Top 10 Best Skyrim Mods: How to Install & Download All Mods

More​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ than ten years since its launch, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is still one of the games with the highest number of mods. The Nexus Mods community is always reviving old favorites while releasing hundreds of new tweaks every single year. Whatever the players' desires may be to have nicer graphics, immersive quests, enhanced combat, new weapons, or complete gameplay overhauls, the Best Skyrim Mods is capable of changing the game into a modern RPG masterpiece.

This guide ranks the Top 10 Best Skyrim Mods, covering creators, descriptions, installation steps, and download links. If you are looking for the best of Skyrim mods, Skyrim's best mods, or simply the overall best mods for Skyrim, this curated list is the way to go, as it points out the most indispensable picks for 2025.

Top 10 Best Skyrim Mods

(10) Inigo

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

Inigo is a charming, fully voiced companion with a vast amount of conversations, personal quests, and unique reactions to the events in the game. Unlike the usual companions, Inigo not only supports you in the story, but he also talks to other followers, and reacts even to the Dragonborn's decisions, thus making him one of the most fascinating characters to ever come to Skyrim. Similar to titles featured in lists like Most Expensive Games on Steam will appreciate just how polished this mod is.

How to Install

• Get the mod from Nexus Mods.
• Install using Mod Organizer 2 or Vortex.
• Put Inigo at almost the top of your load order (i.e., above major quest overhauls).
• Open the game and locate him in Riften Jail.

(9) Legacy of the Dragonborn

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

This massive mod changes your playthrough by introducing a museum system from scratch, where every artifact you collect is exhibited. It brings in new quests, guilds, relic hunters, dungeons, and a progression system that is linked to exploration. For the ones who are obsessed with collecting, it has no rival.

How to Install

• Download through any mod manager that you like.
• Make sure that SKSE64 is installed (it is necessary for the scripts).
• Put the mod low in the load order.
• Start a new game for perfect stability.

(8) Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

Apocalypse is a mod that brings more than 155 new spells, and all of them are balanced and can fit into the existing lore. The creative new powers for the mages from Destruction, Restoration, and Alteration are just perfect for those who want an extension of their spell arsenal.

How to Install

• Install the mod through Vortex or Mod Organizer 2.
• After installation, load the game with the "Unofficial Patch" variant.
• Optionally Add Ordinator if you want the perk overhaul to be compatible.

(7) Realistic Water Two

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

This mod does the lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and seas in Skyrim better with the help of new textures, sound design, wave physics, and reflections. The immersion is turned up quite a bit with hardly any loss of frame rate.

How to Install

• Install the main file along with the patches through a mod manager.
• Turn off other water-related mods so that there will be no conflicts.
• Put your mod load order near the end for this one.

(6) Immersive Armors

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

Immersive Armors brings to the game several sets of armors that are lore-friendly and merge naturally with the environment. Those items get to appear on enemies, traders, and crafting stations thus making Skyrim's variety richer without the player's immersion being broken.

How to Install

• Get the mod from Nexus.
• Install it with Vortex or MO2.
• Use the MCM menu that comes with the mod to set the spawn rules.

(5) Vivid Weathers Definitive Edition

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

This mod is the one that changes every aspect of the lighting and weather in Skyrim, such as storms, sunsets, fog, and atmospheric color. The players get to see the more natural lighting and richer skies, and as a result, the experience of the game is breathtaking.

How to Install

• Carry out the installation of the core mod first.
• Choose the optional ENB preset if you want to enhance the visuals.
• Load the mod before Realistic Water Two.

(4) Static Mesh Improvement Mod (SMIM)

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

SMIM improves the meshes for hundreds of things, from barrels and ropes to buildings and furniture. It swaps out the low-polygon models for high-quality ones and changes the players' view of the textures and the overall realism drastically.

How to Install

• Get the files via Nexus Mods.
• Install the mod using your favorite mod manager.
• Select the recommended options during FOMOD installation.

(3) SkyUI

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

With the help of SkyUI, Skyrim's menus get a total overhaul, making them modern and PC-friendly regarding sorting, filtering, and icon systems. The mod is indispensable for players who use keyboard and mouse and run a lot of inventory-heavy mods, and if you enjoy curated mod recommendations similar to the Top 10 Best Hogwarts Legacy Mods, this is absolutely a must-install.

How to Install

• First, install SKSE64.
• Get SkyUI from Nexus.
• To have the full functionality, start the game via the SKSE loader.

(2) Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch

Why It’s One of the Best Skyrim Mods

The patch takes care of a crazy number of bugs that Bethesda never did - it covers quests, items, audio, NPCs, scripts, and world geometry. Almost every modern mod is based on it.

How to Install

• Get the patch and install it via mod manager.
• Put it at the very top of your load order.
• Always keep it turned on.

(1) Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE64)

Why It’s Ranked #1

SKSE64 is not a normal mod but a core framework that allows advanced scripting for a hundred-plus essential mods such as SkyUI, RaceMenu, Legacy of the Dragonborn, and a lot more. Most of the modern mods will not work if SKSE64 is not there.

How to Install

• Get the SKSE64 zip file from its Nexus or official page.
• Do it manually by putting the extracted files into the main folder of Skyrim.
• Use skse64_loader.exe to run the game.
• Every time Skyrim is updated, make sure to keep your mod updated as ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌well.

These Top​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ Skyrim Mods enhance graphics, gameplay, and immersion to give a richer experience to both new and returning players. If you are a fan of RPG modding, don't forget to look at our guide to the Top 10 Best Hogwarts Legacy Mods for Performance, Graphics & Gameplay for more ways ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌to.