The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR (PC review / PSVR review) is one of the most expansive video games out there with nearly endless amounts of content. However, it’s not the most immersive from a VR port perspective. Thankfully, the PC modding community is here to fix that.
Skyrim VR Mods: Before We Get Started
Skyrim VR is the type of game that will continue to evolve for years and years to come. The original version of Skyrim first hit PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 nearly 10 years ago and it’s still getting new mods to this day on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Unfortunately, Skyrim VR only has mods for the PC version—not PSVR.
When looking up mods for Skyrim VR on PC there is one important thing to keep in mind: The VR version of Skyrim is based on the Skyrim Special Edition iteration of the game, otherwise known as SSE, and not the original legacy version of Skyrim on PC. Almost all of the Skyrim Special Edition mods will work on Skyrim VR without any trickery needed — you can usually just use them just like you’re playing outside of VR — which is great.
If you’re interested in further expanding your modding and finding even more mods to try out, I highly recommend subscribing to the Skyrim VR subreddit and checking out the Lightweight Lazy List for even more mods and tweaks. There are countless guides, lists, and more on there to check out and people are always releasing new mods and discussing the latest mods they’ve tried.
For my list below, I’ve collected the mods into a handful of subcategories to organize things. First are the required tools and plugins that you need before you can even use most of the other mods on this list. Then we’ve mods I’ve classified as “essential” if you want to get the most out of Skyrim VR, followed by graphics mods, immersion mods, gameplay mods, and “other” mods such as followers and quests.
Preferences, Mod Manager, and Load Order
When it comes to the graphics mods specifically, keep in mind that everyone has different visual preferences so what I list here may not apply to you. Maybe you really love the Vanilla weather effects (if you’re unaware vanilla = unmodded) or maybe you want three different tree mods. That’s up to you, so treat this modding list as a starting point only.
You should also use a Mod Manager to streamline things more. I recommend either Mod Organizer 2 if you’re extremely new to this or Vortex, which is directly connected to Nexus Mods so it’s pretty straightforward as well.
And in regards to Load Order, generally speaking you want to make sure your mods are arranged in order of most general to most specific because if a mod loads later in the list it will overwrite whatever loaded before it if they cover similar areas. For example, if you have a mod that changes all textures in the game and then a specific mod to make the road signs a particular texture, you’d put the road sign mod after the general texture mod. And sometimes there are patches that make mods compatible with each other when they conflict—in those cases make sure patches are loaded after both of the other mods.
For more information on load order, you can read this guide.
Required Tools and Plugins for Skyrim VR Mods
SKSEVR | Nexus Mods Page
This is a script extender which means it’s a mod that unlocks more modding potential for other mods to use. Many of the best mods require you have this one installed already.
SkyUI VR | Github Page
This is technically a UI replacement mod that just makes things a lot better and easer to navigate and the VR version is specifically enhanced for VR. Also, plenty of other mods require this one.
Essential Skyrim VR Mods For Everyone
VRIK | Nexus Mods Page | Tutorial Video
This is the big one. Skyrim VR does not natively have a full-body for your player character while you’re playing. This means you just have two floating hands and if you look down you don’t see anything at all. VRIK fixes that with a full body to look at. In addition, it also includes weapon holstering on your body itself as well as gesture-based spellcasting and equipping gear and spells. All of this is powered by inverse kinematics. Requires SKSEVR and SkyUI.
HIGGS VR | Nexus Mods Page | Installation Video
Combined with VRIK, HIGGS VR truly transforms Skyrim VR into something that almost feels like it was natively made for VR. This mods adds hand collisions, object grabbing so you can just pick up and use items instead of having to navigate to your inventory menu first, and even gravity gloves like in Half-Life: Alyx for picking up things. Requires SKSEVR and SkyUI.
VR FPS Stabilizer | Nexus Mods Page
Regardless of how beefy your PC is Skyrim VR is a taxing game and the more mods you install the higher the demand goes for your system. This mods won’t solve every issue, but it does help maintain a high framerate and help avoid reprojections and FPS spikes. Definite must-have for everyone. Requires SKSEVR.
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch | Nexus Mods Page
This fixes a bunch of bugs that Bethesda never got around to fixing and it applies to the VR edition as well.
Best Immersion Skyrim VR Mods
True 3D Sound | Nexus Mods Page
It’s bizarre that you need to mod this in, but here we are. This mod makes sure that sounds actually come from the proper direction in 3D space when you’re in VR. It makes a huge difference for immersion.
Be Seated VR | Nexus Mods Page
This mod is simple: it lets you sit down and use beds in more places. It’s a pretty nice immersion bonus to actually feel like you’re part of the world more.
Realistic Mining | Nexus Mods Page
This lets you mine rocks by actually swinging your pickaxe.
