As Stalker 2's devs set about fixing its "rough edges", modders are on the case: less than 24 hours after release there are already four separate mods designed to stop stuttering
There are also the usual reshades and minor tweaks you'd expect right after a game goes live.
The early verdict on Stalker 2 now that it's finally arrived is that it's a pretty good game that's currently afflicted by a lot of bugs and issues. Some you can live with pretty easily, some you can't, and GSC Game World's unsurprisingly said it's got plans to fix them, having already put out a pretty colossal patch towards the end of the review window.
However, the developer isn't the only party picking up its tools and getting to work on solutions. In classic Stalker style, we're not even 24 hours on from the game coming out and modders have managed to put out a whole bunch of mods aimed at helping solve issues with it - including five separate works designed to spare you dfrom stuttering.
Taking a look at Stalker 2's Nexus Mods page right now, you'll find FrancisLouis' 'Stalker Optimizer', a mod which its authour writes "optimizes Stalker 2 and reduces stuttering considerably by optimizing shader compilation and assets streaming" sitting atop the endorsements and downloads rankings. As of writing, it's amassed just over 7,500 total downloads, which is pretty cracking going.
It's definitely not alone though, with VynnGfx's 'Optimized Tweaks S.2 - Reduced Stutter Improved Performance Lower Latency Better Frametimes' being close behind it on 5,200 total downloads, and aiming to do pretty much the same thing in terms of boosting performance.
Add in Xowny's 'STK2 - SPF' and P40lox's 'S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 - Ultimate Engine Tweaks', and you're already pretty spoiled for choice when it comes to Stalker performance tweaking mods.
Outside of those, there are also some early mods aimed at doing stuff like enabling the console, letting you carry unlimited gear, and - because the sky is blue - reshades that that seem to have a vendetta against certain colours/themes. It was purple with Dragon Age: The Veilguard recently, with at least one of these Stalker reshades, it's yellow.
Are you jumping into the The Zone today, make sure to check out our array of guides that can help you survive by doing stuff like efficiently looking after your gear and learning about anomalies.