The 20 Best Game Expansions of All-Time

The 20 Best Game Expansions of All-Time

Ever since the early days of PC gaming, expansion packs have allowed us to enjoy more of our favorite titles long after the credits have rolled. Some expansions let us pick up where we left off with our favorite characters from games like The Witcher and Mass Effect, while others stand alone as their own memorable self-contained adventures. From Sonic & Knuckles to Starcraft, here are our favorite expansions that make some of the best games ever made even better.

Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker (2010)

Lair of the Shadow Broker was the first Mass Effect add-on that proved to be every bit as essential as the core games themselves. This 3-hour adventure lets you reunite with your former squadmate (and possibly ex-lover) Liara T'Soni, who's on a mission to rescue an old friend from the mysterious Shadow Broker. Lair of the Shadow Broker has some of the best dialogue, action and environments you'll find in the entire Mass Effect trilogy, and it helped cement Liara as one of the franchise's most beloved characters. More important, your choices in this DLC have an effect on Mass Effect 3. - Mike Andronico

Credit: EA

Assassin's Creed IV: Freedom Cry (2013)

While Edward Kenway's swashbuckling lifestyle was entertaining, his story lacked the gravitas of the previous entry. Ubisoft fixed this by releasing Freedom Cry, which can be played as an expansion or a standalone title. In Freedom Cry, you play as Adelwale, a former slave turned Assassin, as he attempts to bring freedom to Haitian slaves while carrying out his Assassins missions. The further into the game you progress, the more you learn the true cost of freedom. -- Sherri L. Smith

Credit: Ubisoft

Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001)

Although Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal is technically an expansion, it's also the definitive conclusion to the Baldur's Gate saga. After the events of the first two games, your party has drawn a lot of attention — and not always from the right people. A cabal of demigods aims to hunt you down, and only a mysterious wizard named Melissan stands in their way — if you can trust her. Not only did Throne of Bhaal add a new class (Wild Mage) and raise the level cap in this classic RPG series, but it provided a satisfying ending for your unique player character and all of your beloved party members. – Marshall Honorof

Credit: Interplay Entertainment

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine (2016)

Although Geralt of Rivia has been a fantasy-novel favorite in Poland for decades, it wasn't until the video game adaptation in 2007 that audiences worldwide fell in love with The Witcher. Over the course of three games, gamers followed the adventures of the White Wolf, from foiling assassins in the city of Vizima to a climactic confrontation against the Wild Hunt. Blood and Wine was the second and final expansion for The Witcher 3, and it wrapped up Geralt's adventures beautifully. Exploring the gorgeous new region of Toussaint, Geralt's adventures ended with morally complicated quests, climactic confrontations against fearsome beasts — and a surprisingly sweet, romantic coda. – Marshall Honorof

Credit: CD Projekt RED

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den (2010)

While BioShock 2 failed to garner the acclaim of the original, its Minerva's Den expansion stands alone as one of the most beloved stories in the entire franchise. You'll explore a new side of Rapture as you unravel the twisted story behind The Thinker, a powerful supercomputer that controls much of the city. On top of delivering powerful story surprises, Minerva's Den also gives you a ton of fun new combat toys to play with, such as the Ion Laser and Gravity Well. The key minds behind Minerva's Den went on to form The Fullbright Co., a studio responsible for beloved narrative games Gone Home and Tacoma. - Mike Andronico

Credit: 2K Games

Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening (2010)

Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening felt like an expansion pack to a '90s PC RPG — in the best way possible. Picking up right where Origins left off, Awakening let you import your character and equipment, then start on a whole new adventure, with a whole new party, in a whole new region, against a whole new adversary. Awakening featured the same kind of difficult moral choices as the core game, as well as tougher enemies, a higher level cap and multiple endings, depending on your late-game decisions. Better still: Awakening's events had characters and consequences that carried over into Dragon Age II. – Marshall Honorof

Credit: EA

Age of Empires II: The Conquerors (2000)

