S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone has received an official guide for Steam Workshop mods, shaders, animations and more

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone has received full support for mods. Integration with Steam Workshop has been added to the game, and with it — an official guide.

GSC Game World shared detailed instructions for creating and publishing mods. In particular, how to change textures, models, animations, sounds, videos, scripts, configurations, and shaders. The developers promise to open access to other resources in the future Legends of the Zone.

⚙️ Modify the Zone in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy — Enhanced Edition now deeper than ever.

The Zone unlocks new possibilities for those brave enough to look beneath its surface. We’ve updated the modding guide for Legend of the Zone Enhanced Edition, adding tools… pic.twitter.com/mPhDHpRpsT

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) June 13, 2025

What exactly can now be modified in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Steam Workshop for Enhanced Edition is supported:

• Animations
• Textures
• Models
• Video
• Sounds
• Shaders (PC only)

However, only system files such as .dll or .exe remain banned — Steam and Mod.io simply won’t allow them to be downloaded. We assume that the ban is related to security, game stability, and anti-piracy protection.

Tools for PC and consoles are different. On a PC, modders have a much wider range of options — they can add completely new resources: unique models, sounds, shaders, etc. On Xbox and PlayStation, however, mods only work as a replacement for existing content. For example, you can replace an artifact model, but not create a new one from scratch. In addition, consoles have a limit on the size of a modification — no more than 1 GB in unzipped form.

What you need to create mods in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone

To work with mods, you will need:

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (Stalker SDK) modding tools from the original games;
• an audio editing program in the .ogg format (for example, Audacity);
• software for creating 3D visual effects (for example, Maya);
• a graphic editor for image processing (for example, GIMP or Photoshop);
• a video editing program.

However, manual compilation of shaders is a different story. First, you need to unzip stk-shaders, find the necessary .ps file, edit it, create a configuration with parameters, and only then compile it using .cmd. Depending on the main platform (Steam or Mod.io), you choose the desired launch option.

For the mod to work correctly in the game, it is important to follow the correct folder structure — modified files should be placed in the same folders as in the game itself. For example, if you change the font in the HUD, the corresponding file should go to texturesui, not to the original mod folder. Then everything is packed into a .pak using the xrCompress utility, which is run from the command line. Important: videos in .mp4 format do not need to be packed — the game reads them separately.

If you choose Steam Workshop or Mod.io, then in the first case, the mods are simply placed in a separate folder — inside only .pak and .mp4. In Mod.io, everything is packed into a .zip, where the structure should be stored.

How to publish a mod for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone on Steam or Mod.io

Steam Workshop:

• Mods are downloaded using the xrSWS_Upload.exe utility.
• You need to specify the game, path to the mod, description, title, and preview image.
• The mod will appear in Workshop only after moderation.

Mod.io:

• The download is done manually through the website.
• The mod needs to be packed in a .zip file (video — separately, without packaging).
• Moderation is also required before publication.

In addition, the official not only the Legends of the Zone trilogy will receive support for modsas well as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. For now GSC Game World has announced a beta version of.

Source: Steam