System Shock 2 is a first-person game mixing shooting, role-playing and survival horror, developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios and published by Electronic Arts for Windows on 11 August 1999. Work began in 1997 under the title Junction Point; EA, which owned the franchise, asked for it to become a System Shock sequel. Ken Levine was lead designer and writer, and the game used the Dark Engine, also used for Thief: The Dark Project. Development took about 18 months and cost $1.7 million.
Players build skills such as hacking and psionic powers; weapons wear out and ammunition is scarce.
After Looking Glass closed, the rights were tangled for years, until Nightdive Studios re-released the game in 2013. Nightdive's 25th Anniversary Remaster came out for Windows on 26 June 2025 and for consoles on 10 July 2025.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | System Shock 2 | Windows | Aug 11, 1999 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
| EU | System Shock 2UK date. | Windows | Sep 18, 1999 | Electronic Arts | 1 |
| WW | System Shock 2Steam re-release. | Windows | May 10, 2013 | — | 1 |
| WW | System Shock 2Mac OS X version on GOG.com, running through Wine. | Mac | Jun 18, 2013 | — | 1 |
| WW | System Shock 2Runs through Wine. | Linux | April 2014 | — | 1 |
| WW | System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster | Windows | Jun 26, 2025 | Nightdive Studios | 1 |
| WW | System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary RemasterSame day on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. | Switch | Jul 10, 2025 | Nightdive Studios | 1 |
| WW | System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary RemasterFree upgrade from the Switch version. | Switch 2 | Jun 3, 2026 | Nightdive Studios | 1 |
Also known as: System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster WW1
Version differences
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GameplayPatch (September 1999)
A September 1999 patch added co-operative multiplayer and options for weapon degradation and enemy respawn rates.1
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Bug fixSteamGOG (2013)
The GOG and Steam editions include the fan-made NewDark patch, released in 2012 by a developer known as Le Corbeau, which fixes many Dark Engine problems.1
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Graphics25th Anniversary Remaster (2025)
The 2025 remaster brings improved character and weapon models and animations, ultra-widescreen support at up to 144 fps, controller support and cross-play co-op.2
Translations
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German Official
Nightdive Studios2025WindowsReleased
The remaster lists German on Steam and GOG.3
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Spanish Official
Nightdive Studios2025WindowsReleased
GOG lists Spanish text and audio for the 25th Anniversary Remaster; Steam lists Spanish (Spain).3
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French Official
Nightdive Studios2025WindowsReleased
The remaster lists French on Steam and GOG.3
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Italian Official
Nightdive Studios2025WindowsReleased
The remaster lists Italian on Steam and GOG.3
Where to play legally today
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GOG Purchase
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Steam Purchase
How to run it today
Buy the 25th Anniversary Remaster on Steam or GOG; it runs on 64-bit Windows 10. The 2013 GOG and Steam editions of the original already included the NewDark patch for modern systems.
- System Shock 2 remaster on GOG gog.com
Best version
GOG's 25th Anniversary Remaster listing states that the original 1999 System Shock 2 is included with the remaster, so both versions are available in one purchase there.3
Reception
System Shock 2 has a Metacritic score of 92 and won over a dozen awards, including seven Game of the Year awards, but it sold only 58,671 copies by April 2000.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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