The Most Wholesome Mods Of All Time

Many people play video games for the thrill of it. Maybe they enjoy an engrossing, replayable story, or they want a power fantasy that focuses on combat, spectacle, and shotguns. And, if the vanilla experience doesn't tickle the adrenal gland enough, you can always mod the game.

Mods are fun little tweaks to a title's code that alter the experience in a variety of ways. Since code is the lifeblood of video games, literally anything can change thanks to a mod. Players can replace character models to alter a game's tone, such as the "Resident Evil Village" baby mod that inserts an infant's face in the spot where Chris Redfield's head should be. They can even reintroduce cut content, as seen with the "Cyberpunk 2077" romance mod that allows a male V to pursue Judy Alvarez. However, the unsung heroes of the community are the wholesome mods.

Say you are playing an open world game that prides itself on systems and mechanics that let players interact with the world, but it doesn't have an option to pet dogs. That's when modders step in to inject a dose of much-needed humanity. Giving canines the proper amount of affection is just one of many ways modders have helped make games more warm and fuzzy.

The road to save the world is a lonely one, so many video games introduce side characters who lighten the protagonist's load. In some titles, these followers have side stories and personalities that bounce off the main character, while others are little more than digital pack mules that protagonists might marry later on. How does one show their appreciation for the latter? With mods.

The "I'm Glad You're Here" mod for "The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim" is an unofficial add-on that lets players hug their followers. The mod is short and sweet but far more in-depth than it seems. Instead of just letting players hug NPCs, clipping be damned, the mod offers several animations depending on the level of intimacy and heights of the compatriots. And, each gesture is accompanied by special dialogue.

"I'm Glad You're Here" also extends to adopted children and pets. Gamers can use the add-on to embrace their adopted children and also pet their loyal dogs. But, users who don't like hugging and want to maintain a tough-guy persona aren't abandoned. The mod also lets players salute their followers, who return the favor.

The job of being a hero is hard. Sometimes, you just need to hug it out.

"Friday Night Funkin" was designed for modding. The base game is a fun, if short, "Dance Dance Revolution"-like experience that tasks players with beatboxing their way out of battlefields, haunted game consoles, and the clutches of demonic parents. To get their money's worth, players need to install mods for extra songs and challenges. Some of the best mods, such as the Tricky Mod, continue the trend of fighting off musical threats to life and limb (accompanied by rad music), but another popular mod takes a step back and just lets the main characters relax to some stellar tracks.

One of the most wholesome mods for "Friday Night Funkin" is "Kepler Observation Unit," which sees the main characters, Boyfriend and Girlfriend, sneak into an observatory late at night. Normally, this would result in them bumping into a missile-powered defense system or secret alien invasion. Instead, they encounter KOU, an android who loves observing outer space and wants to tell them about it in song.

Not only does KOU look cute due to his design, but his songs are some of the most pleasant in the game's ever-growing library. These tunes have an upbeat vibe that wouldn't be out of place in a Hatsune Miku concert. The "Kepler Observation Unit” mod is a welcome breath of fresh, wholesome air. Players can only escape death using the power of vocal cords and arrow keys so many times before they need a break.

Dogs are man's best friends. They helped humans with hunting back when we still lived in caves, and all they ever ask for in return is food, love, and belly rubs. Odds are dogs will continue to be loyal companions long after civilization crumbles into irradiated rubble. Not all games that take place in this hypothetical future let players reassure their programmed puppy pals that their loyalty is reciprocated. When game developers fail in that regard, modders pick up the slack.

Canine companions are a recurring theme throughout the "Fallout" storyline. Every faithful furry follower aids in combat, and the developers went all-in to produce Dogmeat, the dog in "Fallout 4." However, they forgot to program in a pet button, so fans created the "Pet Any Dog" mod. As you've probably guessed, the add-on lets players pet friendly or neutral dogs.

