Crusader Kings 3 has finally arrived, letting players try their hand at staying alive as a medieval ruler, and with it, also come its first set of mods.
Day one Crusader Kings 3 mod support means that players won't have to wait before they can drastically change their game using total conversions or add smaller UI elements that are missing by default.
That's precisely why our list of the best CK3 mods aims to feature both the large, more ambitious mods, but also the smaller ones that enhance the game's reworked UI.
The Best CK3 Mods
We'll keep adding entries to our list of the best Crusader Kings III mods as their Steam Workshop number grows.
Its inclusion makes installing them particularly easy, which is always a boon, especially with games like CKIII that have great potential when it comes to modding.
It's worth keeping in mind that with CKIII having just released, some of the mods featured below are works-in-progress that will receive more features as time passes.
The Bronze Age: Maryannu
The Bronze Age: Maryannu is a Crusader Kings III total conversion mod that moves the action further into the past while introducing its own map that includes the Near East and Aegean "in extreme detail". Starting in either 2115 or 1590 BCE and playing as the Mycenaeans, Sumerians, Hittites, and more, you still take control of a single ruler but find yourself facing the challenges of a different age. The mod includes new religious Tenets and Innovations that fit the period, overhauls buildings to add a focus on urbanization while also adding the option of infanticide. Grab it from the Steam Workshop.
Princes of Darkness
Inspired by the World of Darkness IP, CK3's Princes of Darkness mod puts you in the shoes of an immortal vampire which, it turns out, needs to look out for other things than your regular medieval ruler. Old age and disease no longer kill you, that privilege being now reserved for good old burning and decapitation. Marriages no longer produce offspring, turning them into purely political tools, while the Tenets of your Faith have been repurposed to define your character's own philosophy. As a vampire, you also need to watch out for your Hunger stat, indicating your need for blood. At the same time, falling prey to the Stress mechanic unleashes your inner monstrosity, forcing your character to abdicate. Subscribe to it on Steam Workshop.
Sunset Invasion
Building on the foundation of one of CK2's more divisive pieces of DLC, Crusader Kings III's Sunset Invasion mod adds threatening Aztecs to the game's map while allowing players – as either independent or vassaziled rulers – to define their relationship with the invaders. Mod creator KeizerHarm describes this mechanic as "half-way between the Grace mechanic from CK2: Jade Dragon, and the morality system from Bioware games". Your interactions with the Aztecs will result in either Amity or Respect which, overtime, unlock new options. Find it on Steam Workshop.
Custom Ruler Designer
The Custom Ruler Designer mod adds a solution to CK3's lack of a character creator, taking an approach found in several RPG games. While you won't be able to customize your first ruler, having to pick from the existing ones, you will be able to shape their first child. Right after starting a game, you'll have access to an event chain that lets you pick gender, traits, sexuality, culture, religion, and set the base skill amounts. While not perfect, it's a great substitute until Paradox releases the Ruler Designer proper. Check it out on the Steam Workshop.
Switch to Primogeniture
Dealing with Partition – formerly known as Gavelkind – is one of the greatest early-game challenges in Crusader Kings III but it can also be a major nuisance. If you're well past your first playthrough or simply want succession to be clearer right off the bat, the Switch to Primogeniture mod adds a selectable Decision that lets you do just that. In fact, it lets you pick between Primogeniture and Ultimogeniture, which is a neat touch. Grab it from Steam Workshop.
Visible Health, Fertility and Stress
Extra info on tooltips can be quite useful, especially when it relates to health, fertility and stress. This mod shows the values of the three stats when hovering over a character's heart icon in the character finder.
More Building Slots
The first version of CKIII's More Building Slots mod increases the number of regular buildings that can be built in baronies to 6 and in counties to 9, essentially opening up the way to gaining more bonuses, provided you have the gold for the additional buildings. Subscribe to it on Steam Workshop.
More Game Rules
The More Game Rules mod increases the amount of customization that players have access to when starting new games. Some of the new additions include options to disable Pagan reformations, change the Man-at-Arms limits and cap, and set how often the AI chooses the Temptation lifestyle. Grab it from Steam Workshop.
Rhomaioi - A Byzantine Empire Mod
The Rhomaioi - A Byzantine Empire Mod aims to make the experience of leading everyone's favorite purple blob more unique in CK3. To this effect, the Byzantine Empire gets the Imperial Autocracy government form that adds emphasis on the fact that all the land in the realm belongs to the empire. Players can assign Exarchs to govern large swathes of the realm, granting major military bonuses while Themes can be used to call vassals to external defensive wars. The Emperor can also seize domains without being seen as a tyrant, adopt sons-in-law and assign a co-emperor. Grab it from the Steam Workshop.
Pantheon of the Gods
Being a medieval ruler has its perks but what if you could also be a god? The Pantheon of the Gods mod lets you ascend from your simple human form and become a deity through a newly added decision. New traits, religions and cultures are also added, apotheosis lets you grant godly powers to other characters, and, with a bit of luck, offspring can inherit your godly blood. Subscribe to it on the Steam Workshop.
VIET Events - A Flavor and Immersion Event Mod
The VIET Events - A Flavor and Immersion Event mod adds more than 180 flavor events that aim to fill the gaps between Crusader Kings 3's wars and existing event chains. These new additions ackle anything from small talk to philosophy and love. Creator cybrxkhan aims to add more events as time goes by, in an effort of reducing repetition, while adapting some from CK2's version of the mod. You can spice up your medieval ruler's life by grabbing the mod from the Steam Workshop.
Non-essential CK3 Mods
- Bigger Font
- Abdication
- Immortality
- Barbershop for Everyone
- Brighter Portraits
- Better UI Scaling
- Fullscreen Barbershop
- CK2 Style Colorful Education Traits
- Nameplates
- More Faith Icons
- More Mapmode Buttons
- GUI Beautifications
- Hair & Beard variants
For our full thoughts on Crusader Kings III, check out our review. In addition, you can search GameWatcher for guides on topics like culture and innovations, succession but also faith and fervor.
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