Back in the day, there were dozens ofStar Warsgames to play. Lately, it feels like there’s been a dirge of titles for the IP, with fans left wanting more.
Thankfully, with the power of these amazing mods, you can transform non-Star Warsgames into games that every franchise fan wishes we could’ve had.
5XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
The infamousXCOM 2is a game with a healthy modding scene. There’s an extremely active community despite the game’s age (this probably has something to do with the lack of an XCOM 3). Needless to say, there are a ton ofStar Warsmods for the game as well, to the extent that you’re able to almost completely transform it into aStar Warsexperience.
You can convert all of your enemies to aStar Warsfaction, change all weapons to appropriate blasters, download voice lines matching battle droids, clones, or stormtroopers, unlock a whole Jedi class, and much more.
There’s really no one specific mod to point out here. Unfortunately, you’ll have to do a bit of digging to find all the mods you want for your particular game. But you’re spoiled for choice, and if you want the ordeal to be a little easier, you’re able to always look for something like theXCOM 2 Star Wars Total Conversion Collection, which is just a big collection of compatible mods for you to consider.
I personally love to turn my XCOM soldiers into Delta Squad fromRepublic Commando, complete with voice lines ripped from the game. Watching them tear through all sorts of battle droids on clandestine missions creates a uniqueStar Warsexperience fans have never gotten from an official game, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can also mod inStar Warsmusic and even convert the Lost into infected Death Troopers.
At any rate, if you’ve always wanted aStar Warsturn-based strategy game focusing on squad tactics and strategy, convertingXCOM 2into that experience is the way to go for now, because it’ll probably still be a while before we get that new officialStar Warsgame from Respawn Entertainment.
Do you love milsim games? Do you wishStar Wars Battlefrontwas a bit grittier and more realistic? Well, the odds of us getting an official milsimStar Warstitle is pretty low, but thankfully, some mods have made the experience a reality anyway.
In particular, the modGalactic ContentionforSquadcreates, arguably, the most realisticStar Warscombat experience available. If you aren’t familiar withSquad, it’s a lot likeARMAin the sense that it’s a super-realistic combined arms warfare game.Galactic Contentioncompletely transforms the game into a massive-scaleStar Warsbattlefield, with enough chaos to match the big movie battles we all know and love.
Dropships carry players around the battlefield while strafing the enemy and taking AA fire. A team of fifty players may die holding a hill or advancing through a barrage of blaster fire to take one. Specialized tools are needed to take on armored vehicles, and unique classes play special roles in supporting victory for the team, while commanders and squad leaders try to direct everyone on the radio as they pore over detailed maps.
What separates this type of experience from most casual, arcade-style shooters is the fact that getting shot is much deadlier. It’s not uncommon to get killed by a single blaster bolt, and if you do survive it, you’ll probably be seriously injured and find yourself tending to your wounds on the ground.
That kind of lethality is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly adds a touch of realism and exciting tension to the experience that you just can’t get with any officialStar Warstitles right now. While I love the officialBattlefrontgames, I have to admit thatGalactic ContentionforSquadis the closest I’ve ever felt to being in a realStar Warsbattle.
Star Warshas had RTS games before, such asEmpire at War, a title I’m quite fond of myself. But the options have always been a little limited, andEAWitself is quite old. Admittedly,Men at War: Assault Squad 2is also pretty old, but with the right mods, it can serve as an excellent ground-combatStar WarsRTS that’s even more realistic thanEmpire at War, similar to games likeSudden StrikeorCompany of Heroes.
This game is kind of like playing a milsim from an RTS point of view. You command entire armies of soldiers and vehicles, with the ability to get as specific as commanding one individual trooper among thousands if you so wish.
Threats to your troopers are pretty realistic in this game—direct hits from enemy fire and nearby explosions are extremely deadly. Your infantry will get chewed up outside of cover, and even the toughest vehicle might get taken down by an anti-tank attack to a weak spot if you aren’t careful.
