If you’re looking for the best Elite Dangerous mods, apps and add-ons in 2020 then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve collated the Elite Dangerous mods and enhancements that will improve your time with Frontier’s unfathomably huge but incredibly awesome space simulator.

Here are the best Elite Dangerous mods, tools and enhancements in 2020.

Elite Dangerous HUD Colour Theme Editor

You spend a lot of time in your cockpit, so why settle for the standard orange colour? With this mod created by a player by the name of Arkku, you can change your Elite Dangerous HUD colour to a colour of your choice.

This is a mod that requires a bit of tinkering but has been made easy. Arkku’s website explains how to re-colour the HUD in fairly simple terms. Choose the colour you like, then copy the text provided in the left-hand box to an XML file. It’s a simple yet effective change.

Voice Commands

Who doesn’t want to speak to their ship’s AI and have it carry out tasks on demand? This is a mod that will change the way you play Elite Dangerous forever.

Voice Attack is the most popular program to put voice command functionality into Elite Dangerous. It translates spoken commands into keyboard and mouse inputs to complete actions in-game. You can even have conversations with the ship.

It works exceptionally well, too. Once configured, saying “silent running” will automatically lower heat signatures, with the AI acknowledging with a simple “silent running activated”. “Request docking” requests permission to dock with the nearest station – a massive timesaver for those who hate flicking through menus. “Deploy hardpoints” deploys weapons, with the AI acknowledging by saying “go get ’em.” Why? Why not.

The result is a much more immersive experience, but this comes at a small cost. While you can test the program with a free trial, the full program is $10 – an amount that will hardly break the bank and will enhance your Elite Dangerous experience substantially.

Amazon Polly (formerly IVONA) is a more expensive alternative but just as capable. After a fairly generous free trial, the program adopts a pay-as-you-go model, with players paying $4 for every one million characters when giving speech requests. Your mileage will vary depending on how much you play., but it’s safe to say that the Voice Attack option will likely be the more cost-effective option for many.

Voice Commands 2.0

I can’t mention voice commands, and more specifically Voice Attack, without mentioning HCS Voice Packs.

Rather than relying on Window’s text-to-speak software, it puts your voice of voice (or voices, if you wish) into your Elite Dangerous voice pack experience.

This is an Elite Dangerous mod that you have to have – it’s compulsory!

Packs range from £9.99 but the voices are incredible. A.S.T.R.A is a slightly sexy robotic sounding female voice which is the standard offering and built upon with each update to the game.

But, what if you want more than that?

They have a selection of official celebrity voice response packs to choose from – not voice actors, the real deals. Sci-fi legends who have given their voices to the projects include stars from Red Dwarf, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Flash Gordon, Blake’s 7, Star Wars and more.

Who do you want as your co-pilot: William Shatner, Tom Baker, Brent Spiner, Brian Blessed, John de Lancie..?

There are several others, each professionally recorded to fit Elite Dangerous (and a few other games), not awkwardly ripped from the movies and TV shows the voice actors have starred in.