In some games, you can find a weapon that is so effective and fun to use that you don't feel like using anything else. However, the downside to this is that it can get boring to look at the same firearm all the time. This is why weapon customization options are so wonderful, as they allow you to alter the look and performance of your favorite weapon, which adds variety to the whole experience.
Unfortunately, this isn't an option in every game. In fact, there are only a finite number of titles that offer vast weapon customization that goes beyond just changing the color of something. The following titles are the best examples of weapon customization done right.
Updated March 31, 2023 By Ben Jessey: Deep weapon customization is a fantastic sight in video games. It adds so much freedom and variety to the experience. Sadly, there isn't a litany of games that feature a lot of gun or sword customization options. It would be great to see more titles implement it.
However, until that happens, we have to settle with the great weapon customization games we already have. We originally included eight of them in this list, and now we've added a few more.
11 Army Of Two: The 40th Day
The second Army Of Two isn't the most beloved or well-known third-person co-op shooter of its generation. But it has fantastic weapon customization options. You can alter every part of your weapons, and there are so many options for each one.
Most of them are regular weapon parts, but there are some wacky options in there, such as a suppressor made from a soda can. To up the ridiculousness, you can give your gun a wild paint job, from Zebra print to solid gold.
10 Ghost Recon Wildlands
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Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Wildlands is an open-world tactical shooter where you drive around all sorts of different environments to complete missions. The main way of completing most of them is to shoot everybody. And thankfully, the game offers you many fantastic assault rifles, shotguns, snipers, and whatever else to do just that.
It also gives you pretty much free-reign to customize them how you see fit. In fact, the customization is very in-depth, as you can alter every single part of your weapon. It's pretty reality-based, so whatever you do, you're likely to build a realistic-looking firearm.
9 Mothergunship
In Mothergunship, weapon customization is the biggest selling point. This is because the title allows you to build weapons completely from scratch. You're given and can unlock different connectors and barrels that you can attach together to create a new type of firearm.
You have the same level of freedom as you would with a box of Legos. And if you're creative enough, you can come up with all sorts of wild creations. Then you can use them in intense and chaotic FPS battles.
8 Mortal Kombat 11
This one is not directly weapon customization. Within 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11, publisher NetherRealm Studios introduced the feature of customizable variations. Every character in MK11 gets associated variations from the get-go that complement their play style right off the cuff, this offers players the ability to make their favorite character a bit more personal.
Speaking of, did you know that custom variations even became legal in the competitive fighting game scene a couple of years ago? As such, this is something that makes your specific build for MK11 characters feel much more unique/of your own design. At any given time outside of matches, players can go to the menu and tailor it to their own play style. However, like in many of these entries, earning those items does take a bit of grinding and luck.
7 Escape From Tarkov
For the last few years, Escape From Tarkov has been a mainstay for streamers and first-person shooter fanatics alike. A good chunk of that popularity is due to the games' more realistic approach to gunplay (such as the HUD featuring blood loss, intoxication, tremors, and other real-life metrics) as well as some less common features. But if you ask anyone who normally plays more mainstream titles such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, or Apex Legends, they will tell you that Tarkov takes the cake for countless gun customization options.
Aside from Tarkov's tried and true favorites, players are able to essentially customize every possible piece of their weapons, from slides for pistols to recoil pads for shotguns to dust covers for assault rifles. Of course, some of this comes from leveling up and doing specific activities. Furthermore, players can also level up their mastery of practically every skill in the game. Consider that there are over 60 different guns in the game, though - this is a very long-winded process.
6 Fallout 4
It’s interesting to think that even though Fallout 4 came out many years ago, it still has a rather strong and active player base. Like many Bethesda mainstays, however, a lot of this is due to the endless customization and modded options players come up with in regard to weapons. And while Fallout 4 has aged quite a bit over the last several years, the weapon customization system is still highly regarded.
For example, if your sneak and gunslinger perks are maxed out, one could use a two-shot crank laser musket outfitted with 10mm explosive rounds to really do some damage. Utilizing a similar move, you could also use a crippling 10mm pistol with a silencer and finish enemies off with a serrated combat knife. Clearly, the combinations are endless, and the sandbox is…well, your sandbox.
5 Destiny 2
While Destiny 2 enforces quite a bit of grinding and RNG, the payoff is fantastic, as it allows guardians some great customization options (especially when many of the perks are normally randomized). Of course, that doesn't mean you can't still get regular weapon drops too, especially since some guns are not craftable and they can utilize perks not otherwise usable.
But again, the biggest timesink here is gathering all the necessary materials in order to initially unlock the gun in the first place. Oh well, nothing in life is free.
4 Metal Gear Solid 5
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is a long game, especially if you want to be a completionist (clocking in at 140+ hours). Aside from the main missions, there are multiple side missions that can then unlock things that may not be so clear to some people, such as the Legendary Gunsmith.
What makes this game’s weapon customization is the fact that options are all interchangeable for each weapon family. In the end, this saves time and takes away the usual monotonous weapon grind, which is always a positive thing, especially for more experimental playthroughs (like taking a nonlethal approach by taking over a base with non-lethal tranquilizer rounds).
3 Payday 2
When anyone brings up Grand Theft Auto 5, the fan base loves to mention that it perfected the third-person heist formula. However, this arrived on the coattails of Overkill Software’s Payday (and, more pertinently, Payday 2), which both set that genre-changing ball in motion. In the second game, players continue the story set in motion from the original Payday, whereas the aptly named Payday crew starts completing jobs around Washington D.C. (some of which are optional) which eventually catches the eye of the villainous Dentist.
Although the weapons in Payday 2 are not overtly creative or anything, they are incredibly versatile. Many of the light machine guns are heavily customizable, such as the Buzzsaw 42. With the right mods, it can become incredibly accurate and you can even make it a silenced weapon if you please. Nevertheless, its precise long-range comes in handy against bulkier enemies that frequent the tougher heists in the endgame of Payday 2 (many of which are still considered to be the best the game has to offer).
2 Dead Rising 4
Although it initially suffered from some technical bugs, Dead Rising 4 is still, by and large, considered to be quite fun. In the context of the game, you play once again as protagonist Frank West, a former journalist who investigates a zombie outbreak in a fictional town. Dead Rising is a series founded on creating incredibly wacky makeshift weapon combinations (known as combo weapons) while taking on endless hordes of zombies. As you fight your way through zombie-infested Colorado, players will come across various Blueprints easily enough (alongside their associated resources).
For example, you can build "Holiday Junk," which is literally a Christmas wreath full of various Christmas odds and ends. When used against zombies, it not only offers great damage, but players can then pick up and reuse the Holly Jolly debris. Of course, there are multiple demented creations to be crafted throughout Dead Rising 4.
1 Metro Exodus
Considering that Metro Exodus takes place in post-apocalyptic Russia, the idea of making your own weapons by utilizing materials from looting various bandit camps and villages is honestly rather grounded. As such, while there are only ten unique guns in the game, there are hundreds of variations for each of those guns.
Take, for example, the Tihar, an air gun of sorts that can be turned into a high-powered railgun provided you get the right modifications. Another fan favorite, the Ashot, is a pistol with the power of a shotgun - but when modded correctly can become a stealthy shotgun. Neat.