Simple Populated Freeside
🟠 Updated over a year ago⚠️ Install Order · 6 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview

🔍 Analysis
- 👍 0.6% endorsement rate
- 🏆 #35 of 76 Overhauls mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
WHAT IT DOES
Adds Locals, Squatters and some patrolling Kings to Freeside, to make it look like an actual settlement and not an abandoned empty space.
Adds only NPCs and some beds, nothing else is changed. I've tried to never edit vanilla content unless it was absolutely necessary, to ensure maximum compatibility. Only a handful of vanilla records are touched.
Since adding NPCs can lower performance a lot, i've made two versions, one with the same amount of NPCs of Freeside Open, the other one with a dozen more. This will probably look better with some clothing variety mod like Spice of life, Karpsol or More Classic Fallout Outfits
LITE VERSION
- Adds NCR Squatters in the squatter camps
- Adds Locals around Freeside, some of which have daily routines
- Adds Ghoul Locals like the ones in Freeside Open. Lines for ghoul locals were recorded by Obsidian but never used in game
- "Gossips" from Freeside Open - renamed to "Local", now they have a small routine and don't stand all day talkin standing in a single spot
- All Squatters and Locals are randomized and set to respawn if they get killed
- All the Squatter and Locals have randomized clothing from vanilla leveled lists, there is a low chance that they spawn with some basic headgear or simple melee weapons (like knives or tire irons)and they have sometimes food items in their inventory, so you have something to steal if you want to try pickpocketing.
- Now the thug ambush in the alley has 2 extra thugs that were cut during developement
- Changes ownership of the bunk beds in mormon fort to the followers faction since random npcs were going to sleep there at night. There is still a floor mattress that can be used by the player or random NPCs who decide to take a nap.
- Changes the faction of vanilla sleepers in the mormon fort to the Followers, so if you shoot them while they sleep the guards will react. Before you could kill them and nothing happened except losing reputation with the NCR.
- Adds 3 patrolling Kings, an extra guard at the water pump and another one outside the school of impersonation
- Moves the strip visitors spawning triggers so now they spawn in a more organic way and not only when you go near the north door (to see this you need Uncut Wasteland that restores the script that spawns travellers going to the strip)
- Updates the VMS19 script so the added NPCs are disabled correctly during G. I. Blues
- Updates the VFSNCRSquadHuntKings Package so the added Kings disappear if you choose to destroy them at the end of King's Gambit
- Changes the script attached to the Cerulean Robotics door so only the player can trigger the associated Wild Wasteland encounter. This is necessary because the added NPCs can sometimes be attacked by thugs and flee in the building, triggering the encounter.
- Restores a fourth unused old l
Simple Populated Freeside adds much-needed NPCs to Freeside in Fallout: New Vegas, based on Freeside Open with additions and fixes. A vanilla version is available. With 965 endorsements and 157k downloads, it's a popular overhaul for players seeking a livelier Freeside without major changes.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Community favorite with 965 endorsements and over 157k downloads.
- Fixes and improves upon the popular Freeside Open mod.
- Vanilla version option gives players flexibility.
⚠️ Cons
- Requires Freeside Open as a base, so you need that mod installed.
- May conflict with other mods that alter Freeside's layout or NPCs.
For Fallout: New Vegas players who want Freeside to feel more populated and lived-in without a major overhaul. Perfect if you already use Freeside Open and want extra NPCs. Skip if you prefer a desolate wasteland or want extensive new content.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Make sure you have Freeside Open installed first, as this mod builds on it.
- If you're using a mod manager like Vortex or Mod Organizer 2, let it handle load order to avoid conflicts.
- Check the mod's posts or comments for known compatibility issues with other Freeside mods.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- New Vegas Mods
- Author
- Slick
- Version
- 1.4
- Downloads
- 157,220
- Endorsements
- 965
- Category
- Overhauls
- Created
- 9/21/2022
- Updated
- 5/10/2025
🧩 Commonly Used Together
Users add these mods to the same collections — a real compatibility signal, not an AI guess.
🔧 How to Install New Vegas Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for New Vegas →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
🎮 Need cheat codes or console commands? Check ur gaming wiki for New Vegas commands, item IDs, and more.
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