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We all love a good DLC or expansion pack, don't we? Often, they give us more of what we liked about the base game in the first place, and sometimes, they transcend their boundaries and become unforgettable expansions that could very well have been standalone titles in their own right.
Many times, projects that begin as small-scale expansions or DLCs for existing properties end up taking on a life of their own, demanding more attention, resources, and a separate identity. These games start off as side stories, but stretch their legs and sprint straight into full-game territory.
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8 Infamous: First Light (2014)
Infamous: Second Son remains one of the favorite first-party Sony titles ever. It's a shame that nothing like that has come out in the current console generation. That aside, when Sony followed Second Son up with First Light just half-a-year later, everyone knew that it was definitely supposed to be a DLC to Second Son.
During development of the DLC, where players would've dived deeper into Fetch's story through a prequel, it became clear that the game project was going to be too big to just be an expansion or a DLC. As such, Sony published the game as a standalone title, and thankfully, they didn't charge a full $60 for it. Instead, the price of admission for First Light was just $15, which was well worth the 5–6 hours of fantastic gameplay it gave us.
inFAMOUS First Light
Systems
Released August 26, 2014
ESRB T For Teen // Blood, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Violence
Developer(s) Sucker Punch
Publisher(s) Sony Computer Entertainment
Engine unity
Franchise Infamous
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7 Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015)
Now, I'm not a fan of companies turning DLC into full-blown games and demanding full price for it, but thankfully, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood doesn't fit that bill. Plus, I'm always willing to make exceptions for BJ Blazkowicz — that man is a hero, and I'll damn well treat him like one. When MachineGames soft-rebooted the Wolfenstein story with the New Order in 2014, we saw BJ Blazkowicz personified like never before. This was a new take on the hero — one that bled, cried, and felt misery. As such, the devs planned a DLC to give us more insight into this backstory, much like Fetch with First Light.
Of course, Wolfenstein: The New Order erupted as a massive success, which led to the decision to make The Old Blood a separate standalone title. It was pretty much more New Order for a smaller price and runtime. However, this standalone prequel also gave us zombies, which sort of married 2009's Wolfenstein game with the series, while still keeping it at bay beyond the boundaries of a prequel.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Released May 5, 2015
ESRB M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
Developer(s) MachineGames
Publisher(s) Bethesda Softworks
Engine id Tech 5
Franchise Wolfenstein
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6 Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023)
Basim's adventure, a decade before Valhalla
Ever since Ubisoft pivoted into the RPG-lite genre with Assassin's Creed Origins, the series has been accused of needlessly bloating each title's experience. That was especially true for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which could take over 150 hours to reach 100% completion. Now, Ubisoft decided to scale things back with a planned DLC for Valhalla which would focus on Basim, Valhalla's assassin mentor who became corrupted.
Soon enough, they realized that the project was taking on a life of its own. Plus, Valhalla got tons of bonus content even without the Basim-focused expansion. This led to the company deciding to develop and sell Mirage as a standalone title instead. AC Mirage promised to be a smaller, more focused experience that would take us back to the 'roots' of this legendary franchise. Ubi also priced the standard edition at $50.
Sadly, Mirage, while a standalone title for Basim, didn't stand apart in the franchise, thanks to slow-feeling parkour, and just a passable story and writing. It was clear that, despite making a full-blown game, Ubisoft had pulled resources from this project, and the result was nothing like the original 2007 Assassin's Creed that fans of the franchise had been hoping for.
Assassin's Creed: Mirage
Released October 12, 2023
ESRB m
Developer(s) Ubisoft Bordeaux
Publisher(s) Ubisoft
Engine havok, anvilnext
Franchise Assassin's Creed
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5 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000)
A darker twist of the famed fairy tale
It's wild to think that Majora's Mask exists only because Nintendo wanted to squeeze a little more out of Ocarina of Time's assets. The plan was to develop a quick expansion using the same engine and models, with perhaps a darker twist on the fairy tale formula. However, what they ended up with was a downright fever dream — a looping, time-warped descent into existential dread, childhood anxiety, and side-quest micromanagement, all packed into a 72-hour cycle.
To this day, Majora's Mask feels like Zelda's most daring experiment — and heck, it was never even meant to be a full game. There's a bizarre, inexplicable intensity to Clock Town. It may have started off as a DLC idea for Ocarina, but Majora's Mask was the weirdest, boldest, and most hypnotically melancholic entry in the entire franchise.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Systems
Released October 26, 2000
ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
Developer(s) Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Engine Proprietary Engine
Franchise The Legend of Zelda
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4 Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (2017)
A girls trip that demanded a game of its own
When Nathan Drake finally sailed into the sunset towards a quieter life with Elena and his daughter Cassandra, it was the end of his story. However, the Uncharted franchise has always had more than enough suave, charming, and unforgettable characters. So, when the time came to develop a DLC for the game, Naughty Dog chose fan-favorite Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross, the antagonist from the 2016 entry. This expansion was going to be set in the Indian Peninsula, and would see the two women embark on an adventure together.
