Best Red Dead Redemption 2 mods that enhance your Red Dead experience

Here sitting on my computer playing a vanilla game can get boring sometimes, what’s the answer? Mods! Playing RDR2 normally was an incredible experience and I wanted more. So, I decided to install mods! The modding community has produced some great mods. Rockstar’s 2018 open-world leaves a great number of options for modders to easily indulge and make changes. Over the years the modders have added additional features and even enhanced the game completely. Mods are something that elevates the PC gaming status by a notch as they can provide a worthwhile experience and even change the game entirely. RDR2 remains one of the games with mods of endless possibilities, here we have listed some of the best Red Dead Redemption 2 mods!

How to Install mods for RDR2

In order to install mods to your game, you will need to install 2 tools first: Lenny’s mod loader and Script Hook RDR2

How to Install the pre-requisties for RDR2 mods

Here’s a step by step guide on how to install everything you need for getting the mods to work in RDR2

Lenny’s mod loader

1. Go to the following link and download the Zip file.
2. Then extract and paste the contents of the mod loader and mod manager(optional) to the root directory of the game such that the vfs.asi are in the same folder as RDR2.exe.

List me some Red Dead Redemption 2 mods!

Here we have listed some of the best mods for Red Dead Redemption 2. Read about some of the best mods for GTA 5 here.

1. Bank Robberies
2. Ped Damage Overhaul
3. Ambient Gang – RDR1 Gang Addon
4. Basic Needs Final Cut
5. Dog Companion
6. Banking The Old American Art – a banking mod
7. Ride With Gang
8. Dismember Everyone
9. Undead Nightmare 2
10. RDR2 Photorealistic reshade

1. Bank Robberies

Red Dead Redemption 2 does an incredible job of making you feel like an outlaw of the west with amazing storytelling and robbery/crime bases level designs. Outside of the story, the game allows you to rob people, trains, and stagecoaches but not the most obvious option ‘banks‘. Bank robberies are a part of the game but are only done during some story missions.

The Bank Robbery mod allows players to rob any bank throughout the map at any given point of the story. The mod is so well integrated into the game that it almost becomes a necessity to have. I mean who doesn’t wants to rob banks?

Download

Installation Guide.

1. Download the mod from the link above.
2. Paste BankRoberry.asi in the game’s root directory.(The mod requires Script Hook).

3. Ped Damage Overhaul

The Ped Damage Overhaul mod tries to make fights and violent interactions more diverse, dynamic and interesting by making NPCs behave in new ways when getting shot, like stumbling and falling when running with a hurt leg, squirming on the ground when injured, lying moaning in pools of their own blood and much more. The mod provides the combat with a more realistic dynamic and makes the fights feel more immersive!

Download

4.Ambient Gang – RDR1 Gang Addon

The Gangs in the RDR2 world are somewhat silent and missing. The Ambient Gang mod enables the gangs in the game to roam around in the wilderness and attack you upon running into them. The mod also adds some additional gangs making the western world making it full of threats. The other gangs will jump onto you and attack you upon stumbling into them. Let’s find out which gang is the true ruler of Austin!

Download

5. Basic Needs

Red Dead Redemption 2’s world is so rich that sometimes it feels like an actual real-life simulator. The vast animations and reactions of NPC’s make the world feel more and more lively. However, the Basic Needs mod takes realism to a totally next level after implementing some more realistic mechanics to the game. This mod adds 5 new cores – Hunger, Thirst, Urination, Equipment Weight and Exhaustion to the game and takes it a step or two closer to realism. Each core can be enabled and disabled as per your liking!

Download

6. Dog Companion

Who wouldn’t want to have a Dog companion? A cowboy without a horse is not a cowboy but, have you ever wondered how it’d be to play RDR2 with a personal dog, this mod is for you.

The mod adds the following features-

-Your dog will follow you and can be told to sit down and wait. 
– Your dog will intervene in melee fights and attack your opponents.
– You can order your dog to attack other animals or NPCs.
– Your dog will help you hunt.
– When tracking an animal, your dog will use its senses and help find it quickly.
– Your dog will get agitated by nearby predators and attack them if they’re too close.
– You may give your dog a name and change it anytime ingame.

Do I even need to say anything?

Download

7.Banking the old American Art

The mod aims to add a little realism to the game. When you die you lose all the money you had in your pockets. To avoid this happening you can deposit it in a bank and it will keep it safe for you! The mod adds key features like an opening and closing time for the bank! The mod allows you to manage your belongings by simply walking into the bank and interacting with the clerk.

Download

8.Ride With Gang

The good old van der lined gang! I don’t know about you but I absolutely enjoyed all the missions which involved riding and fighting along with the gang members. If you did too then this mod is for you! The Ride With Gang mod allows players to roam around the wilderness with the gang members. The mod allows the Gang members to follow you in the wild and assist you in your journey!

9.Dismember everyone

The game by default disables the possibility to blow off some limbs and heads of over 250 NPC’s which is quite disappointing. The Dismember everyone mod allows users to blow off as many heads as they want as it removes the restriction from the vanilla game making the gore and combat more intense and satisfying!

Download

10.Undead Nightmare 2

The Undead Nightmare 2 mod changes the lively world of Red Dead Redemption 2 into a zombie apocalyptic world as a plague spreads through new Austin causing the dead to rise from their graves and wreak havoc across the lands. The also features some great mechanics like the ‘Blood Moon’ and some custom soundtracks to match the tempo!

Download

1. RDR2 Photorealistic reshade

Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the best-looking games to date. With beautiful vegetation, a rich atmosphere and deep textures the game definitely stand out in the visual department. However, the modders have managed to take the game a level beyond. The Photorealistic reshade mod makes the reflections and lightning of the game more realistic providing enhanced colours, shadows, tone mapping and sharpness.

Download

Note: The Photorealistic mod requires reshade in order to work.

How to setup Reshade

1. Download Reshade from here
2. Install Reshade (browse and locate the RDR2.exe file to install reshade for the game.)
3. Paste th photorealistic.ini file in the game’s main folder and launch the game.
4. Use ‘home’ key to bring up the reshade overlay and choose the photorealistic.ini

Read more about some of the best Cyberpunk 2077 mods that make the game perfect here.