The Stalker trilogy is one of the most defining and atmospheric FPS game series on PC. With the launch of Stalker 2 in 2024 bringing plenty of new eyes to the apocalyptic shooter, it's certainly worthwhile going back to the older entries. Shadow of Chornobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Prypiat certainly show their age, but they have withstood the test of time nevertheless. Now, however, GSC Game World is giving them a fresh coat of paint, revealing you'll be able to get your hands on the Stalker remasters next week and that they're free for anyone who owns the originals.
GSC Game World had previously teased that it wanted to return to the original three FPS games arrived, and for all their robustness they are certainly deserving of a little touch-up. The Stalker Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition is GSC's answer, packing in plenty of polish along with a few more modern quality-of-life features and improved mod .
The new Enhanced Edition remaster brings a wealth of visual upgrades to the Zone including improved lighting with godrays, screen-space reflections, and global illumination. There are also upscaled textures and detailed 3D models for the environments, characters, and weapons, and new water shaders and improved skyboxes to help bring the world to life. There's even the option to increase your field of view to take in these sights in greater detail (and spot threats mid-combat).
GSC confirms that you can expect full 4K resolution and for ultra-wide monitors. Alongside this comes optimization to ensure full Steam Deck compatibility, integration with Steam Workshop for easy access to -created mods, cloud saves, and gamepad . That's certainly a reason to go back, and in even better news the developer confirms that players who own the originals will receive their respective upgrades for free.
The Stalker Legends of the Zone Trilogy Enhanced Edition will launch Tuesday May 20 on Steam, and may be purchased separately for $19.99 each or in a bundle priced at $39.99. Anyone who already owns one or more of the games will receive the new versions of entries they currently have in their Steam library for free. You can check through the full FAQ courtesy of GSC Game World for more details.
For more throwbacks that are still well worth playing today, have a look through the best best survival games to see what you're made of.
You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We've also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with of the team and fellow readers.