In order to pet a dog with the mod, players first need to sink at least one point into the Animal Friend perk, which makes every dog in the game at least neutral. Afterwards, it's as easy as approaching the dog and pressing the correct interact button to initiate a mini-cutscene. Just don't try to pet a dog while in combat.

With any luck, Bethesda will code petting dogs into "Fallout 5" when the game eventually releases.

Masahiro Sakurai can only fit so many characters into each "Super Smash Bros." entry, and when a fan favorite isn't included, coders take it upon themselves to mod them into the game. For example, before Sakurai caved to fan demand and brought Ridley to "Smash," modders took multiple stabs at the purple space dragon. Many passionate programmers also produced simple skins that transformed existing characters, and some of their ideas are surprisingly wholesome — or just downright surprising.

If you browse the mod database for "Super Smash Bros.," the last thing you might expect is a mod that replaces Ryu with Kermit the Frog. You might wonder how such a skin could be wholesome since Ryu is a martial artist who can toss fireballs and deliver sternum-shattering blows, and the mod doesn't change any of that. The answer lies in the voice.

The Kermit mod goes the extra mile to insert new voice lines into the game, but instead of ripping old clips of Kermit from past "Muppet" properties, it features someone trying their darndest to mimic Kermit's unique timbre while delivering Ryu's lines. Yes, someone recorded themselves screaming "Hadoken" and "Shoryuken" in their best Kermit impersonation for this mod. There's just something wholesome about hearing an actor pour their all into this kind of work, and you can't help but crack a smile.

The Kermit mod comes in two flavors: "Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U" and "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate." The "Ultimate" edition improves on the "Wii U" version with a new character icon, victory theme, and announcer call. All it's missing is the official blessing of Sakurai.

Depending on one's coding skills, virtually anything can happen in a mod. Logically, this also means certain mods can break down the game so effectively that players can do almost anything in them. You can't get more wholesome than creating your own fun.

"Garry's Mod" should be familiar to almost anyone with a Steam account. This stand-alone product began life as a mod for Valve's Source Engine and transformed it into a virtual Lego sandbox. Players can Frankenstein together thousands of assets and models to create their own wild and wacky abominations against common sense and physics. The more inventive the player, the crazier the contraptions. In some rare instances, players used the game engine as a blank canvas to invent whole new game modes.

The "Garry's Mod" servers are host to a variety of unique experiences that either draw from other titles or have been adopted in subsequent games. Players can run around labyrinths of boxes and lay down explosive watermelons in competitive matches of Melonbomber, and if they are in the mood for something a little more party-oriented, they can queue up for a friendly, couch-smashing match of Prop Hunt. Or, players can just pretend they are back in movie theaters surrounded by friends and the smell of buttered popcorn with Cinema.

"Garry's Mod" might not let players pet dogs, but they can use it to construct giant, rocket-powered scrap metal dogs with gnome statues for ears.

It doesn't matter if a "Doom" mod showers players in more blood than usual or transforms the experience into a "Castlevania"-themed first person whipper; gamers expect these mods to be violent and difficult. Easy mode and "Doom" do not mix — unless you're talking about mods.

"Mr. Friendly" is a quaint little mod that places players in the nonexistent shoes of a floating Lost Soul. Normally, every Lost Soul's mission is to hunt down the Doom Slayer/Doom Marine and kill him in a blaze of kamikaze glory. But, "Mr. Friendly" flips the script and asks players to help demons in a variety of fetch quests, complete with bizarre, cutesy nicknames for normal items. Shotgun shells? That's boom seeds to you, Mr. Friendly.

As one content creator put it, "Mr. Friendly" is like "Animal Crossing" but without the crushing mortgage payments. In the mod, players can fly around levels to their heart's content, swap textures, and go fishing in pools of radioactive waste. Just don't ask how a Lost Soul can hold a fishing rod without hands.

"Mr. Friendly" is a laid-back experience that lets players goof off in a "Doom"-themed world without worry. Instead of players having to match the mod's pace, they can take in a wholesome environment that unfolds at their leisure.