Although console gamers have slowly grown used to add-on content over the last decade, PC fans have spent over twenty years dealing with it. PC games have always had some form of additional content to their games, dating back to the days of EverQuest.
As expansions and downloadable content have become normal for all platforms, things have just caught up to where PC always was. That said, there are some PC games that handle their DLC better than others. Some games have used DLC to give their games complete make-overs, while others have used it to improve upon an already incredible experience.
10 Borderlands 2 Adds In Four New Campaigns For Players To Get Through
Few companies know how to do DLC quite like Gearbox Software. The Borderlands series always has games packed with content, only to put out enough add-on campaigns to make things feel like an entirely new game. With Borderlands 2, Gearbox added new characters, raised the game's level cap to give players more to do, and tossed in not one, but four additional campaigns.
Each new campaign in Borderlands 2 had an entirely different world and feel to it, bringing players back for more each time. The last one, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, was popular enough to inspire a game of its own, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, a fantasy take on the Borderlands universe.
9 Destiny 2 Uses Expansions To The Game's Lore And Campaigns To Keep The Gameplay Fresh
While the game was criticized on release, the original Destiny was transformed by its DLC into a title that found a massive fanbase. Through Destiny 2's expansions, Destiny expanded into a massive science-fantasy galaxy, one where new threats could appear at any moment. Meanwhile, old threats kept silent, waiting for the perfect moment to cause trouble for the Guardians.
It isn't just the Destiny 2's lore and campaigns that have improved. Expansions have kept the gameplay feeling fresh over the game's last six years. With Lightfall announced for 2023 and The Final Shape announced for 2024, its clear Bungie has no intention of pulling support for Destiny any time soon.
8 Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Improved On Capcom's Already Massively Successful Monster Hunter World
With Monster Hunter World, Capcom was able to bring over the Monster Hunter formula to the West. Soon, PC and console fans alike were embracing its unique gameplay. Capcom has always built onto their Monster Hunter titles, adding new quests that come with more powerful monsters for players to hunt, gaining new weapons and armor.
After Monster Hunter World's successful release, Capcom followed it up with the impressive Iceborne expansion. Taking players to a new map, Capcom added new and classic monsters from Monster Hunter history along with another campaign to give players a reason to return. Iceborne was nearly as beloved as the original game, which was considered one of the greatest games of 2018.
7 No Man's Sky Used DLC To Restore Its Reputation
Before No Man's Sky released, gamers all asked the same question: "what do you do in the game?" It was a valid question, one that Hello Games didn't have an answer for at launch. Over time, the company transformed No Man's Sky into a completely different game through frequent updates and expansions. Players could create underwater bases, pilot living ships, or even build their own giant robot to explore planets with.
Hello Games doesn't seem to have any intention of stopping either, meaning every time players come back to play No Man's Sky after months away, there's even more for them to do. With years of hard work, Hello Games has transformed No Man's Sky into a game where players can literally go anywhere, and do whatever they want.
6 Genshin Impact Keeps Expanding An Already Massive World
Generating billions of dollars in just two short years, Genshin Impact has become a global phenomenon. Part of that is due to how the game is always expanding. Its gacha mechanics certainly leave a lot to be desired, adding new and well-written characters that can be almost impossible to pull without spending any money.
However, with miHoYo expanding Genshin Impact's world with every major update, adding both more campaigns and more side stories to develop Teyvat, fans keep coming back for more. Even when they aren't adding new countries, they're adding side content like volleyball and trading card games.
5 Warframe Maintains A High Playerbase Through Multiple Expansions
Warframe was already one of the most beloved games on PC during the early 2010s. Its proper use of F2P monetization allowed fans to get comfortable with the game without feeling pressured to spend money unless they wanted to. Over time, developer Digital Extremes has used expansions to transform Warframe into something completely different from it looked at launch.
They've changed the way the combat worked, added new enemies, revamped old maps, and added open-world environments for players to explore. Even now, Warframe's still one of the most popular games on Steam, with its most recent expansion, Veilbreaker, having launched in September.
4 Assassin's Creed Odyssey Did Its Own Take On Greek Mythology With The Fate Of Atlantis
Ubisoft sent fans to Greece for their best Assassin's Creed of the last generation. There, fans got to experience an epic journey as the Misthios, in a story that took dozens of hours and took them to multiple islands. However, players weren't finished by the end. In their second DLC, The Fate of Atlantis, Ubisoft explored the more mythological aspects of the world.
Within The Fate of Atlantis, the Misthios helps out the gods themselves with their problems. Fate of Atlantis provided three massive chapters, each with new areas to explore. Much like the main game, the breadth of content is almost too much to handle, but people certainly get their money's worth.
3 Dragon Age: Inquisition Set Up A New Enemy For Thedas
Dragon Age: Inquisition was BioWare's best entry in the Dragon Age formula. In Inquisition, players were charged with the job of sealing off the rift between the human world and the Fade, and stopping the person responsible. After the main game, however, players received an additional three DLC campaigns to get through.
Each one serves its own purpose, but the last one, Trespasser, feels like a mini-sequel for Inquisition. Not only does it work to give a proper ending to many of the characters' stories, but it perfectly sets up the next antagonist for fans — although it might have messed up some players' favorite romance in the game.
2 Final Fantasy XIV Offers High-Quality Story Campaigns With Each Expansion
It's a bit different with MMOs, since people are more used to the idea of "expansions" rather than DLC. Semantics aside, Final Fantasy XIV offers some of the highest quality additional content on any platform. Each new expansion brings not only a massive new campaign for players to enjoy, but new job classes and new lands to traverse as well.
The Final Fantasy XIV expansions also seem to do better on Metacritic with each new release. The most recent expansion, Endwalker, gave players the chance to finish the battle between Eorzea and the Galrean Empire for good. Despite that, players of the series are just as ravenous for new content as they were after finishing A Realm Reborn.
1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Offers A Perfect Epilogue To Geralt's Adventures
Aside from creating one of the most iconic TV characters in recent years, The Witcher franchise also has one of the most beloved games of the PlayStation 4/Xbox One generation. CD Projekt RED delivered on their promise to create the ultimate fantasy RPG, with a captivating story and unforgettable characters. However, the developers weren't satisfied with just the base game.
Through two DLCs, they brought people back into Geralt's world for even more adventure. With Blood and Wine, players not only got to travel to an entirely new area, but they got the closure they needed for Geralt's epic adventure. Just like everything else when it comes to The Witcher 3, the DLC represents a high-water mark for downloadable content going forward.