The Gothic 1 Remake, which officially launched on the 6th, has been holding steady at the top of the global Steam charts for three days now. It seems players are quite pleased with how the team managed to modernise the experience without stripping away the soul of the original.

Back in 2001, the original Gothic was a bit of a cult phenomenon, boasting an innovative NPC routine system and a level of hardcore gameplay that saw it compared to the likes of The Elder Scrolls. Alkimia Interactive put out a playable teaser back in 2019 and, following player feedback, officially greenlit the project. They really took those fan comments to heart, even pivoting their development direction to lean into what the fans wanted, all while using Unreal Engine 5 to give that gritty, classic atmosphere a modern facelift.

While the look and feel remain, the quality-of-life adjustments are a breath of fresh air. Gone are the days of being forced to rely solely on the keyboard; the game now supports both mouse and gamepad. The perspective has shifted to a third-person shoulder view, and the inventory has been overhauled into a tidy, categorised system. Combat feels punchier too, with hitbox-based mechanics and seamless combos between melee weapons and spells. They have kept the world map free of a mini-map to preserve that signature hardcore immersion, but they have padded out the quest depth, added more complex NPC reactions, and sprinkled in extra puzzles and monsters for good measure.

As of the 8th, the user reception for Gothic 1 Remake is 'Very Positive' (with 6,523 reviews, 82% being positive). The consensus is that they’ve nailed that rough-around-the-edges vibe that made the original so punishingly good. It’s also a treat to hear the original voice actors returning, and the soundtrack is hitting all the right nostalgic notes—all while the combat and content improvements keep the modern player engaged.

It isn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. Some players have flagged issues with frame drops and occasional crashes, and there is a fair bit of grumbling about the lockpicking system being unnecessarily fiddly and frustrating. The developer has already stepped up to say they are working on ironing out these kinks.

Elsewhere on the charts, the Forest series is seeing a resurgence thanks to some meaty discounts, with Sons of the Forest climbing to 9th place. EA Sports FC 26 also managed to sneak into 10th after an 80% price cut on its World Game Edition. Note, however, that the latter is currently unavailable for purchase in Korea.

In the daily peak Concurrent Players top 20, Taskbar Hero has seen a massive surge, hitting 403,521 players to snatch 4th place from Path of Exile 2. It’s a bit of a weird situation, as the user reviews have plummeted to 'Mostly Negative' and the devs have temporarily disabled the Steam Market. It will be interesting to see if they can turn the tide.