The best XCOM 2 mods
Tweak, change, and enhance one of the best strategy games out there.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
‘Official’ mods
Some modders, like the creators of XCOM's The Long War, worked with Firaxis to have some mods for the game available day one. There's also an official co-op mod!
Tactical Co-Op
Why suffer the cruel dice rolls of XCOM alone when you can suffer with a friend? 10 months of work resulted in a two-player co-op mod, which the mod team plans to expand into a 12-player mode when code is approved by Firaxis. Read the short instructions on how to get the mod working with a friend here.
Long War SMG Pack
This official mod adds a submachine gun option for your soldiers. It allows them a greater range of movement and makes them harder for the enemy to detect, but comes with a cost: less damage and less ammo.
Long War Leader pack
It provides a new development path for your soldiers that allows them to obtain leadership perks, similar to the custom Officer class from the Long War mod. These perks result in buffs that will help the entire squad, but you can only take one of these leadership characters with you at a time.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Long War Alien Pack
The Long War gang replaced its Muton Centurion mod with this pack of new aliens. It includes more than a dozen new aliens to fight against, including the Muton Centurion and Elite, a new alien sharpshooter, a giant Chryssalid, and a bunch of new ADVENT troops. Cower in fear.
Long War Perk Pack
An official mod overhaul of the perk system that changes or adds 70 abilities and allows for picking between three perks per soldier level. The UI has also gotten some tweaks to make space for all these new options.
Tools and utilities
Mod Config Menu is a tool that some mods require you to use for them to play nicely together.
The mod editor, called ModBuddy, is a separate download of about 45 GB. If it sounds familiar, it's because it's the tool used for Civ 5's mod-making. Modbuddy can be downloaded as a Steam Tool, and with it you can debug your mods and upload them directly to Steam. The SDK provides 1,900 game script files, 2,400 maps, thousands of props, materials, and textures, plus hundreds of character assets and animation sets.
If you've clicked any of the links on this page, you know the Steam Workshop is the best place to find mods, and many can be installed with a single click. However, Nexus Mods also has a hub for XCOM 2, and the Nexus Mod Manager already supports the game, and is a great tool for downloading, activating, and managing your favorite mods.
Table of contents
- Wes FenlonSenior Editor

