One of the greatest aspects of the world of game modding is that there is a considerable range of different modes that go from simple learning exercises and quality of life improvements to completely new games built using the core elements of the original.

This is one of the aspects that makes a Minecraft modding course so unique; the barrier to entry to create a new texture, skin or block type is relatively small, but there are mods that create whole new game mechanics or even entirely new games within Minecraft itself.

Some mods are so important and influential that they not only receive a standalone release but also influence a generation of other games. With that in mind, here are some of the most important game mods ever published.

Counter-Strike/Team Fortress

Two of the most popular mods of the 1990s soon became two of the most influential first-person shooters of all time when game developer Valve established a policy of hiring mod makers to help them create games.

Counter-Strike, initially released in 2000, took the fast-paced, largely single-player experience of Half-Life and turned it into a tactical multiplayer first-person shooter that became a global phenomenon and one of the most popular eSports in the world.

Team Fortress, on the other hand, took the already highly popular Quake multiplayer and added a Capture the Flag mode, a class system and extra teams, initially becoming a standalone game in Half-Life’s GoldSrc engine before its highly anticipated sequel in 2007.

PlayerUnknown’s Battle Royale

The Arma series of complex and realistic military simulators is a rare example of a game almost predominantly sold on the strength of its game mods, and the most successful example of this is PlayerUnknown’s attempt to create an entirely new genre based on Arma 3’s gigantic maps.

The popularity of this mod led to the development of H1Z1: King of the Kill and the genre-defining standalone game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Defence Of The Ancients

Another mod that helped to establish a world-defining genre, Warcraft III’s bright graphics, colourful characters and unique mix of real-time strategy and RPG elements enabled the creation of arguably the most successful mod ever made.

Defence of the Ancients transformed the RTS game into the lane-based team combat that was perfected by League of Legends and Dota 2.