1-Year-Old Remaster of Horror Classic Is Free For A Limited Time

Published Oct 4, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Yuliya Geikhman has been writing professionally for over 17 years. She started out in the MMO scene with Pando Media Booster and now dives into everything gaming at Screen Rant. She's a lifelong gamer, a relentless industry sleuth, and a passionate follower of everything happening in the games industry. Before Portal introduced us to everyone's favorite female AI overlord, System Shock 2 tackled the topic in a much darker way. BioShock creator Ken Levine cut his teeth on post-apocalyptic horror with this iconic title. The game was developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios and originally released in 1999, and has become a classic for its masterful storytelling and pulse-pounding moments of dread. After the closure of Looking Glass Studios, the future of the game became uncertain. But on June 26, 2025, System Shock 2 was remastered and re-released by Nightdive Studios. And now, for a limited time, you can own System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster completely for free until Thursday, October 8 through the Epic Games store. System Shock 2 is a first-person, tense psychological horror game. The title has finite resources and a tense environment, to the point that it's often called a survival shooter. It throws the player onto the FTL spaceship, the Bon Braun. You awaken from cryo sleep to discover that something has gone horribly wrong. The rest of your crew is long dead, and their presence on the ship has been replaced by horrible mutants and robots that stalk the hallways. You quickly learn that the ship's AI, SHODAN, has gone rogue. She's taken over the ship and is intent on eradicating all humans from existence. It's up to you, of course, to stop her. The 2025 System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster upgrades the 1999 game to modern graphics and standards. The remaster makes visual upgrades to the original, with improved performance, optimized controller support, enhanced visuals for characters, weapons, and environments, and reworked animations. It also added the ability to play at up to 144 fps and ultra-widescreen support for modern displays. There are now also 50 achievements to unlock, for players who want a challenge or simply want different objectives for revisiting a beloved old game. Improved mod support was also implemented, to support the thriving modding community that's kept the game going strong for over two dozen years. Finally, the most exciting update is the completely reworked, cross-play co-op multiplayer. Though the initial launch was plagued with several bugs in the multiplayer, these have reportedly gotten ironed out by now, making it a viable co-op experience. Up to four players can go through the game's story mode together, facing off against mutants and robots, and trying to save the world from the inevitable AI apocalypse. You can grab the System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster for free on the Epic Games Store from now through Thursday, October 08 at 11:00 AM EST. It's the best way to experience the System Shock 2 title, whether you're a returning fan or a newcomer to the title. Systems Released June 26, 2025 ESRB M For Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Language Developer(s) NightDive Studios, Irrational Games, looking glass studios Publisher(s) NightDive Studios Franchise System Shock PC Release Date June 26, 2025 Xbox Series X|S Release Date June 26, 2025