STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an extremely demanding game that has trouble running well even on top-end hardware, but a new mod now available online introduces some optimization improvements that bring significant performance improvements at 4K and 1440p resolutions.
The Optimization Essentials mod developed by Hybred, which can be downloaded from Nexus Mods, introduces a variety of tweaks that clean up Unreal Engine's effects quality, reduce ghosting and stuttering and improve loading and boot times. While some of the presets have a big impact on visual quality, the mod introduces considerable performance improvements of up to 25% at 4K and 1440p resolution, as showcased in a new comparison video shared by MxBenchmarkPC, so it's definitely worth using for those who cannot run the game well, no matter the graphics settings used.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a more than worthy entry in the series, offering exactly what fans expected the game to be. While the experience is sometimes unbalanced, exploring the Zone is incredibly engaging, although its sheer size sometimes works against the experience as a whole, as highlighted by Alessio in his review.
Let's make one thing clear: STALKER 2 is one of the largest single player shooter games I've played, if not the largest. I reached the end after playing for 47 and a half hours, and that's after abandoning some of the sidequests. While I generally love large games, the sheer size doesn't always work in this game's favor. That's because most of the time you're scattered through the vast, completely seamless 64 square kilometers map, running on one wild goose chase after another. It gets a little repetitive after some time (prepare to visit a dozen different secret laboratories), not to mention slightly tedious for all the reasons explained in the earlier portion of the review. Moreover, while some side missions are interesting, most are fairly run-of-the-mill.
STALKER 2 is now available on PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The game is also part of the Xbox Game Pass library on both PC and consoles.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
