STALKER 2 Optimization Essentials Mod Improves Performance by 25% at 4K and 1440p Resolutions

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.