Resident Evil Village has been out for just a few weeks, and already it's accumulated a number of mods that improve gameplay, customize in-game items, or add a note of silliness to this grim horror game. These are some of the best ones you can download right now.
For the sake of good taste — and because we wouldn't have room for anything else if we included them — we're going to avoid some of the more lewd mods (because of course those were some of the first created) in favor of those anyone can enjoy — or, anyone who's old enough to play this M-rated title in the first place.
At the moment, all of the mods on this list can be downloaded from Nexus Mods, but there are several other modders who are releasing versions of their mods via Patreon. All mods listed here are free.
Settings mods
These are the mods that help improve things under the hood, and also make installing new mods easier. If you're not a fan of one of the game's built-in tools, these mods will help improve your experience.
Fluffy Manager
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Downloading mods can be tricky, especially if you're new to modding and don't know exactly where to unpack the files, where to copy them, etc. Mod managers simplify the whole process, and FluffyQuack, the mensch, has managed to make one for the game within a very short span of time called Fluffy Manager.
It's very easy to use, and lets you turn mods off and on at your convenience, with a toggle on the mod menu. Several mods you can download from Nexus Mods require Fluffy Manager. There are even a few built-in mods you can download from the manager, such as this one that allows you to remove the skip prompt that appears on screen every time you pause the game.
In addition to mod management, Fluffy's mod lets you fix the game's FoV and on-screen vignette. Once you enable these options, they override the in-game field of view options, and will also turn off the vignette, or the slight darkening around the camera edges. If you find yourself chafing against the in-game point of view, this might help make you less seasick.
Lazy FoV and Vignette Fix
On the other hand, if the field of view and the vignette is the only issue you have with the game, and you want more granular control over what it will look like, then this mod by Maceyaface will probably help save your eyes (and your stomach). You don't have to go through Fluffy's manager to download this, as it comes with its own interface you can use with the game.
The mod works similarly to Fluffy's above, but you've got two different tools in the kit. In one, you can update the FoV and vignette in real time, while in the other you can do it without the game running. Either way, you can customize what your view in the game looks like until it's the way you want it.
Cosmetic mods
These mods won't have much of an effect on gameplay, but they can make the game look a bit better. If you want to alter a character's appearance, or that of a weapon, these are the mods for you.
Samurai Edge Custom
For all that Resident Evil Village is a beautiful and stylish game, the starter handgun is nothing to write home about. So if you want your in-game pistol to look a little more stylish, there is a mod for that. In fact, there are several mods that change the appearance of the guns, most of which have been created by modder SilverEzredes, but the one which replaces either of the pistols with the Samurai Edge is probably the best.
It reskins either pistol — there are separate files for each — with Joseph Kendo's legendary pistol, custom-made for Raccoon City's S.T.A.R.S. teams. It sadly won't upgrade either pistol in any way (you'll need to see the Duke for that) but it's a nice dose of nostalgia for those missing one of the classic Resi weapons.
Daughters Flies Removal
Not to spoil anything, but the three Daughters Dimitrescu have a bit of an affinity for insects. Every time you see them, they're usually partially obscured by clouds of flies, which also attack Ethan. There's an in-game reason for this, but lore be darned — those pests are annoying. Luckily modder xRaq has you covered with their mod.
Just as it says, the flies and their buzzing don't appear even when one of the daughters appears. Granted, this does take away your early warning system that alerts you to their presence, so they are more likely to surprise you if you have one of these mods installed. If you don't want to go so far as to remove the flies entirely, then you can download Stevebg23's Fly Swatter mod, which is purely cosmetic but might give you some bug-killing satisfaction.
Classic Start-Up Screen
Resident Evil Village contains a few homages to the early games. Save rooms and their soothing music, inventory management, strange puzzles, etc. But one that it lacks is a warning screen at the beginning that lets you know what you're getting into, something that's appeared in several games in the series, starting in 1998 with Resident Evil 2.
The start-up screen mod by boycalledjames changes almost nothing about the game — it only adds a short screen at the start that says, "This game contains scenes of explicit violence and gore" with a blurred still image of Castle Dimitrescu's lobby in the background. If you really want that classic Resident Evil flavor, this little mod can go a long way.
