All 3 original Stalker games get ‘fully remastered and optimized’ versions next week, free for OG owners, and I can’t wait to get shredded by an anomaly from the comfort of my sofa

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Towards the end of the 2024 Christmas season, I concluded the year by publishing a report about an unexpected revelation from GSC. They announced plans to release updated “state-of-the-art patches” for the original Stalker trilogy – Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Pripyat – on personal computers.

The studio was somewhat mysterious about the exact details, leaving me to guess, as a fun holiday thought experiment, that it might involve upgrades such as enhanced cutscenes, improved graphics and gameplay, and compatibility with controllers. Additionally, it may include extra features like Steam achievements.

It seems that GSC has finally revealed their plans to release updates on May 20th, which will include enhanced cutscenes, improved graphics and performance, as well as controller support. Additionally, they’ll be adding Steam achievements. People often refer to me as a video game Nostradamus or Quasimodo, but the details escape me.

The studio has collectively referred to these dazzling new editions as the “Stalker Legends of the Zone Trilogy Remastered Edition”. This is described as a “completely updated and optimized” collection of the original games, specifically designed for RTX 5000 series and PlayStation 8 systems. They will appear in your library as distinct versions from the originals, and if you already own the originals, you’ll receive these updates at no additional cost.

According to GSC, this translates to “The Zone has been brought to vivid life with brand-new lighting effects, reflections, textures, shaders, and 4K cinematics. For those of you using PCs, you’ll appreciate features such as Steam Deck compatibility, support for mods, and the ability to use Xbox and PlayStation controllers.

Essentially, it seems these new releases are quite similar to the console versions of the original trilogy that were launched last year, but with some additional graphical enhancements. Moreover, the game titles are being modified to match the Ukrainian spelling of Chornobyl and Prypiat, just like Stalker 2 did.

Without a doubt, that sounds like just what I’ve been waiting for! Admittedly, I might face some criticism for saying it, but the idea of relaxing on my couch while playing Stalker on my TV with a gamepad in hand is simply delightful. And if I can start it up on my Steam Deck instead? That takes things to another level. There are likely some people who prefer the original versions and their expansive mod libraries, but since GSC promises strong mod support from the get-go, I’m optimistic that many of those projects will make a smooth transition.

The only thing left to determine is how smoothly these games will operate. Most Stalker games, including Shadow of Chernobyl and the upcoming Stalker 2, have started off with a bang, filled with various bugs ranging from amusing to game-ruining. Hopefully, since this is a refinement on games that have been around for quite some time, we can bypass that initial phase. However, only time will tell if the final product runs smoothly or not. Or perhaps, in this case, it’s the quality of the Tourist’s Delight that will be tested.

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2025-05-14 16:38