Summary
Valve’sPortalgames have a strong community, and there is a lot of user-generated content for both games. The most popular form of modding inPortal 2is the creation of community maps, which are shared simply through the Steam Workshop. There are some more involved mods forPortal 2, though, that add their own stories, mechanics, and characters to the game.
After so many years without a sequel, players may be craving a little more substance than single community maps can provide. For players looking for a more in-depth way to change theirPortal 2experience, these mods all do more than add single testing chambers. From changing the visual style of the game to adding new game modes, these are the best mods for curiousPortal 2players to try.
1Portal: Revolution
Mechanical Revolution
Portal: Revolutionis afan-made prequeltoPortal 2, set between the events of the first and second games. The mod features all new characters and story, and over 40 puzzles that aim to build on whatPortal 2established, rather than starting the player back at square one.
The mod uses a custom version of thePortal 2engine, which allows for unique mechanics to be implemented that weren’t possible in the base game. It’s one of the highest-quality community mods forPortal 2and one that every fan should play.
2Portal Reloaded
The Third Portal
What if there were three portals? That’s the core concept ofPortal Reloaded, which puts players in the shoes of a new test subject on a forgotten testing track. The player is soon given the triple-portal device, which adds a new green portal. These new portals allow the player to travel in time to a future version of their current area.
There are 25 new puzzles to solve using the new portals, and the mod makers created some interesting dynamics for the time portals that will make even long-timePortal 2players stop and think. The mod was also subsequently updated to include 20co-op puzzles, where one player controls the regular portals and the other player controls the time portals.
3Portal Stories: Mel
Meet Mel
Portal Stories: Melis a highly polished standalone mod forPortal 2.The mod tells the story of apersonality corecalled Mel, who awakes after a long slumber to find the aperture facility in its current state of disrepair. The mod tells a fully voiced, custom story that makes for a fun continuation of thePortaluniverse.
There are 22 levels in the mod, and it has around 6 hours of total playtime, making it a very robust offering for a community-made mod. The mod is standalone, and players only need to ownPortal 2to install it, it can be played via its separate executable on Steam.
4Portal: Forbidden Testing Tracks
Forbidden Knowledge
Portal: Forbidden Testing Trackstakes a few ideas from other community mods, adds a few of its own, and brings them all together in a custom story featuring a new test subject called Rachel. The fully voiced story takes place over more than 30 new maps, and that’s only the beginning of what’s new in this mod.
As well as the portal gun, players have access to a paintgun for gels, a time manipulation device, a gravity gun, and a matter-dissolving ray. There are also a host of new static objects, turrets, and cube variants. All of these new elements are combined into some unique puzzles thatPortal 2fans are sure to enjoy.
5Aperture Tag: The Paintgun Testing Initiative
Tag! You’re It
Unlike all the other mods on this list,Aperture Tag: The Paintgun Testing Initiativeisn’t free to download. While it is a community-made mod forPortal 2, it’s a separate purchase on Steam, though it’s regularly priced down to a couple of dollars. For the purchase price, players do get a new fully voiced character and a total reworking ofPortal 2’s gameplay.
Aperture Tagdoes away with the portal gun, replacing it with a paintgun that putsPortal 2’s gels in the player’s hands for the first time. The mod features 27 puzzles using the new mobile gel placement mechanic to create some interesting new puzzle ideas. The mod also comes with its custom version ofPortal 2’s level editor, allowing players to create their maps for the paintgun.
6Thinking With Time Machine
Echoes In Time
Thinking with Time Machineintroduces an interesting twist on thePortal 2formula. As well as the portal gun, players have access to a Time Machine-created clone of themselves to help solve puzzles.
Players can control the clone, record the clone’s actions, and play them back using the datapad device, letting them do things like retrieve objects from otherwise inaccessible areas. It’s a little bit like playingco-opPortal 2in single-player.
7The Cleaning Game
Cleanup Crew
The Cleaning gameis a wholly unique total conversion mod forPortal 2, built from the ground up using custom assets. Players are no longer a test subject in the aperture labs, but a humble cleaning robot tasked with cleaning up after human office workers. While this might sound like a waking nightmare, that’s kind of the point.
The tone and story ofThe Cleaning Gameis deeply satirical and fans ofPortal 2’s satirical humor, or players who enjoyedThe Stanley Parable, will find a lot to love in this mod.
812 Angry Tests
Community Map Series
While this list has focused on mods as opposed to workshop maps, the map series12 Angry Testsdeserves a mention. It’s a great starting point for players who want to explore the potential ofworkshop maps on Steam.12 Angry Testsis a series of workshop maps tied together with a story that makes it almost as compelling as the larger community mods.
After being fired for poor performance, a sentry turret swears revenge on the player character, leading to this series of 12 anger-fueled tests. It’s a rare and well-thought-out map series among workshop maps that are often one-offs.
9Aperture Reshade
Photorealistic Reshade
While players won’t find manyPortal 2mods outside of Steam, there are several reshade options available on Nexus mods. Aperture Reshade might be the best of the bunch, depending on players' tastes.
This mod adds a photo-realistic effect to the game’s visuals, with enhanced bloom and color correction for more realistic and modern-looking lighting effects. Without an associated texture pack update, a reshade can only go so far in enhancing the visuals, butPortal 2still looks pretty good for its age, and this mod only enhances that.
