Stalker 2 Modding Requires 700GB for Optimal Gameplay

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl's 1.5 update is now live, bringing various refinements and fixes, but it's the initial release of GSC Game World's modding tools that's truly capturing attention... and consuming our storage space.

"Customize the Zone to your liking with the Stalker 2 Zone Kit," announced GSC Game World. "Modify existing content or build entirely new experiences—creating animations, weapons, mechanics, and even the Zone's mysterious phenomena."

It sounds impressive, doesn't it? And it certainly is, provided you have 700GB of free space available... in addition to the 160GB required for the base game.

GSC explained that as part of their collaboration with the modding community, the team is providing numerous uncompressed files so mod creators can work with original assets during development—a benefit for everyone involved.

"The mod kit's large size is due to the uncompressed in-game assets provided for mod creators," GSC told PC Gamer. "Given the game's scale and the volume of assets, the download size is substantial. Since this is Phase One of the Zone Kit, we'll look into possibly optimizing its size in the future."

"We launched the Zone Kit as Phase 1 to develop it alongside mod makers," a community representative clarified on Reddit. "It already includes many features, but Phase 2 will introduce even more ways to interact with the Zone through the toolkit."

In our S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl review, we noted, "Beneath the technical issues affecting STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl lies a uniquely compelling experience," awarding it an 8/10. "It stands out as a refreshingly challenging shooter that captivates with its intense atmosphere and keeps players engaged throughout this demanding journey." Learn more about how S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has transformed the studio's operations during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.