The 10 best DLCs ever made for games!

Some games are already huge by nature. Even so, certain expansions manage to go beyond the base content and deliver experiences that feel like complete new chapters. In some cases, they impress as if they were full games. Getting this right is synonymous with success.

In this list, we've gathered titles whose DLCs not only complemented the main story, but also elevated the level of the original work. First of all, no, they’re not ranked from best to worst. The merit for inclusion in the selection is how fun or more immersive the game became after the additional content.

Grand Theft Auto 4: The Lost And The Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony

The expansions for GTA IV make the list because they don't function as superficial extra content, but as complete campaigns that broaden the vision of Liberty City.

The criteria here is clear: DLCs that deepen the narrative, offer relevant new mechanics, and change how the player perceives the original world.

The Lost and The Damned adds the weight of biker gangs and reinforces the city's more gritty side, while The Ballad of Gay Tony focuses on luxury, exaggerated weapons, and more spectacular missions. Together, they make the game more varied, dynamic, and narratively rich.

In addition to expanding the story, these expansions make Liberty City more vibrant and interconnected. Characters and events intersect, revealing different perspectives on the same events, which increases immersion and the sense of continuity.

The result is a package that not only prolongs the fun, but completes the experience, transforming GTA IV into a broader, more diverse, and memorable work.

The Last of Us: Left Behind

Left Behind makes the list because it represents the type of DLC that exists not just to add hours of gameplay, but to strengthen the emotional foundation of the main narrative.

By revisiting Ellie's past, the content offers essential context for her decisions and traumas, making the events of the base game even more significant, bringing in Riley, the protagonist's friend, to show how part of the character's personality was formed.

Even though it's shorter, the expansion stands on its own as a story with a well-defined beginning, middle, and end. It alternates between moments of lightness and tension, reinforcing the contrast between innocence and survival that marks the character.

The result is a more immersive and complete experience that not only complements the larger plot but also intensifies the player's emotional connection with Ellie.

God of War: Ragnarok - Valhalla

This expansion makes our selection because it represents more than just an epilogue: it serves as a thematic closure to an entire phase of the franchise. The criteria here prioritizes DLCs that delve deeper into the protagonist and offer genuine character development. By placing Kratos alone, without Atreus, the narrative creates space for introspection and direct confrontation with his own ghosts.

With a focus on replayability and even a visit to the Greek enemies – perhaps a taste of the recently announced God of War remake – this expansion explores mechanics like that of Hades. Thus, in roguelike style, with meta-progression full of content from the base game offered in unpredictable ways, we face bosses and various challenges to reap a great reward as fans of the Spartan.

The journey of self-discovery gives new meaning to the Ghost of Sparta's past, transforming guilt and violence into reflection and maturation. The emotional weight of this journey strengthens everything built in the Nordic chapter, making the experience more complete. It's not just additional content, but a complement that redefines the character and amplifies the dramatic force of the saga.

Dragon Age: Trespasser

In the Dragon Age series, the DLCs stand out for the same reason: they’re not just side content, but fundamental pieces for understanding the whole. Some conclude open storylines, expanding on the political and personal consequences left by the main campaign. They add new areas, relevant characters, and decisions that impact the future of the universe.

The highlight is Trespasser, which serves as a direct epilogue to Inquisition. The expansion offers narrative closure, deepens relationships, and establishes the conflicts that shape the next chapter of the franchise. More than just expanding the map, it strengthens world-building and gives weight to the player's choices, making the gameplay more cohesive and complete.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – The Shivering Isles

The Shivering Isles appears on the list because it represents the type of expansion that goes beyond extra missions and truly transforms the perception of the base game. By taking the player to a territory entirely different from Cyrodiil, under the unpredictable rule of Sheogorath, the content breaks with traditional fantasy and bets on a more surreal and provocative atmosphere.

The division between mania and dementia influences the setting, characters, and decisions, creating its own identity that holds up from beginning to end. The central mission, laden with symbolism and dark humor, expands the mythology of the universe and reinforces the creativity of the work. For many, it’s the moment when Oblivion reaches its boldest and most memorable point.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Phantom Liberty is the icing on the cake of Cyberpunk 2077's comeback after its controversial launch in late 2020. The expansion introduces Dogtown as a new dense and dangerous area, adds central characters to the plot, and builds a more contained and political espionage narrative. The focus is on DLCs that not only expand the map but raise the bar for the experience.

In addition to the new story, the content revises systems, expands combat options, and offers choices with significant consequences. The campaign is more structured, with a consistent pace and complex moral decisions. The result is a more mature, cohesive, and immersive game that consolidates the reconstruction of the original work and delivers a more complete experience.

The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone and Blood & Wine

The two expansions substantially enhance the experience, adding dozens of hours of relevant and well-structured content. Hearts of Stone focuses on a more concentrated narrative, guided by complex moral choices and consequences that reinforce the dark tone of the journey. Blood & Wine expands the scope by introducing a brand-new region with its own visual identity and new political plots.

While the first stands out for its dramatic intensity and focus on memorable characters, the second serves as a definitive conclusion for the protagonist. Blood & Wine not only adds missions and maps, but offers an emotional and thematic conclusion, transforming the expansions into an essential and memorable complement to the original work.

The ending of Blood & Wine is even used by fans to try and imagine how Ciri's story in The Witcher IV will begin.

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

The Old Hunters reinforces all the positive aspects that made the base game so remarkable: challenge, atmosphere, and narrative depth. The expansion raises the difficulty level with demanding encounters and memorable bosses within the community. It's not just more content, but a real test of skill and mastery of the mechanics.

In addition to the challenge, the pack adds weapons and equipment considered among the best in the game, expanding strategies and combat styles. At the same time, it delves deeper into central events of the universe, revealing important layers of the past and reinforcing the mythology. The result is a darker, denser, more intense adventure, essential for those seeking a complete understanding of the work.

Fallout: New Vegas – Dead Money, Lonesome Road, Old World Blues and Honest Hearts

The four expansions appear on the list because they function as organic extensions of the main experience, expanding the map, deepening factions, and developing memorable characters. Each one takes a different approach—from claustrophobic horror to the dark humor of science fiction—but all maintain the essence of complex choices and real consequences that define New Vegas.

The highlight here is the overall package. Dead Money challenges survival, Old World Blues invests in creativity and satire, Honest Hearts explores cultural conflicts, and Lonesome Road closes important arcs for the protagonist. Together, they reinforce the world-building and solidify New Vegas as one of the most immersive and memorable chapters in the series.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

The latest example of launching "a game within a game". The new area for the 2022 Game of the Year features dense exploration, challenging bosses, and combat that demands careful reading of enemy patterns. The high difficulty isn’t gratuitous, but an essential part of the design.

Beyond the intense confrontations, the expansion introduces new progression elements and deepens important aspects of the lore, offering answers and new interpretations of the universe. By expanding the mythology and maintaining a high level of challenge, the content sustains itself with robust immersion. The GOTY nomination, although controversial, becomes more understandable after experiencing the DLC.

Do you have an additional story that wasn't included here? Tell us about it!