10 best video game DLCs ever made

The best DLC expansion packs ever released for great video games

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 / Monolith Soft

In a world of live service games and microtransactions, it’s gradually becoming rarer for a game to have proper DLC content. We’re not just talking about a new suite of cosmetics or in-game items here either, we’re talking about the kind of DLCs that add massive amounts of new content to the games we love. 

New maps to explore, stories to tell, and quests to complete are all requirements for a truly great DLC – you might even say that some of these expansions are better than the main game.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree / FromSoftware

One studio that still knows how to do great DLC is FromSoftware, who may be appearing on this list more than once. Elden Ring is a masterpiece and arguably the final form of the new genre the team created all those years ago. Like the main game, this DLC is filled with both wide open areas and legacy dungeons to explore, full of tough challenges, interesting new items and spells, and of course, plenty of difficult Elden Ring bosses for you to challenge.

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine / CD Projekt Red

Another company that deserves praise for keeping good DLC alive in the modern age is CD Projekt Red, who released two DLCs for the already fantastic open-world RPG, The Witcher 3. Both are great, but Blood and Wine takes it to the next level, capping off Geralt’s story in grand fashion as well as giving you a large new area of the map to explore, full of the interesting in-depth quests the game is known for.

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania

Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania / Motion Twin

The team behind Dead Cells never tried to hide the fact that they were heavily inspired by Castlevania for the gameplay and world design of Dead Cells, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they went all-out when they got the chance to make a Castlevania-themed DLC. This expansion lets you explore all the nooks and crannies of Dracula’s castle with a bunch of new bosses, encounters, and items, all packages in Dead Cells’ brilliant combat system.

Civilization 5: Brave New World/Gods & Kings

Civilization 5 Gods & Kings / Firaxis

When you have a 4X strategy as complex as the Civilization games, adding just one new mechanic to the game massively expands the strategic potential of every decision. This is what makes Civilization’s DLCs so impressive, as they add a whole bunch of innovative new systems that completely transform the experience – to the point where playing Civ 5 without the DLCs is like playing an entirely different game.

The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion: The Shivering Isles

Oblivion: The Shivering Isles / Bethesda

Oblivion has a reputation for introducing the world to an awful category of DLC thanks to the infamous horse armor pack, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that it has a really great expansion under its wing as well. The Shivering Isles offers by far the most memorable quests in all of Oblivion, letting you meet Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness for some chaotic adventures.

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen / Firaxis

XCOM’s squad-based tactics may work on a smaller scale than the lives of Civilization, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be just as complex, as proven by how much War of the Chosen adds to this top-tier tactics title. It makes the game longer, adds more complexity to almost every aspect of the game, and pushes you with tough new missions where you’ll face unique enemies.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare / Rockstar Games

If you ever needed more reason to be upset that GTA 5 never got a single-player DLC, just look to Rockstar’s back catalog of expansions. The Ballad of Gay Tony DLC for GTA 4 is widely considered to be the best part of that game, but for us, the true king of the mountain is Undead Nightmare for Red Dead Redemption. This takes the beautiful open world and satisfying gunplay of the main game and fills the world with zombies for endlessly fun cowboy action.

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters / FromSoftware

It wasn’t just Elden Ring that got top-class DLC treatment from FromSoft, Bloodborne pulled it out of the bag with one of the most beloved expansions of all time. Like other Souls games, this DLC added new areas, bosses, and other signature mechanics that were of the highest quality. If you ask Bloodborne players what their favorite encounters are from the game, they’ll probably name a fair few from The Old Hunters.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed / Monolith Soft

How do you cap off a trilogy as in-depth, meaningful, and complex as the Xenoblade series? By giving the fans everything they’ve ever wanted and more. From the moment the first trailer showed fully-grown versions of past protagonists Shulk and Rex we knew we were in for an epic ride, and Future Redeemed did not disappoint. Bringing back not just old characters, but old areas and mechanics fans had been begging to return, and wrapping it up in a brilliant story that matches the quality and impact of the main series.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty / CD Projekt Red

Phantom Liberty is one of the most impressive DLCs of all time, not only because of the quality of the expansion itself, but because it almost single-handedly turned around public opinion on one of the most lampooned games in recent memory. We don’t need to remind you what a disaster Cyberpunk 2077’s launch was, but Phantom Liberty – and the free 2.0 update that was released alongside it – has turned it into the game it was always meant to be, with a whole new DLC story in there for good measure.