Mods are a huge part of gaming culture. However, you still might not know that some of your favorite games actually started out as mods. Unreal Tournament may be one of the most modded game series along with Half-Life and Quake.
Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror
Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror is a mod of the original Unreal Tournament. The mod was originally released in 1999 as a mod. However, the game was released to retail as a standalone on April 24, 2002. The game was popular at its release and was released both at stores and as a free patch.
Angels Fall First: Planetstorm
Angels Fall First: Planetstorm is a mod of Unreal Tournament 3, and was released on October 20th, 2008. However, the game was released on steam on October 10th, 2015, as a part of steam’s early access. The game is part First Person Shooter and part Space Shooter.
Antichamber
Antichamber was first released as a mod of Unreal Tournament 3 in 2009. However, the game was first called Hazard: The Journey of Life. Antichamber is an incredibly inventive first-person puzzle game and became an indie darling of the early 2010s.
The Ball
The Ball is a mod of the Unreal Tournament 3 that was first released in 2008. However, the game had a retail release on October 26th, 2010. The Ball is a first-person action-adventure game where you play as an archaeologist in an underground city. The game was released to middling reviews.
The Haunted: Hell’s Reach
The Haunted: Hell’s Reach is a mod of Unreal Tournament 3 that was first released in 2010. However, the game was later put on the Steam storefront on October 25th, 2011. The game is a cooperative horror game where players work together to liberate areas against the demons of hell.
Renegade X
Renegade X is a mod of Unreal Tournament 3 that is a remake of the game Command and Conquer: Renegade. This mod has been in development for years and is still getting updates as of 2020. The game can be played for free, and is up on most mod repositories.
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45
Red Orchestra: Combined Arms is a mod for Unreal Tournament 2003, and was released on October 10th, 2003. However, the game was later turned into a retail game called Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45. Besides that, the game also had a sequel called Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad.
Alien Swarm
Alien Swarm is a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004 that was first released on May 28th, 2004. However, the game was remade in the source engine by Valve and was released on July 19th, 2010. Alien Swarm is a top-down shooter which is a unique genre for Unreal Tournament mods. Despite this, the game found a solid community of people who enjoy it.
Killing Floor
Killing Floor is a mod of Unreal Tournament 2004 that was first released in 2005. However, the game had an official standalone release on May 14th, 2009. Besides that, the game had a sequel called Killing Floor 2 that was released in 2015. Despite this, the game has become massively popular and has a cult following.