- STALKER 2, built on UE5, is one of the best-looking games ever
- Players have taken phenomenal STALKER 2 screenshots with this mod
- STALKER 2 doesn't have a Photo Mode, but hopefully GSC adds one
When I started my review playthrough of STALKER 2 — GSC Game World's long-awaited Xbox and Windows PC-exclusive open-world survival shooter — last month, something that quickly became apparent was how visually impressive the game is. Built on Unreal Engine 5 with plenty of advanced photogrammetry, texture work, and some of the most realistic and natural lighting I've ever seen in a video game, it's nothing short of a graphical marvel. The Zone, incredibly eerie and tense as it is, is also a world of outstanding beauty.
You can imagine my disappointment, then, when I went into the menus to look for a dedicated Photo Mode and came up empty-handed. Using tools like these to take snazzy screenshots has become one of my favorite ways to capture and celebrate a game's atmosphere in recent years, after all, and STALKER 2 is arguably one of the most atmospheric FPS titles ever developed. And sure, you can turn off the HUD and take beautiful screenshots that way, but that method pales in comparison to tailor-made modes that allow you to snap pictures from unique angles or while zeroing in on the finest details.
But while STALKER 2 doesn't have an official Photo Mode, I have discovered that there's already a pretty fantastic mod-added solution you can use now if you're like me and would happily photograph GSC's meticulously crafted world for hours on end. I found it thanks to a collection of gorgeous screenshots taken and shared to social media by players @Steven_VP1 and @Spectral_Lens, several of which you can goggle at below.
All of these shots were taken with the Universal Unreal Engine 5 Unlocker (UUU) tool from Otis_Inf, which you can download from their Patreon by becoming a member. Custom-made by Otis_Inf to bring Photo Mode-style features to Unreal titles that don't have them, the software is impressively robust. Aside from giving you full control over the in-game camera, UUU also lets you move, rotate, and even get a third-person view of the player's model, tweak scene lighting, mess around with post-processing effects, and more.
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In some ways, UUU appears to be even more advanced and extensive than many dev-made Photo Mode offerings I've seen, with options like customizable dolly cam paths and adjustable NPC/character animation speeds making it possible to create cinematic machinimas. For a full overview of what the tool can do as well as instructions on how to install it, make sure to read through its page on Otis_Inf's website.
The process involves injecting a .DLL file into STALKER 2, allowing the software to run over the game with an overlay that gives you access to all of its capabilities. If you've ever modded your games with post-processing tools like ReShade or the ENBs that people frequently use with Bethesda titles, it'll be similar to those, though the purpose of UUU is to capture screenshots rather than directly alter the visuals of the game.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl pic.twitter.com/y2EsMCxDfcNovember 27, 2024
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl pic.twitter.com/v0tpYAVg5WDecember 5, 2024
Of course, the hope is that GSC Game World eventually adds a native Photo Mode to STALKER 2, as while UUU is awesome, it's something you can only use if you're playing the game on PC. Still, this is a pretty amazing tool to pick up if you're a fan of the game and enjoy virtual photography. It's definitely getting a download from me.
STALKER 2 itself has been a major success for GSC thus far. While it has a mixed Metacritic score due to performance issues at launch, it's also received high praise for its atmosphere and tense survival shooter gameplay, and most stability concerns have been addressed in timely follow-up updates. The title sold 1 million copies across Xbox and PC in just two days, and currently has a "Very Positive" rating on Steam with 84% of its 67,110 reviews giving it the blue thumbs up; in my own review, I gave it a 4/5, asserting that it "stands tall as one of the most captivating open-world shooters I've ever played, with palpable atmosphere and deeply rewarding exploration that kept me glued to my seat along with addictively intense and dynamic action that kept me on the edge of it."
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has arrived on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, and is one of this year's best Xbox games and best PC games. It has a $59.99 MSRP, but notably, you can get it for a discount at CDKeys right now. You can also play it through Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