Natural Locomotion | Steam Page
This isn’t actually a mod, but it’s a plugin that lets you control your character’s movement in VR by moving in real-life. So you can swing your arms or use trackers on your feet to move around instead of the analog stick. Combined with a treadmill or even just jogging in place, it can really feel more immersive that way. It’s the next best thing besides a VR treadmill like the Kat Walk.
Dragonborn Speaks Naturally | Nexus Mods Page
This lets you use your voice to actually read out dialogue options over your mic rather than selecting with the controllers. It’s a bit complicated to setup, but worth it.
SkyVoice Reloaded VR | Nexus Mods Page
You know how in Skyrim your character “shouts” dragon words to do special abilities? Well, this lets you actually say them out loud to activate the powers. It’s a huge immersion benefit.
Best Graphics Skyrim VR Mods
Onyx VR Weathers | Nexus Mods Page
I almost included this one under essentials because of how great and transformative it feels. This is a very lightweight mod that is specifically made for VR to totally revamp the weather and sky to make it all look and feel far, far better.
Noble Skyrim | Nexus Mods Page
This is a massive texture overhaul that improves all of the architecture and some landscapes.
MystiriousDawn’s HD Skyrim Overhaul | Nexus Mods Page
This is the best HD texture overhaul I’ve seen for landscapes that doesn’t massively tank performance at all and works great in VR.
Static Mesh Improvement Mod (SMIM) | Nexus Mods Page
Ever notice how all of the various meshes on random clutter objects look very low-res in Skyrim VR? This fixes that for thousands of objects.
Realistic Water Two | Nexus Mods Page
Makes water much prettier. That’s about it, but is a pretty big deal since you see water so often in this game.
SkyVRaan | Nexus Mods Page
This mod emulates water reflections and makes all bodies of water look a lot better. It’s directly compatible with the aforementioned mods, Onyx VR Weathers and Realistic Water Two.
Enhanced Vanilla Trees | Nexus Mods Page
Trees in the base game look like garbage but most mods totally redo them or replace them. This mod keeps the same style, just makes them look better.
Ethereal Clouds | Nexus Mods Page
Clouds are prettier. Really looks nice—especially at night—and works with Onyx.
Ethereal Cosmos | Nexus Mods Page
More detail and nuance for space, stars, and constellations at night time. Combined with Ethereal Clouds it really transforms the mood at nighttime in Tamriel.
ELFX | Nexus Mods Page
Complete lighting system overhaul. This makes a massive difference for interior locations and night time visuals.
Total Character Makeover | Nexus Mods Page
This overhauls the textures for characters in the game to generally improve the look of everyone across the board.
ENB + CAS Sharpener | Installation Instructions
This combination will give Skyrim VR a fresh look that is much more vibrant and sharpens the visuals to get rid of the rampant jagged lines you usually see in Vanilla.
Best Gameplay Skyrim VR Mods
Smilodon | Nexus Mods Page
This is a big combat overhaul mod. It changes and adds so much you should just read the Nexus page for more details but I highly recommend it, especially for melee characters.
Location Damage VR | Nexus Mods Page
With this mod, you’ll do different amounts of damage based on which body part you hit on an enemy with your arrows and spells. This sounds minor, but Location Damage VR really improves combat a lot in terms of immersion and realism.
MageVR | Nexus Mods Page
This adds more VR-focused interactions and movements to access and navigate menus. As a mage in Vanilla Skyrim VR you spend a ton of time in menus, so this mod changes that. This is basically essential if you plan on playing a mage or using magic, at all, in any way.
MArc | Nexus Mods Page
This adds arcane archery to the game that more effectively lets you combine magic and archery into one character with things like elemental arrows and archery skills based on various schools of magic.
Best Other Skyrim VR Mods
This list of other mods is entirely based on my own personal preferences, so there is a high chance that you may not even like these things—and that’s okay. Take these recommendations with a grain of salt, if you will.
I’ve played through the opening in Skyrim so many times I can’t really stand it anymore, to be honest, so I always use the Alternate Start mod now for something different. Immersive Citizens is a great mod as well to add more behavior variation to NPCs. For some great follower companion mods, I absolutely love both Inigo and Sofia, who are fully-voiced, and this mod which fleshes out Serana even more from the base game.
To add in new content via Skyrim VR mods like quests and expansions, it’s hard to not recommend Legacy of the Dragonborn, which feels like a proper DLC for the game more than a fan-made mod. I’ve also got a soft spot for Helgen Reborn, which lets you rebuild the city of Helgen after Alduin attacks during the intro, The Forgotten City questline which won a Writer’s Guild award for its script, and of course the excellent Moonpath to Elsweyr, which lets you visit the border of Elsweyr, the home of the Khajiit people.
Ultimately, there is no such thing as a complete list of all recommended Skyrim VR mods because everyone’s needs and wants are different—not to mention more new mods are released all the time. Just look over the list of most popular all-time Skyrim mods for more ideas.
Did we miss any of your favorite Skyrim VR mods? Let us know your other recommendations down in the comments below!
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