What you need to know
- STALKER: Legends of the Zone Trilogy is a collection of the three original STALKER open world survival FPS games released earlier this year on Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
- At launch, developer GSC Game World promised that mod support via mod.io integration would come at a later date. Now that mod support is here.
- By logging into mod.io in-game, players can download and install mods uploaded by the community to the mod.io website. Modders are free to change or customize animations, textures, models, in-game videos and sounds.
- Interestingly, mods do not require internet access after installation, nor do they disable performance. However, there is a 1GB limit for individual mods.
Players of GSC Game World’s single-player open world survival shooter series, STALKER, have enjoyed many excellent community-made mod projects on PC over the years – especially after the release of an open source version of the X-Ray Engine accelerated their development. Now there’s also official mod support for the Xbox and PlayStation versions of the STALKER trilogy, allowing anyone to create mods for the games that fans can then download and install for free.
As it said when Shadow of STALKER: Legends of The Zone Trilogy hit consoles earlier this year, GSC has partnered with mod.io – a platform that helps developers integrate mods into their games – to bring mod support to the console. The way it works is simple: after someone creates a mod for STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, STALKER: Clear Sky, or STALKER: Call of Pripyat, he or she can upload it to the mod.io website. Players can then log into the game’s main menu with their mod.io account and browse for mods to install.
The official modding FAQ covers questions you’re likely to have and includes links to things like a mod making guide, mod.io terms and conditions, and GSC’s STALKER End User License Agreement. The developers note that animations, textures, models, in-game videos, and sounds are all files that can be modified, although other file types such as scripts, configurations, and libraries are off-limits. Individual mods also can’t exceed 1GB, so expect graphical improvements to come in chunks rather than massive, comprehensive overhauls.
A quick look through the FAQ reveals some good news: you don’t have to be online to use mods, so you don’t have to worry about being booted back to the main menu or anything if you run into connection issues. You only need an internet connection to download the mods you want; once installed, they work regardless of whether you are online or offline.
Another interesting thing to know is that GSC has chosen not to disable STALKER trilogy achievements when using mods, which contrasts with Bethesda’s handling of mods for Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Starfield . That means you have carte blanche to use mods to cheese them, and I’m sure we’ll see mods soon. My money goes to someone creating a stockpile in the Rookie Village, which shows up with one of all the collectible artifacts in it.
In case you’re wondering, there aren’t many mods available yet – PS5 players will have access to a cool, high-quality retexture for blind dog mutants in Shadow of Chernobyl, however – but I’m sure we’ll see plenty from the uploads achieved mod.io’s servers in the coming days and weeks. Personally, I’m very curious to see if fans will develop major visual improvements that elevate the games to the presentation quality achievable with STALKER Anomaly, but I’m also looking forward to gameplay overhauls and gag mods. I’m sure someone will post Thomas the Tank Engine somewhere in the area.
As a huge fan of the STALKER games, it’s great to see GSC making good on its promise to bring them mod support on console – and if you haven’t played the trilogy yet, there’s never been a better time to give it a go to look at. A bundle that includes all three games is currently just $7.19 on Fanatical if you’re in the PC crowd, and you can also get them for $27.99 on Xbox – a nice 30% discount off the MSRP of $39.99. Each individual STALKER game also has that discount if you only want one (I would recommend Shadow of Chernobyl in that case).
In a few months there will also be STALKER 2, the first new game in the series since the release of Call of Pripyat in 2009, almost fifteen years ago. It follows up the events of the first three games and takes fans back to the fictional spin on the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, complete with advanced graphics, deadlier gunplay, a new story and more. I’m jealous that my colleague Zachary Boddy got to play it at Summer Game Fest (read their preview), but on September 5th I’ll put on a gas mask and dive right in. If you have Xbox Game Pass, you can too, as it launches on the first day of Microsoft’s gaming service.