In the early 2000s, successful games often received expansion packs that furthered the narrative or added new regions to explore. However, by the end of the decade, that practice had fallen out of favor after the advent of DLC releases, which were often smaller all-digital offerings full of supplementary content.
While the practice of releasing DLC content would eventually be usurped by loot boxes and live-service schemes, it has yet to disappear entirely. In fact, some of gaming's highest moments from the previous decade came from DLC packages.
Borderlands 2 - Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon Keep
While Gearbox's 2009 looter-shooter outing Borderlands 2 was easily one of the most celebrated games of its release year.
The suite of DLC content which followed was equally legendary, though the vaguely Dungeons and Dragons-inspired Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep was perhaps the most notable. Taking place in a world inspired by medieval fantasy, it served as a refreshing spin-off for the series, and it eventually inspired the hit 2022 title Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.
The Last Of Us - Left Behind
Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us served as something of a swan song for Sony's PlayStation 3 console; it was one of the highest-selling games of 2013 and debuted less than a year ahead of the PlayStation 4. A narrative-heavy game, The Last of Us told a mostly self-contained story that didn't leave much room for expansion.
However, the subsequent DLC offering Left Behind took place partially during the story's midpoint and partially during events before the game's beginning. It expanded upon Ellie's backstory, setting up a basis for her role as the player-character in the 2020 sequel.
Fallout: New Vegas - Old World Blues
The third DLC outing for 2010's Fallout: New Vegas, Old World Blues sees the cursor abducted by a group of mechanized scientists known as the Think Tank. After transplanting and then losing the player character's brain, they are roped into defeating the villainous Doctor Mobius in the hope of returning things to normal.
Easily the most humorous piece of Fallout content ever released, Doctor Mobius and his ridiculous cohorts are endlessly hilarious, and Old World Blues, along with the other New Vegas DLC offerings, greatly enhance what was already an exemplary entry in the series.
BioShock: Infinite - Burial At Sea Part 2
While Clash in the Clouds and Burial At Sea Part 1 was more or less standard BioShock fare, Burial At Sea Part 2 saw players step into the shoes of Elizabeth and embark on a stealth action-adventure in Rapture, the undersea dystopian setting from the first two BioShock titles.
Fresh and innovative, Burial At Sea Part 2 served as an excellent sendoff for the beloved FPS franchise, tying things up with an out-of-left-field full-circle ending that semi-paradoxically set up the events of the first installment in the series.
The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth - Afterbirth
Originally a simple flash-based title, Edmund McMillen's The Binding of Isaac exploded in popularity and helped to helm a new era of indie roguelite video games. The title received a sequel in 2014 titled The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth that would go on to earn multiple DLC expansions, with the latest releasing in 2021.
While Rebirth was already feature-complete when it launched, Afterbirth introduced a ton of new content in the form of items, characters, bosses, gameplay modes, and endings which helped to transform the already nigh-on endless game into something fans could sink hundreds—if not thousands—of hours into.
Red Dead Redemption - Undead Nightmare
Thanks to some great characters, Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2 went down as one of the greatest video game releases of the 2010s, but that shouldn't overshadow the 2010 original and its epic spinoff Undead Nightmare.
An over-the-top grindhouse affair that feels at least somewhat inspired by intentionally-shlocky cinematic undertakings such as From Dusk Till Dawn or The Evil Dead, Undead Nightmare does an excellent job of combining the seemingly-incongruous wild west and horror genres. It's the exact sort of tongue-in-cheek experience for which Rockstar was originally known.
Dark Souls - Artorias Of The Abyss
Recently heralded as the Ultimate Game of All Time at the 2021 Golden Joystick Awards, the impact of From Software's Dark Souls series is undeniable. While its difficulty can be alienating, the intricate, well-developed combat and incredibly deep lore are definitely deserving of recognition.
While the game was fantastic on its own, the Artorias of the Abyss DLC further fleshed out the narrative, taking players back in time to encounter old heroes and participate in legendary battles. More than anything, Artorias of the Abyss is celebrated for its larger-than-life, tougher-than-tough boss fights.
Mass Effect 3 - Citadel
The final piece of DLC released for the acclaimed sci-fi RPG Mass Effect 3, Citadel takes things in a decidedly different direction, focusing heavily on Shepard's relationships and past accomplishments in what felt like a definitive farewell for the series.
Full of referential humor and plenty of Easter eggs for longtime series fans, Citadel sees a cast of famed Mass Effect characters return for one final ride against a new threat. It's a bit like in-universe fanfic-made material, but it works on pretty much every level and capped off one of the most legendary RPG trilogies to release in the past two decades.
Bloodborne - The Old Hunters
When the PlayStation 4 launched in 2013, it lacked an exclusive killer app that would drive sales of the system. Outings such as Knack and Killzone Shadowfall failed to hold the attention of fans, but that changed in 2014 when From Software's Bloodborne was revealed.
Easily one of the most celebrated PlayStation exclusive titles of all time, Bloodborne was a legendary hardcore RPG that made Sony's fourth PlayStation iteration a must-have. Its lone DLC offering represented some of the game's best content, drawing even more heavily from Lovecraftian mythos and including one of the most challenging soulsborne bosses ever.
The Witcher 3 - Blood And Wine
The capstone of CD Projekt's The Witcher series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was an incredibly lengthy and almost unbelievably deep RPG adventure that still serves as a high watermark for the genre. A high fantasy novel series come to life with an almost impossible level of detail, there was perhaps no greater feat to which Geralt of Rivia could be left to aspire.
The Witcher 3 earned two DLC content packs in the form of Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, and they could essentially have been combined to form a fully-featured separate entry in the series. Of the two, Blood and Wine is generally regarded as superior by fans, albeit by a very slim margin.
