diff --git a/packages/config/src/config/_app.js b/packages/config/src/config/_app.js
index cff8bd596f..f4c412c7e4 100644
--- a/packages/config/src/config/_app.js
+++ b/packages/config/src/config/_app.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ export default () => ({
   css: [],
 
   modules: [],
-  devModules: [],
+  buildModules: [],
 
   layouts: {},
 
diff --git a/packages/config/src/options.js b/packages/config/src/options.js
index 9323d014bd..73c513e585 100644
--- a/packages/config/src/options.js
+++ b/packages/config/src/options.js
@@ -336,6 +336,13 @@ export function getNuxtConfig (_options) {
     consola.warn('build.extractCSS.allChunks has no effect from v2.0.0. Please use build.optimization.splitChunks settings instead.')
   }
 
+  // devModules has been renamed to buildModules
+  if (typeof options.devModules !== 'undefined') {
+    consola.warn('`devModules` has been renamed to `buildModules` and will be removed in Nuxt 3.')
+    options.buildModules.push(...options.devModules)
+    delete options.devModules
+  }
+
   // Enable minimize for production builds
   if (options.build.optimization.minimize === undefined) {
     options.build.optimization.minimize = !options.dev
@@ -376,7 +383,7 @@ export function getNuxtConfig (_options) {
 
   // Add loading screen
   if (options.dev) {
-    options.devModules.push('@nuxt/loading-screen')
+    options.buildModules.push('@nuxt/loading-screen')
     // Disable build indicator for programmatic users
     if (!options._cli) {
       options.build.indicator = false
diff --git a/packages/config/test/__snapshots__/options.test.js.snap b/packages/config/test/__snapshots__/options.test.js.snap
index 000cc02768..c2c6b112fe 100644
--- a/packages/config/test/__snapshots__/options.test.js.snap
+++ b/packages/config/test/__snapshots__/options.test.js.snap
@@ -143,13 +143,13 @@ Object {
     "watch": Array [],
   },
   "buildDir": "/var/nuxt/test/.nuxt",
+  "buildModules": Array [],
   "cli": Object {
     "badgeMessages": Array [],
   },
   "css": Array [],
   "debug": false,
   "dev": false,
-  "devModules": Array [],
   "dir": Object {
     "app": "app",
     "assets": "assets",
diff --git a/packages/config/test/config/__snapshots__/index.test.js.snap b/packages/config/test/config/__snapshots__/index.test.js.snap
index 93d1d3ea21..ba98fa7a70 100644
--- a/packages/config/test/config/__snapshots__/index.test.js.snap
+++ b/packages/config/test/config/__snapshots__/index.test.js.snap
@@ -123,13 +123,13 @@ Object {
     "watch": Array [],
   },
   "buildDir": ".nuxt",
+  "buildModules": Array [],
   "cli": Object {
     "badgeMessages": Array [],
   },
   "css": Array [],
   "debug": undefined,
   "dev": false,
-  "devModules": Array [],
   "dir": Object {
     "app": "app",
     "assets": "assets",
@@ -450,13 +450,13 @@ Object {
     "watch": Array [],
   },
   "buildDir": ".nuxt",
+  "buildModules": Array [],
   "cli": Object {
     "badgeMessages": Array [],
   },
   "css": Array [],
   "debug": undefined,
   "dev": false,
-  "devModules": Array [],
   "dir": Object {
     "app": "app",
     "assets": "assets",
diff --git a/packages/config/test/options.test.js b/packages/config/test/options.test.js
index 0eefbd41ce..7c9d5ace17 100644
--- a/packages/config/test/options.test.js
+++ b/packages/config/test/options.test.js
@@ -232,6 +232,13 @@ describe('config: options', () => {
       expect(consola.warn).toHaveBeenCalledWith('vendor has been deprecated due to webpack4 optimization')
     })
 
+    test('should deprecate devModules', () => {
+      const config = getNuxtConfig({ devModules: ['foo'], buildModules: ['bar'] })
+      expect(consola.warn).toHaveBeenCalledWith('`devModules` has been renamed to `buildModules` and will be removed in Nuxt 3.')
+      expect(config.devModules).toBe(undefined)
+      expect(config.buildModules).toEqual(['bar', 'foo'])
+    })
+
     test('should deprecate build.extractCSS.allChunks', () => {
       getNuxtConfig({ build: { extractCSS: { allChunks: true } } })
       expect(consola.warn).toHaveBeenCalledWith('build.extractCSS.allChunks has no effect from v2.0.0. Please use build.optimization.splitChunks settings instead.')
diff --git a/packages/core/src/module.js b/packages/core/src/module.js
index 8be703905e..083460d5ef 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/module.js
+++ b/packages/core/src/module.js
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ export default class ModuleContainer {
     // Call before hook
     await this.nuxt.callHook('modules:before', this, this.options.modules)
 
-    if (this.options.devModules && !this.options._start) {
+    if (this.options.buildModules && !this.options._start) {
       // Load every devModule in sequence
-      await sequence(this.options.devModules, this.addModule.bind(this))
+      await sequence(this.options.buildModules, this.addModule.bind(this))
     }
 
     // Load every module in sequence
@@ -136,8 +136,8 @@ export default class ModuleContainer {
       handler = src
     }
 
-    // Prevent adding devModules-listed entries in production
-    if (this.options.devModules.includes(handler) && this.options._start) {
+    // Prevent adding buildModules-listed entries in production
+    if (this.options.buildModules.includes(handler) && this.options._start) {
       return
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/core/test/module.test.js b/packages/core/test/module.test.js
index 7037ef010c..8aee02d745 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/module.test.js
+++ b/packages/core/test/module.test.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ jest.mock('@nuxt/utils', () => ({
 
 const defaultOptions = {
   modules: [],
-  devModules: []
+  buildModules: []
 }
 
 describe('core: module', () => {