Why ride a Strider when you can ride a Watcher? Watcher Mounts (by C0R ) replaces the standard mount model with a friendly, rideable Watcher. It keeps the same speed and handling, but the animation of Aloy straddling a metal raptor is hilarious. Bonus: The Watcher’s head light still activates, giving you a mobile spotlight at night.

When Horizon Zero Dawn launched on PC in 2020, it was a revelation. Seeing Guerilla Games’ lush, post-apocalyptic Colorado rendered at high frame rates and ultrawide resolutions was a dream come true for many. However, the initial port was rocky. While patches have since smoothed out most of the performance issues, the PC community has stepped in where official support left off.

Modding Horizon Zero Dawn is not about turning Aloy into Thomas the Tank Engine (though that might exist). Instead, the Horizon modding scene focuses on three key pillars: Visual fidelity, Quality of life improvements, and Gameplay rebalancing.

Whether you are replaying the game on Ultra Hard or stepping into the Embrace for the first time, here is the definitive list of the best Horizon Zero Dawn mods you need to install.

Why you need it: The vanilla game supports 21:9, but the cutscenes are pillarboxed (black bars on the sides) and the UI is stretched.

What it does: This comprehensive fix removes black bars from prerendered and in-engine cutscenes, fixes the HUD anchoring, and even supports 32:9 super ultrawide monitors. It also fixes the "fisheye" effect that occurs on triple monitor setups.

Verdict: If you own an ultrawide monitor, this is not a mod; it is a prerequisite for playing the game.