Despite the brilliant tactics and intense firefights Arma III provides, there are still some holes in the game that leaves you wanting more. Whether it be realism, immersion, graphics or practicality, I have provided you with a list of 15 mods that are guaranteed to pique your interest one way or another.

15. Speed of Sound

We all know that Arma III is already renowned for its focus on realism, but there are ways to improve the already immersive experience of Arma even further. This mod sets out to provide an extra level of realism by adding travel time to sounds in the game, meaning that, just like in real life, you will see the explosion before you hear it. 

What’s great about Speed of Sound:

• Adds travel time to every sound in the game.
• Increases immersion.
• Provides a much greater sense of scale. 

Get the mod here.

14. JSRS Sound Mod

In the same category of immersion as Speed of Sound, but a step higher on the ladder, we have the JSRS Sound Mod, which is an absolute must-have for any player of Arma III. The mod improves the overall sound quality immensely, by replacing every vanilla sound of the game with a much more realistic, metallic counterpart. 

What’s great about JSRS Sound Mod:

• Changes almost every sound in the game.
• Adds a solid “punch” to every weapon effect and explosion.
• Improves on everything Speed of Sound does. (Much bigger file size though)

Get the mod here. 

13. Blastcore A3

Staying in the lane of immersion we have another top-spot contender for the player looking to further increase the realism of the game. Blastcore provides visual enhancements way past what vanilla Arma offers. By adding debris, and improving on effects like dense smoke, glowing particles, flashing tracers, and blazing fire, gunfights and battles take on another dimension of havoc with this mod running.

What’s great about Blastcore A3:

• Tremendously increases all visual aspects of the warzone.
• Beautiful light, particle and smoke effects.
• Compatible with both JSRS and Speed of Sound.

Get the mod here. 

12. ACRE 2

Yet another mod in terms of heavy immersion. This one is for the players who are looking for the next level of tactical communication. The mod provides a sophisticated in-game system for carrying and operating radios, allowing players to communicate across multiple channels and frequencies, which allows a much greater deal of flexibility than what the vanilla game provides. Oh, and if that alone wasn’t sweet enough, the mod also includes a slider where you can set your direct voice chat to whisper, talking or yelling.

What’s great about ACRE 2:

• Complex, life-like radio communication.
• Immersive sound design allowing to pinpoint teammates based on their voice alone.
• Easy to learn and use in-game.

Get the mod here. 

11. Enhanced Movement

Okay, off the bat. this is a must-have - no matter what type of Arma game mode you like to play. It doesn’t need a lot explaining, but let me elaborate. Have you ever looked at a fence in Arma and thought, “I’m a highly trained soldier, why the hell can’t I jump over this puny obstacle?” Well, that won’t be a problem anymore with this mod.

What’s great about Enhanced Movement:

• Introduces jumping and climbing.
• Use team-coordinated movements, like boosting another player to a rooftop.
• Opens up buildings, mountainsides, and terrain to the player.

Get the mod here.

10. Specialist Military Arms (SMA)

This mod is a compilation of amazingly detailed rifles and equipment used by special forces operators around the world. It brings a ton, actually over 185 new weapons, an additional 29 high-quality optics, new suppressors, and flash hiders. Don’t leave home without it.

What’s great about Specialist Military Arms:

• Adds over 185 new weapons.
• Custom-made optics provides variable reticules and zoom-levels.
• Beautifully crafted weapon and equipment models.

Get the mod here. 

9. Advanced Towing

This is what I what call a “quality of life”-improvement in Arma. Have you ever - by no fault of your own, of course - crashed your favorite vehicle somewhere and destroyed either the engine, the treads or the wheels, leaving you stuck like a hippo in a swamp full of mud? Well, now you won’t have to leave it behind anymore. Just bring another vehicle and tow that thing back to your base for repairs, and make it as good as new! 

What’s great about Advanced Towing:

• Enables the towing of most vehicles.
• Drastically reduces grievances with broken vehicles.
• AI can be ordered to tow vehicles as well.

Get the mod here. 

8. Project Injury Reaction

In my opinion, one of the best immersion mods currently available in Arma III. This mod sets out to cover something that I haven’t seen done in as much detail by any other mod out there. When hit by a bullet, an explosion or a shockwave, there is a chance that your character (or your enemy) will either drop their weapon, get knocked out, or simply have their helmet drop down in front of their eyes obscuring their line of sight. Bloody brilliant!

What’s great about Project Injury Reaction:

• Adds an extra degree of realism to the chaos of battle.
• Offers further effects like cramps, and the ability to only crawl when shot in the leg.
• Highly satisfying in terms of immersion.

