Players have visited many different battlegrounds over the years with theTotal Warseries. The collections of various campaigns and historical battles can easily take hours for the player to sift through on their way to ultimate victory. Even then, the fun of experiencingTotal Wardoesn’t have to end there.
RELATED:Hearts Of Iron IV: Best Total Conversion Mods
Plenty of great mods exist for many of the franchise’s best titles. The ones that are the most fun to experiment with are the total conversion and overhaul mods. Total conversion mods tend to change everything from the ground up, often letting players experience new and fantastical realms. Overhaul mods keep the basic structures in place but seek to improve upon them in a variety of ways. Both types are assuredly worth the player’s time.
Updated June 25, 2025 by Mark Hospodar:When it comes to strategy games, the Total War franchise is tough to beat. Various historical periods, as well as the fantasy setting of the Warhammer universe, are ready to be conquered by players looking to test their skills.
As it happens, plenty of stellar mods exist for every entry in the series to take their respective games to the next level. Some of the most impressive examples are the total conversion and overhaul mods. This list has been expanded to include a few more worthwhile entries for fans to enjoy.
How To Install Total War Mods
Mod DB operates on a more old-school level. A mod’sinstallation instructions need to be read carefullysince the process can differ slightly depending on the mod itself. However, generally, fans will need to navigate to a particulargame’s directory on their hard drive. Players will then have to create aMods folderand dump the contents of an add-on inside of it. An example might look something like this:
18Stainless Steel
Players who can’t get enough medieval action and intrigue should definitely check outStainless Steel. It’s a complete overhaul mod forMedieval 2: Kingdoms, making the game more challenging and historically accurate while also maintaining the general feeling of the vanilla experience.
Most facets of the gameplay are overhauled from the ground up. Myriad bugs are fixed, graphics are updated, and a whole host of military units are rebalanced. A full accounting of all the changes Stainless Steel providescan be found here.
17Radious – Total War: Three Kingdoms
For veteran modders of the franchise,Radiousshould sound familiar. The team behind Radious has made mods for almost every majorTotal Wargame released. Those who have conquered China inTotal War: Three Kingdomsseveral times over already and are thirsty for more should certainly give this mod a try.
No stone is left unturned with Radious. Over 70 new units are seamlessly incorporated into the game. The economy is reworked to facilitate the fielding of larger armies, while the battles themselves have been rebalanced for a greater challenge. There’s also a nice collection of submods available for even greater variety.
16Darthmod – Total War: Shogun 2
Similar to the previous entry, theDarthmodcollection has spanned multipleTotal Wargames.Total War: Shogun 2isone of the most popular titles in the franchise, so it’s no surprise that the authors of Darthmod eventually decided to focus on it.
RELATED:Total War: Rome Remastered - How To Activate Cheats & Every Code
One of the hallmarks of Darthmod is its overhaul of theTotal Warbattle mechanics and A.I. Unit sizes are larger while morale is given a boost. As such, troops won’t break as easily, resulting in longer and more complex set pieces. A.I. factions will also put a greater priority on recruiting their own unique units, giving each army a more dynamic composition.
15Imperium Surrectum
After releasing in April 2021, it wasn’t long before mods started to pile up forTotal War: Rome Remastered. One of the most promising, though it’s still a work in progress, isImperial Surrectum. Like other mods on this list, it aims to enhance the historical realism of the vanillaRome Remastered.
Keep in mind, however, that this mod still has a long way to go. Since it’s relatively new, Imperium Surrectum hasn’t implemented its full suite of features yet. Nevertheless, the mod is still worth a try, if only to get hyped for the eventual release of the finished product.
14SFO: Grimhammer 2
The historical titles in this series aren’t the only ones that benefit from great mods.Warhammerenthusiasts are in luck, as a truly stellar mod exists forTotal War: Warhammer 2. As far as overhauls are concerned,SFO: Grimhammer 2is all that most players probably need.
Every faction in the game is given a rework in some manner, bringing everything more in line withWarhammerlore. The sheer number of additions is immense, with hundreds of new buildings, technologies, abilities, skills, and so much more.
13SFO: Grimhammer 3
Of course, fans of the previous mod will undoubtedly be interested in its sequel. With the release ofTotal War: Warhammer 3, it was only a matter of time before work was started on an overhaul mod. Although it’s still an ongoing project,SFO: Grimhammer 3is the quintessential overhaul mod for the game.
The list of changes to the campaign and battles is already quite extensive. Players can expect a vastly different experience in terms of mechanics since nearly everything is given a tweak or rebalance in some capacity. As work on the mod continues, fans can look forward to even more content to be added in the upcoming months.
12Europa Barbarorum
Rome: Total Waris typically cited as one of the best titles in the series. Navigatingthe politics of the ancient Roman worldproved immediately engrossing to fans. However, longtime veterans of the game tend to dominate the proceedings once the basic gameplay mechanics have been mastered. All of the challenges eventually disappear.
RELATED:Mistakes Everyone Makes Playing Total War: Rome Remastered
A better test of skill is offered through theEuropa Barbarorummod. This mod prides itself on historical accuracy, which it pulls off quite well. Factions and their unit/building rosters have been rebalanced in addition to new ones being added as well. Playing as a new faction now feels like a wholly unique experience, giving the game some much-appreciated variety.
11Third Age — Total War
Perhaps the most belovedTotal Warmod of all time,Third Agebrings the battlefields ofTolkien’s Middle-earthto life. Ever get tired of commanding human foot soldiers and cavalry? Try leading hordes of orcs and trolls instead! Famous battles and events depicted in the movies can also be reenacted with ease.
The main campaign is another highlight of the mod, which focuses on the dramatic War of the Ring. A whole host of factions encompassing all the races of Middle-earth are available to play in this conflict. Most players don’t need another reason to revisit the classicMedieval 2: Total War, but this fantastic mod will surely tip the scales.
10Divide And Conquer
Despite its beloved status as one of the greatestMedieval 2: Total Warmods, the previously-mentioned Third Age add-on is quite old. Fans who want a more robust experience playing in Tolkien’s world of fantasy should considerDivide and Conquer, aLord of the Ringsmod forMedieval 2: Total War: Kingdoms.
Divide and Conquer is a lovingly crafted mod that features 26 playable factions and almost 200 units. Fans can look forward to hundreds of scripted events and reworked mechanics from theKingdomsexpansion for an entertainingly immersiveLotRexperience. For fans who crave the definitive Tolkien overhaul mod forTotal War, this mod won’t disappoint.
9Divide Et Impera
Total War: Rome 2had a bit of a rocky launch when it was released in 2013. Many fans were left with the impression that the sequel failed to live up to the high standards set by the original. Nonetheless,Rome 2still possesses some interesting options when it comes to mods.
RELATED:Games That Take Place During Important Historical Events
Similar to the Europa Barbarorum mod for the originalRome: Total War,Divide et Imperabrings more historical realism to the base game. It’s also more of a challenge when it comes to combat. There’s no steamrolling an enemy with this mod. Battles need to be fought carefully and with tactics to prevail.