Attila the Hun. El Cid. Montezuma. These three historical giants don't have much in common — except that they made a real-time strategy classic even better. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors was an expansion for Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. As the title suggested, your goal this time wasn't just to make history — it was to reshape the great empires of Europe, Asia and the New World. In addition to four original campaigns, The Conquerors gave players more multiplayer maps, a variety of game modes and five new civilizations: the Aztecs, Huns, Koreans, Mayans and Spanish. – Marshall Honorof

Credit: Microsoft

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (2003)

Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos was already one of the finest real-time strategy games on the market, combining the character-building and item-collection of a role-playing game with the franchise's more familiar base construction and army-building elements. The Frozen Throne took the story one step further, shifting the focus from the heroes of Azeroth to three of its more villainous characters: Maiev Shadowsong, Illidan Stormrage and Arthas Menethil. Arthas and Illidan both seek the corrupting power of the Lich King. As you guide them toward it, you'll get to control two new races: the Blood Elves and the Naga. – Marshall Honorof

Credit: Blizzard

StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void (2015)

The Starcraft II trilogy offered a single-player campaign that highlighted each race in every game. Legacy of the Void focused on the Protoss struggle against the galaxy's big bad, Amon. Most important, fans got to control a series' favorite, Artanis, as he leads the Golden Fleet to victory. Aside from the impressive campaign, Legacy of the Void introduced popular new multiplayer units like the Zerg Lurkers, Protoss Adept and Terran Cyclone. It also debuted online co-op mission and automated tournaments that ran at certain times of the day. – Jorge Jimenez

Credit: Blizzard

Sonic & Knuckles (1994)

Sonic & Knuckles might be the original expansion pack. Sure, it was its own game that let you play as either the heroic hedgehog or his echidna nemesis, but the cartridge flipped open on top so you could plug in other games. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3 each got "& Knuckles" expansions, adding some new story beats and bringing the character to the games alongside Sonic and Tails. If a game didn’t support being plugged into the cartridge, you could still get a few special stages out of it by mashing enough buttons. — Andrew E. Freedman

Credit: SEGA

Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (2001)

There's no denying that Diablo II was a great game, but it was missing one thing: a definitive ending. The game's expansion added Act V, pitting the player character against Diablo's bigger, badder brother Baal: the titular Lord of Destruction. Not only was Act V suitably creative and challenging; the game also added tons of randomized loot, as well as two new playable characters. The Druid could shapeshift and call upon elemental magic, while the Assassin could lay deadly traps and master close-range martial arts. Between the core game and Lord of Destruction, fans are still playing Diablo II to this day. –Marshall Honorof

Credit: Blizzard

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (2010)

How do you improve on one of the most beloved open-world epics of all time? Sprinkle in some zombies, of course! Undead Nightmare turns Red Dead's beautiful Wild West frontier into an undead wasteland, where you'll shoot down hordes of zombies and even run into mythical creatures such as Sasquatch and the Chupacabra. Undead Nightmare's B-movie charm is a nice change of pace from the more serious main story, and we'd love Rockstar to deliver something similar after Red Dead Redemption 2 hits. - Mike Andronico

Credit: Rockstar Games

Dark Souls II: The Lost Crowns (2014)

Dark Souls II was one of the most difficult games of the last console generation; naturally, what it really needed was an expansion to make it even harder. The Lost Crowns DLC comprises three distinct packages: Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King and Crown of the Ivory King. Each adventure contained a new area to explore, complete with unique armor and weapons to collect, puzzles to solve and three deadly bosses to confront. Defeating the likes of Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon and Fume Knight wasn't for the faint of heart, but it sure felt rewarding. – Marshall Honorof

Credit: Namco

Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007)