However, with the new setting and characters, it almost made more sense to create a new game altogether, instead. So, The Lost Legacy came about in 2017, a year after A Thief's End. This was going to be the very first time that an Uncharted game would have a protagonist other than Nate himself, which made The Lost Legacy significant in more ways than one. So, while it retained the quintessential Uncharted vibe, the game did introduce new mechanics while telling a tight, 7-hour story of Chloe and Nadine searching for the Tusk of Ganesh. And hey, we even got Sam Drake in the end, so no complaints!
It's just a shame that Nadine Ross, as a character, has so much potential which has otherwise gone wasted. While Chloe was as charming as fans remembered her, Ross came off as little more than a cookie-cutter villain with a sympathetic side. Regardless, it was a $40 adventure that gave us the same level of polish that Naughty Dog is known for.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Systems
Released August 22, 2017
ESRB T For Teen Due To Blood, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
Developer(s) Naughty Dog
Publisher(s) Sony
Engine Naughty Dog Engine 2.0
Multiplayer Online Multiplayer
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3 Skull and Bones (2024)
Ubisoft's quadruple-A bet that never paid off
Oh boy — between the ten years it took for Skull and Bones to finally come out, I wouldn't blame anyone for forgetting that the game was originally supposed to be an expansion for one of the best games in the Assassin's Creed franchise. That's right — AC IV: Black Flag's naval mode was just so enjoyable that Ubisoft decided to give them more, but the expansion soon entered development hell, and then laid in limbo for ten whole years.
Skull and Bones was supposed to be a multiplayer DLC for Black Flag, and yet, when it finally launched in 2024, nobody really wanted it anymore. Having cost over $650 million to make, Skull and Bones was more of a ghost ship rather than a flagship product for the company. Sure, it's still fun in bursts — the naval combat is absolutely solid — but there is no charisma, atmosphere, or charm around the ships, which were the things that made Black Flag as legendary as it was. For a DLC that was meant to set sail for the highest of seas, Skull and Bones became a mediocre game that docked with a whimper.
Skull and Bones
Released February 16, 2024
ESRB M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
Developer(s) Ubisoft Singapore
Publisher(s) Ubisoft
Engine AnvilNext
Multiplayer Online Multiplayer
2 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
We're all about to collectively return to Vice City while we explore the beautiful island of Leonida in the upcoming GTA VI. Until then, we still have one of the greatest open-world games ever made, GTA: Vice City, to go back to, occasionally. For context, Rockstar released GTA III in 2001, and it became one of the most significant games in history, thanks to its use of 3D graphics and an open-world map that redefined player freedom. The next project for Rockstar was going to be about creating a series of new missions for GTA III as an expansion, but as it often happens, the project grew too big to just remain a mere DLC.
This was because the expansion would've changed the location from Liberty City to Miami, and the overall vibe was so significantly different, that the devs decided to make an all-new game of it. As such, GTA: Vice City was born — a game we know today as one of the greatest open-world games ever. After all, it's no mere coincidence that both GTA III and Vice City play so similar to each other — it's because Vice City shares the same DNA as GTA III.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition
Released November 11, 2021
ESRB m
Developer(s) Grove Street Games
Publisher(s) Rockstar Games
Engine unreal engine 4, unreal engine
Franchise Grand Theft Auto
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1 The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo always knew that they had lightning in a bottle with Breath of the Wild, so the plan to revisit Hyrule in DLC form was an utter no-brainer. However, as the team at Nintendo started fleshing things out, they realized that there was a lot they wanted to do — this was enough for the project to warrant its own title. So, Tears of the Kingdom was born from what was originally just going to be another round of shrines and a meatier postgame. Instead, we got Ultrahand and Fuse — two mechanics that made you feel like Tony Stark in Hyrule.
Personally, for all its physics-breaking brilliance and the depths of its dungeons, Tears of the Kingdom never felt quite as magical as Breath of the Wild. Maybe it's because we'd roamed the lands before. Regardless, for a DLC that became its own sequel, Tears of the Kingdom more than earns its crown.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Systems
Released May 12, 2023
ESRB Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
Developer(s) Nintendo
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Engine Havok
Cross-Platform Play N/A
When bonus chapters come into their own
DLCs turning into full releases isn't always a bad thing.
DLCs turning into full releases isn't always a bad thing — sometimes we get absolute gems that wouldn't have existed otherwise. Other times, they might feel like a repackaged side dish pretending to be the main course.
Regardless, these little evolutions are a part of what makes the gaming landscape weird, unpredictable, and worth revisiting.
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