Best Skyrim VR Mods
Skyrim keeps getting released. It wouldn’t surprise us to see a Nintendo GameBoy version at some point in the future, but one of our fave versions to date has been the VR version. Yes it’s riddled with issues and once you get past just how amazing it looks in virtual reality then the glitches and annoyances can really spoil the immersion for you. Fortunately, with a modding community as active as Skyrim’s they have been able to pick up some of the issues Bethesda left behind from pretty much day one. What we have here are five of the best mods to increase your immersion in the VR version of The Elder Scrolls tale. It really is really worth playing through this reimagining of the tale before we see The Elder Scrolls VI which is on the horizon now.
If you want to see Skyrim for yourself, the way you imagined it to be, get these installed and enjoy!
Products at a Glance
How we picked
We looked for mods which work reliably when played out, even in marathon gaming sessions. We also tried to pick ones which provided a variety of features, meaning you get better value for money.
If you are looking to get into VR try these pages too:
Best Headset for VR
Best GPU for VR
Best CPU for VR
And if you are looking for mods for another Bethesda classic – Fallout 4 VR, we have pages for that too, including a Best Mods for Fallout 4 VR and a How to Play Fallout 4 in VR that you may well be interested in.
Product Reviews
- Hand collision
- Object grabbing
- Gravity gloves mechanic
- Can be fiddly to get working
HIGGS VR is constantly under development and is always pushing the boundaries of what is possible in Skyrim and VR. If everything HIGGS offers had been in the release, Bethesda would have been hailed the royalty of the VR world. It wasn’t though and it has been left up to these talented modders to insert all this great stuff into the game. When you have HIGGS installed you will find you play Skyrim VR in a wholly new natural way.
At the moment the guys are working on two-handled battle mechanics and we suggest you watch this video below to give you an idea of how truly amazing Skyrim can be with Higgs VR installed.
- Makes the UI what it should have been
- Small and simple to install
- You have to make sure to download the correct version for VR
SkyUI has been an essential mod for all versions of Skyrim for many years. As great as the PC version is there can be no denying the UI for the menus is rubbish and was clearly designed by Bethesda with console controllers in mind. If you want to play with a keyboard and mouse however, well then you need to install SkyUI. This mod basically takes all the UI aspects of the game and gives you what you would expect from a PC game, Just be sure to download the specific VR build which makes the menus work a lot easier with pointy and clicky gestures in mind. You will be amazed at the difference it makes to Skyrim VR and its gameplay.
- Huge amount of added immersion
- Flail your arms about to cast spells and the like
- Needs some set up
Another great immersion mod. This one, once set up gives you stuff like weapon holders and gestures for magic and shouts and the like bringing everything into VR immersion a lot more. We have linked a video below to help you set it up and show off what it can do, but it is another of those mods that once you start using it, then its very difficult to go back to playing without it.
- Super lightweight
- Looks great in your headset
- Not as pretty as you might have seen outside of VR
Simply the best environmental immersion weather addon for Skyrim VR. Phew, a mouthful there, but when you play vanilla Skyrim it’s fair to say the weather systems are a little underwhelming today’s graphical standards. Of course, you can now mod the living daylights out of them and make them look amazing, but this isn’t great in VR as the frame hits you can generate can make the game unplayable pretty much. Onyx VR Weather is both lightweight and gorgeous, bringing a whole new look to the climate in Skyrim without costing you a penny in framerate. It’s definitely a quality of life mod that you don’t need, but if you add it to your game you will fall in love with it for sure.
- Directional audio finally
- Hugely immersive
- Really shouldn't have to install this. Should be included in the game
It is the lack of things such as positional audio where Bethesda really let itself down with the base release of Skyrim VR. When we are looking for true immersion in a VR game, the sound coming from the correct direction is pretty much a given. Not in Skyrim VR. Lazy? Out of time? Who knows why it wasn’t included, but this mod adds it to the game and is an essential add-on for anybody playing Skyrim. You could even argue the original experience is almost unplayable without it.
Things to consider
When buying a Skyrim VR mod, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Safety
Make sure the mod you are downloading is safe and legit. You don’t want any viruses.
Features
Does the mod have multiple features? You might want to get one with more than one feature, which will give you more value for your money
Reliability
Aim for mods with good reviews where user experience is concerned,or check out ones recommended on Reddit threads. These are less likely to lag, or crash your PC.
How to mod Skyrim VR
There can be no doubting that a decently modded version of Skyrim VR is infinitely better than the vanilla version. Using sites such as Nexusmods and mod managers such as Vortex makes adding new content into any version of Skyrim a breeze.
Simply click on any of the links to the mods above and follow the instructions on NexusMods to get started. We have included videos in some of the mods to make it even easier.
This should be a simple as pressing the right thumbstick on your controller but it’s possible your VR has got your height mapping messed up, especially if you started the game while sitting down, or even crouching in real life. It can even get messed up if your headset was on your desk when you booted the game. If this seems to be the issue, simply hold down the Start button on the controller to reset the camera view (assuming you haven’t remapped it!).
Our Verdict
All of the mods here are pretty much essential for a better gaming experience in Skyrim VR but if we had to choose one it would be HIGGS VR, just for the depth it adds to the game, and the fact it is still being actively added to by the devs. Two-handed combat and the like make a world of difference to the immersion of the game and we really wouldn’t be without it. Bethesda should be hiring these guys ahead of any future VR version of its games.