Get the mod here.

7. Advanced Urban Rappelling

Now, this is a beauty, not just in terms of immersion, but also in terms of practicality within the game. The mod allows the player to rappel from mountains, buildings or even helicopters, adding much more linear depth to the gameplay. You can even breach windows in pure SWAT-fashion!

What’s great about Advanced Urban Rappelling:

• Rappel from almost any high surface.
• Wield rifles and pistol from the rope.
• Works great in conjunction with Enhanced Movement (#11 on this list).

Get the more here. 

6. Multi-play Uniforms

When going off to war, a long deployment, or any other type of military operations at all, what’s the most important thing? Looking cool? Exactly! This mod provides a bunch of outfits, uniforms, carrier plates, and accessories, so you can outfit your operator to meet your beauty standards before embarking on your journey.

What’s great about Multi-play Uniforms:

• Countless items for customizing your character.
• Highly detailed models.
• Adds another layer of personification to the game.  

Get the mod here. 

5. Faces of War

Brass tacks, this mod is outstanding on every level. It’s highly detailed, in-depth and absolutely magnificent. A giant mod created to change the futuristic setting of Arma III back into the days of World War II. It includes the US, UK, German and Chinese factions, with proper weapons and animations to accompany them.

What’s great about Faces of War:

• Oustanding work on every level by the mod makers.
• High level of historical accuracy on uniforms, weapons, and equipment.
• Completely changes the experience of vanilla Arma III.

Get the mod here. 

4. ALiVE

This one is a bit out of the ordinary for the common Arma player, but you can’t have an Arma III list without including this mod, so bear with me for a moment. ALiVE is a dynamic mission generator and editor, that provides the players with the ability to play and design persistent missions with an advanced AI director that makes strategic decisions on the go. Imagine it as having to play against an AI-army that has an actual general controlling it. You can choose to either create your own scenarios or download premade scenarios, created by other players.

What’s great about ALiVE:

• Possibility to create and play any scenario you can imagine.
• AI will respond to your in-game actions with artillery, reinforcements and much more.
• A huge amount of user-made scenarios available for download.

Get the mod here. 

3. RHS: AFRF & RHS: USAF

Oh, boy, where do I even begin with this these two? These are such gigantic goodie-bags of amazing treats for any Arma player out there. They provide hundreds of new, realistic models, weapons, vehicles, helicopters, and planes, for both the American and the Russian side. Their huge file-size delivers so many new variants of in-game equipment, that it’s actually way too many to list here, but just take my word for it, it is absolutely brilliant!

What’s great about RHS:

• Immense compilation of vehicles, weapons, and equipment.
• Vastly expands on gameplay new additions.
• Incredibly realistic and detailed.

Get the mods here. 

2. Altis Life RPG Mod

One of the most known mods for Arma III, but what exactly is Altis Life? Well, to put it bluntly, it’s an RPG simulator. It simulates you as a real person in a real city, interacting with many other players living a life of their own. You can choose to live as an honest, do-good working man, or you can take to a life of crime, recruit other players and build a strong criminal empire through robbing people and bank heists to fund your struggle for power. The choice is yours. 

What’s great about Altis Life:

• Highly interactive mod with hundreds of other players.
• Collect wealth through working, trading or crime to buy vehicles and property.
• Roleplaying interactions between players often ensues hilarious moments.

Get the mod here. 

1. ACE 3 (Advanced Combat Environment)

This is the one. The single greatest mod ever made for Arma III. No comparison for me. This is a mod that is so deep that even Jacques Costaue would have trouble getting close to it. To name a few of its features; ACE 3 integrates a complex, limb-based medical system, that allows you to for example address a specific bullet wound in the arm of a fellow soldier. It allows you to carry wounded teammates, adds shortcuts for placing and detonating explosives, adds proper bullet drop as well as shrapnel to explosions, it forces you to wear earplugs if you don’t want tinnitus from gunfire, and much much more. If I had to solely recommend one mod on this list to you, ACE 3 would be the one. 

What’s great about ACE 3:

• Ruthless realism for the ultimate immersion.
• Vastly expands on gameplay with an ocean of features.
• Highly customizable allowing you to tailor the mod to your preference.

Get the mod here.

You may also be interested in:

15 Best Arma 3 Single Player Mods

15 More Arma 3 Mods That Are Awesome

Top 10 Games Like Arma 3 (Games Better Than Arma 3 In Their Own Way)

The 15 Best Military Shooters for PC!