Half-Life 2: Episode 2 is perhaps the most famous expansion of all time, though that's because everyone is still waiting on a sequel. It introduced a new dangerous enemy, the Hunter, that was powerful enough that you might need to flee instead of fight. Gordon Freeman's Gravity Gun got a few tweaks, and the game received praise for creative level design and a compelling story.  That story, however,  moved Freeman, Alyx Vance and the rest of the cast away from City 17 to a more rural setting. But the story left some plot over for a third episode, and everyone's still waiting. — Andrew E. Freedman

Credit: Buka

Fallout 3: Point Lookout (2009)

Fans of Fallout 3 spent hours exploring the Wasteland with a colorful cast of characters being a force for good or evil or chaos depending on your decisions. And while there were moments that were poignant, funny or downright weird, there weren't many points in the game that were really scary. That is until the Point Lookout expansion. Set in an eerie swamp in what used to be Maryland, the isolated territory is full of irradiated, inbred humans and highly toxic wildlife. And that's before you start exploring the haunted caves and the Chinese internment camp. If you're brave enough to face the terrors in the fog, Point Lookout is still one of the best expansions in the Fallout series. -- Sherri L. Smith

Credit: Bethesda

The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014)

In Left Behind, we see Ellie months before meeting Joel, roaming around an abandoned shopping mall with her friend Riley. The juxtaposition of such an ordinary, suburban environment with the disease-ravaged landscape of The Last of Us sets the scene for what is arguably the entire game's most emotionally poignant 2 hours. The relationship the two girls share, from its happiest moments to its most harrowing, proves essential to understanding Ellie. Even if you missed the full game, Left Behind remains a short yet invaluable character-defining odyssey that still stands tall on its own, rather than merely a companion piece to the full title. — Adam Ismail

Credit: Sony

Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep (2013)

Borderlands 2 had a ton of great DLC, but Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep is by far one of the best. The original vault dwellers gather to play a version of Dungeons & Dragons with Tiny Tina, the adorable, explosive-obsessed orphan that stole players' hearts in the main game. Tiny acts as the Dungeon Master and provides her zany narration during the quest to save a queen from an evil sorcerer while coming to terms with the loss of one of her favorite people. It's the fun loot-and-shoot that Borderlands is known for with just a touch of medieval flair. -- Sherri L. Smith

Credit: 2K Games

Batman Arkham Origins: Cold, Cold Heart (2014)

Batman: Arkham Origins is arguably the weakest installment in the blockbuster superhero series, but its Cold, Cold Heart expansion serves as a great stand-alone story. This DLC adventure retells the tragic tale of Victor Fries (aka Mr. Freeze), who's wreaking havoc all over Gotham in an attempt to find a cure for his frozen wife, Nora. On top of its strong story, Cold, Cold Heart lets you don a badass thermal Batsuit and take on challenging new thugs that can freeze you solid if you're not careful. - Mike Andronico

Credit: Warner Bros.

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters (2015

Bloodborne was never a game to give up its secrets easily, but The Old Hunters expansion allowed players a glimpse into Yharnam's past. Players could take their carefully crafted Hunter through the game's most difficult challenges yet, including a haunted cathedral, a dizzying clock tower and a dilapidated coastal town. Whether you preferred melee or ranged combat, weapons or magic, there was something new for your arsenal, as well as a handful of attractive new Eastern-inspired costumes. The biggest draw, however, were the five new bosses — including the monstrously tough Laurence, the First Vicar and the eldritch Orphan of Kos. – Marshall Honorof

Credit: Sony

X-COM 2 War of the Chosen (2017)

X-COM 2 War of the Chosen expands the X-COM 2 main campaign in ways that make it feel like a brand-new game. The new "Chosen" enemies relentlessly hunt your troops and can even capture them. They've even added new missions against the zombie-like Lost along with new maps, factions and hero classes. The extra strategic layer from Resistance orders adds a new level of stress just in case single-handedly taking out our alien overlord wasn't enough. The best new addition is the ability to create your own Resistance propaganda posters that show up in the game world, or the Challenge Mode where you can compete on a leaderboard with the XCOM2 community. - Jorge Jimenez

Credit: Feral Interactive