while trying to make it out with minimal casualties.

There are mods out there that will replace your ship with the classic Venator-class starships, which really feel special when you peek out the window over the world and see the combat taking place right in front of you. There are also several weapon re-skins to match those in other classic Star Wars games if you're eager to have that sense of familiarity there.

Playing Helldivers 2 with these mods on is an experience that fits so organically within the Star Wars universe, one can only hope an official version of this game comes out someday. Until then, you can always try out these mods for yourself.

6 Insurgency Sandstorm: Star Wars Sagas

The Battlefront Sequel We Deserve

An official Star Wars Battlefront 3 has yet to be announced, but if you're looking for a new tactical warfare game to take its spot, you need to try out Insurgency Sandstorm Star Wars Sagas mod.

The resemblance to Battlefront 2 is almost uncanny, with some maps looking nearly identical to DICE's own warzone shooter. However, this one has a much grander scale, with a stronger focus on immaculate gunplay, weapon customization, and full-scale aerial combat. It's not rare to see a Star Destroyer appear above your head to rain down artillery on you, making for intense dogfights.

This mod also sees recreations of classic Battlefront 2 maps from the PS2 era like Utapau, updating them for a modern gaming experience. As someone with a lot of nostalgia for the classic Battlefront 2, this mod is maybe the closest I've seen to capturing that magic and bringing it to modern times.

If you're a long-term Star Wars video game fan, then you owe it to yourself to try out this mod and join in on one of their massive PvP multiplayer nights. Or if you prefer something smaller, you can pull together a small squad of friends to try out some of its impressive PvE modes as well.

5 Stellaris

Even More Space Battles!

Stellaris has so many Star Wars mods out there that you can spend an entire day combing through them all. However, if you'd like to cut through the fluff, I'd recommend Star Wars: New Dawn, which is a total mod overhaul of the Stellaris experience, going beyond a simple re-skin.

This mod not only adds a number of different Star Wars-themed aesthetics into the game, but also adds new mechanics such as story events, crisis chains, ship types, species, and the list goes on.

New Dawn takes place right after Revenge of the Sith and follows the rise of the Galactic Empire up until A New Hope. You'll also get to play as a variety of different factions, including the Hutt cartels and Mandalorian clans, if you want some variety from your usual Empire vs Rebels affair.

There aren't many complex Star Wars strategy games out there, so if you've been craving to see that niche filled, you should absolutely try out this mod.

This one also has a great list of options on GGMods.com.

4 Blade & Sorcery

Wacky Lightsaber Physics

Blade & Sorcery is already known for its unique sword-fighting experience through VR, but when you combine that with Star Wars, you're in for something special.

The Outer Rim is a total conversion mod for Blade & Sorcery, adding over 400 new items to the game, including lightsabers, blasters, custom maps, and custom NPCs you can use to live out your ultimate Jedi or Scoundrel dreams. Even better, you can customize your own weapons to truly feel like the experience is yours.

If you ever grew up watching Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and wanted to play a scenario where you have to survive Order 66, or even join the Jedi's attempt to arrest Palpatine, you can. With all that and more, it's hard to argue that this isn't the best Star Wars VR experience you can have right now.

3 X4: Foundations - Star Wars Interworlds

A Space-Focused Sandbox to Lose Yourself In

Odds are, if you're a fan of FTL and Stellaris, you're most likely a fan of X4: Foundations. Thankfully, it also has several fantastic Star Wars mods, which transform the game's core experience into something any Star Wars fan would enjoy.

Star Wars Interworlds is one such mod that turns the game into a complete Star Wars space sim sandbox, featuring everything you could want: huge ships, big fleets, factions, its very own economy, and of course, space battles. If you want to play through your very own epic Rebellion vs Empire scenario, this is the mod for you.

Unlike other space combat sims, X4: Foundations really emphasizes its simulator experience, letting players live out their own unique dream no matter what. Whether that's being an ace fighter pilot, commanding a giant battleship, or running an empire, X4: Foundations lets you do it all, and this mod lets you do that in Star Wars.

Want to be a gifted Rebel pilot taking on the Empire or an experienced smuggler transporting cargo and escaping bounty hunters? You can! There are also a number of existing Star Wars worlds added to this mod, letting you feel like you're actually moving within this pre-existing universe. In terms of space exploration and combat, you won't find a better Star Wars experience than this mod.

2 Squad: Galactic Contention

An All-Out Military Shooter to Rival Battlefront 2

We're almost reaching the 10th anniversary of DICE's Star Wars Battlefront 2, which was also our last major Star Wars-themed shooter game. But what if I told you there's a shooter out there that exceeds Battlefront 2's scale, and has some of the finest gunplay you'll experience in a game?

Well, you'd need not look any further than Squad: Galactic Contention. Squad is already one of the most impressive first-person shooters out there, serving as a superb foundation for this mod to build from. This love letter to the prequels is another total conversion overhaul, adding over 20 massive maps, plenty of vehicles, and dozens of Clone factions to choose from, pulling from both the animated series, and Legends stories.

Unlike in Battlefront 2, combat is also far more lethal. It isn't uncommon to get killed by a single blaster bolt that you never see coming, adding to the stress of every encounter. It also makes every assault onto a new area all the more tense, as you're likely to see countless members of your squad taking out faster than they can react. While this level of realism isn't for everyone, it does make for a truly unique gaming experience for fans eager to play a grittier Clone Wars experience.

It's looking unlikely that we'll be getting a Star Wars: Battlefront 3 any time soon, but if you're curious what a mainstream Star Wars shooter could look like, then Squad: Galactic Contention is a must try.

1 Starfield - Star Wars Genesis

The Best Way to Play Starfield

If you felt underwhelmed with the potential of Starfield, well, Star Wars: Genesis might be the mod to fully unlock the game's potential.

Starfield has gone to great lengths to revive its player base this year by releasing a new DLC and a free update that finally opens up space travel, putting you in the driver's seat. Surprisingly, these efforts still pale in comparison to the impressive work done by Star Wars: Genesis, which transforms Starfield into an entirely new Star Wars game.

What's important here is that it's a curated Mod list, with over 300 mods that will entirely revamp your experience within the game. But if you haven't seen any of the buzz around this one, it's absolutely worth checking out. You'll be able to fly your very own Bounty Hunter ship, don Mandalorian armor, and use a lightsaber to cut through re-skinned opponents.

This group of mods also comes with its very own rewritten story, which will see you join one of the many Star Wars factions, who will send you on quests to iconic planets like Tatooine, Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa, and more. While it takes a bit of finessing to get going, the effort is absolutely worth it, as this is easily one of the best ways to play Starfield right now.