15 Best Mods For Crusader Kings 3, Ranked

Summary

• Crusader Kings 3 is a great introduction to grand strategy games with better design and helpful features.
• Players can enjoy endless gameplay with active modding community to enhance and customize the game.
• Mods like RICE, Elder Kings 2, and After the End add depth and variety to the Crusader Kings 3 experience.

Grand strategy games might not be up everyone's alley, but Crusader Kings 3 is such a great and intuitive introduction to this form of gameplay that players can actually contemplate the idea of getting into a series that has felt ridiculously convoluted for the longest time. The combination of better gamer design, informative tooltips, and helpful notifications has turned Crusader Kings 3 into one of the greatest strategy games ever made.

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Players who get into this title will find themselves enjoying hours upon hours of amazing gameplay... although they might reach a saturation point after a while. However, there's no need to worry — the modding community for Crusader Kings 3 is extremely active and allows players to reinvigorate the gameplay of this title with a host of stellar changes. Some of the best mods in this regard are listed below.

Updated May 13th, 2025 by Hilton Webster: For as in-depth and packed with content that Crusader Kings 3 is, the game is also built in such a way that it can be easily modified, laying the foundations for some incredible mods. More and more of them just keep releasing for Crusader Kings 3, so we've added in a few more of our favourites.

16 RICE

Some Enrichment For Those Underdeveloped Areas

• RICE by Cybrxkhan

Have you ever been playing a location in Crusader Kings 3, but felt underwhelmed by the lack of unique aspects to a historically unique region? Or maybe you outright avoid playing around some areas because you know there aren't unique events to make those areas shine in comparison to the more popular ones.

If that's the case, then the Regional Immersion and Cultural Enrichment (RICE) mod is for you! Comprised of many different flavour packs. This adds new music to certain cultures, adds whole new religions, brand-new activities for certain cultures, and even unique lifestyles and dynasty legacies. It is an expansion of the game, rather than a overall, making it all the more deeper.

15 Elder Kings 2

Take Your Dynasty To Tamriel

• Elder Kings 2 by ElderKings

Sometimes, reality is a bit boring. You can only explore the same regions of Europe and its surrounding regions so much before you start to feel the tedium of having to be in Europe. So to that end, you should consider a total conversion mod, one that brings you into a brand-new world. A fantasy one you might be much more familiar with.

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The Elder Kings 3 mod transforms Crusader Kings 3 into the world of Tamriel, and all the races that come with it. This comes with all the major races of the games, plus many more often unseen. There are wholly unique mechanics to the Imperial Court, brand-new lifestyles focused around magic, and even implementations of vampirism. It's a very comprehensive experience.

14 Cities Of Wonder 3

For A Sprawling Metropolis

• Cities Of Wonder 3 by Valaddar

The growth of your holdings is key to successful growth in Crusader Kings 3. They give you gold, development, stronger men-at-arms, and plenty more. Sometimes though, this can be a bit restrictive. You may hit the limit too early, or the models seem a bit generic the world over.

If you want your holdings to be the true jewel of your realm, then you want the Cities of Wonder 3 mod. With it, all your cities and castles can gain additional upgrade levels with unique models and can become Burges. With this comes unique new buildings that can be built in these holdings for even more variety and strategic depth.

13 After The End

What Comes Next?

• After the End By General MacMonika

After the End is a total conversion mod that is set in a post-apocalyptic future. North America, and all the countries and states and provinces within, has fallen to some unknown event. The end has come, and what remains is ripe for the taking.

After the End is filled with a huge number of cultures and religions. Options for any playstyle are easily found. Residents of North America might take special pleasure in this mod as they recognize familar places and locations, albeit warped by time. After the End is a marvel of a mod that introduces the future to a game about the past.

12 Game Of Thrones

You Win Or You Die

• A Game Of Thrones By CK3AGOT

If a world existed that was better suited for Crusader Kings 3 than Westeros, we don't know what it could be. George R.R. Martin's world of politics and murder has been converted to Crusader Kings 3 in the Game of Thrones mod.

Game of Thrones features a fully recreated Westeros that's been crammed full of familiar characters. Bookmarks exist that range from the heyday of the Targaryens to the beginning of the books' story. Whether you start as a canon character, or make your own cadet dynasty, there's something for everyone. For players who have always thought they could do better than some of the characters at the Game of Thrones, here's the chance you've longed for. Just don't go to any weddings...

11 Better Barbershop

A Little Off The Top?

• Better Barbershop By Agami

Crusader Kings 3 has gotten a lot of things right, but the amount of customization in terms of clothes is still lacking. Never fear, however as the Better Barbershop mod is designed to fill in the gaps. With this mod, your characters will never be unfashionable again.

The Better Barbershop mod offers a level of customization well beyond what the vanilla game has. Everything piece of clothing can be altered or manipulated, allowing rules to show off their wealth with rich, bright colors the peasants couldn't dream of. Other NPCs such as spouses and councelors can be edited too, allowing for entire houses to show their royal colors.

10 A Spouse Designer

Make Your Perfect Match

• A Spouse Designer By Lrds

When you create a character from scratch in Crusader Kings 3, there is an option to start married. Since marriage is one of the key mechanics in the game, this is an important option. Spouses can make or break a playthrough, but the spouse for custom rulers will be randomly generated.

A Spouse Designer mod allows players to create the perfect partner for their custom characters. Whether you want a spouse who is good at schemes, or somebody who can be diplomatic, this mod allows you to take the guess work out of matchmaking.

9 Sinews Of War

An Empire Alive

• Sinews Of War By Vertimnus

Sinews Of War is an underrated addition to the workshop, but it is really an amazing mod. The attention to detail in its fresh population system and empire management completely transforms the base game of Crusader Kings 3. Your sprawling empire will feel and behave more like a living, breathing entity.

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Citizens can die. Fertility rates are judged on the nearby environment, like access to water, and the general climate. Brand new city and empire management let you pass edicts that can both help and hinder your population. Sinews Of War is a complex mod currently still in its open beta period, although it is compatible with some of the other popular mods on this list.

8 Shogunate

Hail To The Shogun

• Shogunate By FUN

Shogunate is a conversion mod that takes place in 16th Century Feudal Japan. You can play as any of the historical Japanese lords, as well as any other landed character. It is filled with rich history, all lovingly created for the game by the amazing mod team.

While the mod is still in development, the map, characters, and a ton of flavor details have already been incorporated. Shogunate is still a work in progress, but it is a great mod if you're looking for something different in CK3.

7 Historical Figure Mod

Who Was That, Again?

• Historical Figure By FUN

This Historical Figure mod is surprisingly huge and very intuitive. It basically introduces over 40,000 historical figures into your campaign of Crusader Kings 3. That includes people like William I and Richard the Lionheart.

It then draws information about these characters from Wikipedia and creates little bios for them. This adds another level of historical accuracy to the game, although these characters can still randomly die, be captured in sieges, and otherwise disappear into the fog. Catch 'em while you can.