This is true even without converting the game to aStar Warsexperience, but slapping aStar Warsskin over those mechanics with theGalaxy at Warmod makes for an experience that the IP just hasn’t offered in an official game. It’s like being able to command the biggest, most impressive movie battles from a bird’s eye view, complete with the chaos of thousands of troops, a veritable storm of blaster fire, and explosions galore.
The only downside is that it might fry your computer if you really want to go all out and make the biggest conflict possible in skirmish mode. With the ability to create your own massive battles, even the most powerful computers can be overwhelmed.
2Stellaris: Star Wars New Dawn
There are lots ofStar Warsmods out there forStellaris, and I can’t hope to list them all. Instead, I’ll focus on a singular total conversion mod calledStar Wars: New Dawn. It overhauls the entireStellarisexperience, not only aesthetically changing the game to match theStar Warsuniverse, but also adding new mechanics such as story events, crisis chains, ship types, species, and a lot more.
New Dawnspecifically sets the stage right afterRevenge of the Sith, following the rise of the Galactic Empire in those years between it andA New Hope. You can play as a variety of factions from the time period, engaging with new features like Hutt cartels, Mandalorian clans, uncovering technology from ancient civilizations, and institutions, as well as a ship retirement system.
New Dawneven has some features that work together with officialStellarisDLC—for example, if you have theApocalypseDLC, you can gain access to the Death Star, and theNemesisDLC will allow Hutts and Mandalorians to engage in unique covert espionage operations. Though these features are added if you have the DLC, you don’t actually need any DLC to play theNew Dawnmod.
Star Warshas never really had a 4X strategy game with the level of complexity thatStellarisoffers, making this total conversion mod a great way to get that experience if you’ve always felt the IP wasn’t delivering.Empire at Waris the closestStar Warsever got to that type of game, but even it was pretty simple in comparison to most 4X strategy titles. Just bear in mind that you may have to rollback your game to a version that is compatible with the mod.
1X4: Foundations
X4: Foundationsis a space combat and trading game, quite similar toElite Dangerous, thoughX4is more of a sandbox experience. It’s one of those living, actively evolving worlds with thousands of ships, space stations, pilots, and encounters. It’s really more accurate to call it a simulator, one in which the player can live out their space dreams—anything from being an ace fighter pilot to commanding a giant battleship or running an empire.
you’re able to basically do anything you want in this simulated galaxy, fighting, building, trading, and exploring as you seamlessly transition from cockpits to space stations and carrier decks. Now, wouldn’t it be pretty awesome if we could get that kind of sandbox experience forStar Wars?To be able to pilot almost any ship, to act as an expert starfighter pilot or an experienced smuggler, or even the commander of a Star Destroyer in a constantly changing universe?
Yeah, of course it would be cool. Thankfully, the modStar Wars InterworldstransformsX4into exactly thatStar Warsexperience. It’s kind of like the sandbox experienceStar Wars Galaxieswas, but with more focus on space. Getting to live out yourStar Warsfantasy life in this simulation is incredible—it’s the only time you’ll get to take direct control of a Star Destroyer and unleash your horde of TIEs on the enemy, and not in an RTS sense. You really are the commander of the singular vessel.
And it’s not like this mod just slaps a bunch ofStar Warsships into theX4universe. Appropriate locations are added as well, and there are lots of submods compatible withInterworldsto make the experience even more robust, adding narrative events, jobs, more factions, points of interest, and much more. All in all,InterworldsforX4is one of the most completeStar Warsexperiences in terms of space exploration and combat.
The only downside is the fact thatInterworldsrequires all of theX4: FoundationsDLC to work, so if you’re interested in this experience, you’ll need to drop a whole lot of money if you don’t get all of it on sale. But for the price you pay,X4: Foundationswill give you thousands of hours of playtime, and that’s even without any total conversion mods.
These are just a few amazing games that can be converted into an incredibleStar Warsexperience with the right mods. There are far more out there, and even these games alone may have multipleStar Warsmods you could use them with. Hopefully, we can get someofficialStar Warstitlesoffering these experiences in the future, but for now, these games and their associated mods stand tall as some of the bestStar Warsexperiences in gaming.