Ethan's Hand Restored
What on earth does the universe have against the hands of poor Ethan Winters? In just two games they've been cut off, torn apart, chewed on. In this game alone, Ethan loses two fingers on his left hand within the first hour of the game, and remains with his hand bandaged for the rest of the adventure.
Are you tired of seeing Ethan's hands, your primary way of interacting with the world, so messed up? You can restore them with Coriantumpacumeni341's "Ethan's Hand Restored" mod. It does just what it says: It restores Ethan's mangled left hand to a whole form, though sadly Ethan has lost his wedding ring at some point in the regeneration.
Fun mods
These mods aren't here to provide better graphics or to enrich the game's horrific experience. No, these are the mods that are strictly for fun. Download these when you want a few laughs.
Count Theodora
As you can probably surmise if you've seen the game's promotional material and have spent even a moment on the internet, there are a lot of not-family-friendly mods that feature Lady Dimitrescu. Some of them are tasteful. Some of them …
But if you're going to replace Lady D with anything, then it should be something almost as intimidating and terrifying as she is. Out of all the mods out so far, none of them quite match the horror that is Count Theodora, or Thomas the Tank Engine's face modded onto Lady D's by XxCRAZYPOTATOxX.
You can either get one that just replaces the face, or one with Lady D's dress dyed Thomas blue, depending on how much Tank Engine realism you want in Resident Evil. Thomas has become such a modding staple over the years that it was inevitable we'd see him modded over one of the in-game enemies. Lady D didn't need to be scarier than she already is, but Thomas's big, glassy eyes really upped the fear factor.
Merchant Costume for the Duke
The Duke serves the same role in Village that the Merchant did in Resident Evil 4 — albeit with a bit more dialogue and story relevance than his cockney-accented counterpart. He even claims the Merchant to be a friend of his during some ambient dialogue. That said, the Duke doesn't look much like our old friend. Luckily, modder JWesker is doing their part to fix that.
The mod is purely cosmetic, giving the Duke a hooded cloak and a backpack to replace his dapper waistcoat and jacket. But it definitely makes our rotund friend look a bit more cozy, if not more mysterious. Sadly, it won't replace his voice files with those of the Merchant, but it's probably only a matter of time before another modder makes that happen.
Mini Me Chris
Now we get into the sillier mods, the ones that do a little to puncture the dark, stressful atmosphere in Village. And if you want one that's both bizarre and humorous, you want to go for the one that replaces the head of baby Rosemary at the beginning of the game with that of adult Chris Redfield. Modder JTegh says in the description: "This was a dumb joke that popped into my head so I had to do this." Yeah, that tracks.
Something about seeing Chris's square-jawed mug on Rosemary's body, snuggled into her pink, knitted sweater is just hilarious in the most bizarre way. If you want to make the body swap complete, the same modder has another mod that replaces Chris's head with Rose's cute, apple-cheeked face. The swap isn't perfect: Rose's eyes are just a little too fixed and unsettling. But it's still pretty funny.
Banana Gun and Spoon Knife
Another mod that really makes the game feel less horrific and more silly is the Banana Gun mod from Stevebg23, which, as the name suggests, replaces the handgun with a partially peeled banana and the knife with a spoon. That's it … that's the joke — you get to watch Ethan fire projectiles from the end of a banana, somehow, and "reload" by swapping out different peels.
Maybe it won't make the Lycans or other supernatural horrors less scary on their own, but something about seeing them be taken down by a banana and the least sharp piece of table cutlery will do wonders for cutting down on the game's foreboding atmosphere (no pun intended).
Naturally, all of these mods will work only with the PC version of the game, but you can also play the game on Xbox Series X and Series S. If we missed any of your favorite mods, or you want to recommend some to the rest of us, leave a comment below!
Visit another scary European village in the latest Resident Evil game
Resident Evil Village brings together some of the best elements of the series' titles, from the Gothic horror of Resident Evil 4 to the stalking enemies of Resident Evil 2 and 3. If you want to be spooked while also enjoying a twisty, campy story, this is the game for you.
