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PayPalTHQ Nordic have just revealed that the Gothic 1 Remake is now set for release on June 5th. Bringing the original game from 2001 up to more modern standards in terms of gameplay and graphics.
I'll admit this is another I missed the boat on original, as I never played it so I'm keen to hear from you in the comments if you're excited for this one. Hopefully it will be a nice hit, as remakes don't always live up to expectations. And of course, here's to hoping it also works fine in Proton on Linux systems.
Speaking about it the developers said:
The Gothic 1 Remake's primary objective has always been to recreate that raw, unforgettable magic of the original – the gritty camp vibes, the living open-world, the rough language, the unforgiving wilderness, and that nameless, no-hero outsider feel that made Gothic a cult legend 25 years ago. The developers at Alkimia Interactive poured endless hours into tweaking every detail: faces that scream "Old Camp thug," voices with that perfect throaty rasp for each character, features that hit just right while feeling modern without losing the grit.
This project was never about slapping together "good enough" – it's about making it look and feel "Gothic" in every corner of the world. And this could only be achieved through way more iterations than your average project.
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The highlights:
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
- Faithful Remake: Experience the original 2001 RPG classic fully rebuilt using current gen technology, preserving its iconic atmosphere while enhancing the gameplay for a fluid and dynamic experience.
- Expansive Gameplay: Immerse yourself in over 50 hours of gameplay, exploring the vast and dangerous world of the Colony. Discover secrets old and new, challenging combat encounters, and unique NPCs each with their own story to tell
- Dynamic Living World: Explore a vibrant world where inhabitants go about their daily lives: working, sleeping, eating, and fighting to survive, adding depth and realism to this immersive world.
- Branching Story: Chose which of the three factions to align with, influencing how your abilities and playstyle develop and how this true adventure unfolds.
- Enhanced Combat System: Master a modernized combat system that updates the core mechanics of the original, offering a more fluid and dynamic experience while staying true to its deliberate and tactical roots.
- Play as the Nameless Hero: Navigate the fate of a lifelong convict who must survive in a treacherous world filled with wild animals, ancient magic, and dangerous foes.
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5 comments
This was right in the middle of my college years (I'm so old lol) when I wasn't playing anything single player / rpg (but was playing a ton of multiplayer party stuff) so I totally missed this one as well.
Very excited for this to release as everyone heaps so much praise on it.
Very excited for this to release as everyone heaps so much praise on it.
0 Likes
I played the original three or four years ago for the first time and while controls and graphics are a bit clunky it held up surprisingly well, in my opinion better than something like Morrowind where certain mechanics are just inscrutable to modern players
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Gothic is very much the opposite of the design and ideals of something like Morrowind and especially Skyrim etc. In Bethesda games the world is your oyster, it revolves around you and grants you a power fantasy of your choosing. If you happen to choose all of them - enjoy all of them. Not so much the case with "pay for protection or enjoy a tasty knuckle sandwich" Gothic 1 or "get a job and become a respectable member of the community you're trying to embed yourself in" Gothic 2. Bethesda is very The Capitalist West. Piranha was closer to Working Class Reality Check.
Another point: these games seemed slightly archaic in some ways already back when they were released. Having played them again recently they pretty much haven't aged whatsoever. You still need to get used to all the things you'd have needed to get accustomed to back in the day anyway.
I also recommend reading up on the fine art inspirations behind the original Gothic's looks and playing that version as well. It's not just low fidelity resulting purely from technical limitations, it's a style. Nothing left of it in the remake, unfortunately.
Last edited by such on 12 Feb 2026 at 3:48 pm UTC
Another point: these games seemed slightly archaic in some ways already back when they were released. Having played them again recently they pretty much haven't aged whatsoever. You still need to get used to all the things you'd have needed to get accustomed to back in the day anyway.
I also recommend reading up on the fine art inspirations behind the original Gothic's looks and playing that version as well. It's not just low fidelity resulting purely from technical limitations, it's a style. Nothing left of it in the remake, unfortunately.
Last edited by such on 12 Feb 2026 at 3:48 pm UTC
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hardpenguin 3 hours ago
Hyyyype!
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Gothic 1 is very dear to me - the fact that one part of my nick is named after a NPC in this game I think speaks for itself. I was young, a few years into my primary school and although I was already quite good with English, I still struggled to play RPG games. I found their systems difficult to understand and kept getting my ass handed to me. So, the classics I played like the first two Fallouts or Might and Magic games were all games I *played* but never *finished*. Gothic was the first one that I actually completed. Thanks to easy systems - just two attributes! - and no shenanigans like "first-person view but you're actually 4 people" and thanks to the overall very immersive design I was finally able to just play and enjoy.
Which is funny because nowadays, the Gothic games have somewhat of a reputation for being difficult, partly due to weird controls and partly due to mercilessly difficult fights when you have a character with no learned skills and no equipment. I don't really remember having too much problems in the beginning. When I got told to watch out for the wolves in the forest, and when I immediately died to them, I simply learned to avoid the forests and to heed any further warnings :)
Gothic also killed Morrowind for me. When I finally got my hands on it later (Bethesda would never strike a deal with the gaming magazines over here, so it took years for me to get) and saw how the combat actually looked and worked, I bounced off immediately.
But to get back on the topic of the remake - I'm personally skeptical. It became more and more apparent as time went on that the first two Gothic games captured lightning in a bottle. To this day, it's still immersive in ways that most modern games do not understand. Piranha Bytes themselves struggled to capture the magic of the first two games while also utilizing modern mechanics that they thought gamers wanted for the rest of their career. They never did. So the odds are quite stacked against the remake. Thankfully, even if the remake turns out to be bad, I can look forward to the update on Archolos instead.
Last edited by LungDrago on 13 Feb 2026 at 9:42 am UTC
Which is funny because nowadays, the Gothic games have somewhat of a reputation for being difficult, partly due to weird controls and partly due to mercilessly difficult fights when you have a character with no learned skills and no equipment. I don't really remember having too much problems in the beginning. When I got told to watch out for the wolves in the forest, and when I immediately died to them, I simply learned to avoid the forests and to heed any further warnings :)
Gothic also killed Morrowind for me. When I finally got my hands on it later (Bethesda would never strike a deal with the gaming magazines over here, so it took years for me to get) and saw how the combat actually looked and worked, I bounced off immediately.
But to get back on the topic of the remake - I'm personally skeptical. It became more and more apparent as time went on that the first two Gothic games captured lightning in a bottle. To this day, it's still immersive in ways that most modern games do not understand. Piranha Bytes themselves struggled to capture the magic of the first two games while also utilizing modern mechanics that they thought gamers wanted for the rest of their career. They never did. So the odds are quite stacked against the remake. Thankfully, even if the remake turns out to be bad, I can look forward to the update on Archolos instead.
Last edited by LungDrago on 13 Feb 2026 at 9:42 am UTC
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