FAQ
General
What is Alan Wake (2010)?
Alan Wake is a critically acclaimed cinematic thriller inspired by classic works of horror, with a deep mystery at its core. The game is from Remedy Entertainment, the creators of the award-winning Control.
The best-selling writer Alan Wake’s wife Alice mysteriously vanishes on their vacation to the idyllic town of Bright Falls. As Wake begins to find pages of a thriller he doesn’t remember writing, Bright Falls becomes much more sinister. A malevolent dark presence begins possessing the townspeople and taunting Wake, driving him to the brink of sanity as he tries to unravel a deepening mystery and find Alice.
What is Alan Wake Remastered?
Alan Wake Remastered is a remastered version of the original Alan Wake (2012 PC version). For fans of the original, it’s a new refreshed experience of the game they love. For newcomers, it’s a great way to experience the classic Alan Wake on new platforms taking advantage of next-generation technology.
The remaster contains the original game as well as The Signal and The Writer DLCs, which were originally sold separately, but are part of the Alan Wake Remastered package. The main game contains a brand new developer commentary track from game’s writer and creative director Sam Lake that fans will not want to miss.
Have you changed some of the content in the remaster?
It is the same game as before. The graphics have been improved and the front-end has been refreshed to look more modern. We feel the original game on the PC still looks good thanks to the excellent art and style of the game, but the upjump in resolution and frame-rate definitely elevate the remastered experience.
What can we expect from the new commentary track in the remaster?
We have recorded a brand-new audio commentary track for Alan Wake Remastered, featuring Sam Lake, the lead writer on Alan Wake and creative director at Remedy. The commentary features a deeper dive into the narrative of the game and the creative process involved in writing for Remedy’s games.
You can turn on the commentary from the Options menu and it triggers automatically as you progress through the game.
What platforms is Alan Wake Remastered coming out on?
Alan Wake Remastered is coming out (take a deep breath) on PC on the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4/Pro, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch.
If I buy the game for one console platform, like the PS4, do I get the PS5 version for free?
Yes. Buying the game on a single platform will give you access to all versions of Alan Wake Remastered on that platform.
If I buy a PS4 disc version, can I upgrade to PS5 digital version later down the line?
Yes.
Does Alan Wake Remastered support Smart Delivery on Xbox?
Yes.
If I buy an Xbox One disc, can I get an Xbox Series X|S digital upgrade?
Yes.
Technical
What are the main technical features of Alan Wake Remastered?
- Remastered 4K graphics at 60 FPS* gameplay
- Redone cinematic cut-scenes with improved facial animation and lip sync
- Richer environmental details (improved textures and additional geometry)
- Enhanced character models with updated hair and skin shaders
- Improved visual effects and lighting
*PS5 & Series X 60 fps / 4K
*PS4 Pro / Xbox One X offer a 60 fps Performance and 30 fps Quality mode (included in Day 1 patch)
Does Alan Wake Remastered support ray tracing / HDR?
No.
As this is a remaster built on the existing Alan Wake engine and technology, adding in ray tracing / HDR support was deemed too time-consuming. This would have taken resources away from other critical areas.
We are confident the game looks great even without ray tracing / HDR support.
Technical details / resolution / frame rate
Render Resolution is the internal resolution size. Output Resolution is the resolution of the image after temporal upscaling. There are some rendering and post-processing differences between the versions of the game depending on platform.
Platform / Render Resolution / Output Resolution / target frame-rate
- PlayStation 4 – 1080p / 1080p / 30fps
- PlayStation 4 Pro (Performance Mode) – 1080p / 1080p / 60fps
- PlayStation 4 Pro (Quality Mode) – 1296p / 2160p (4K) / 30fps / 4 x MSAA
- Xbox One – 900p / 900p / 30fps
- Xbox One X (Performance Mode) – 1080p / 1080p / 60fps
- Xbox One X (Quality Mode) – 1440p / 2160p (4K) / 30fps / 4 x MSAA
- PlayStation 5 – 1440p / 2160p (4K) / 60fps / 4X MSAA
- Xbox Series X – 1440p / 2160p (4K) / 60fps / 4 X MSAA
- Xbox Series S – 1080p / 1080p / 60fps
- PC – 4K / unlimited
- Nintendo Switch Docked – 1080p / 594p / 30fps
- Nintendo Switch Undocked – 720p / 396p / 30fps
What are the PlayStation 5-specific features?
- Activity Cards (track mission progression)
- Trigger Feedback implementation
- Vibration implementation
How big of a download am I looking at with this game?
- PlayStation 4 – Approx. 29GB
- PlayStation 5 – Approx. 27GB
- Xbox platforms – Approx. 39GB
- PC – Approx. 36GB
- Nintendo Switch – 12.9GB
Is there a physical edition of Alan Wake Remastered for the Switch ?
The Switch version is available as a digital download only from the Nintendo eShop.
How does Alan Wake Remastered take advantage of the DualSense controller?
As Alan said, “I squeezed the flashlight like my life depended on it, willing it to stop it coming any closer. Suddenly, something gave, and the light seemed to shine brighter.”
The PlayStation 5 version of Alan Wake Remastered supports the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller’s vibration and haptics. The left trigger aims Alan’s flashlight and the harder you press, the more intensity the flashlight will have.
The right trigger is used to shoot weapons, but there’s a clear difference in tactile feedback and resistance when using a pistol versus a rifle.
PC specific features
- PC version will be x64 and support DX12 only
- No Ray Tracing
- DLSS
Nvidia DLSS – Off, Ultra-Performance, Performance, Balanced, Quality - Ultra-wide screen support
Yes, 21:9 aspect ratio - Caveats: pre-rendered cut scenes will not render like this – they are 16:9
- Unlocked frame-rate
Yes – as in the original game - Display: full screen / window / borderless?
All supported
Graphical Settings
- Ambient occlusion – Yes – (HBAO+ Nvidia Ambient occlusion tech)
- Resolution – Enumerated resolutions
- V-Sync – On/Off
- Console v-sync set to on and with no option to turn off
- HUD – Enabled/Disabled
- Brightness
- Motion Blur – Enabled/Disabled
- Film Grain – Enabled/Disabled
- FOV – Slider
Advanced Options
- Graphics Quality – Low/Medium/High/Custom
- Render Scale – Slider – default to 100%
- Anisotropic Filtering – Off, 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x
- Shadow Quality – Low, Medium, High
- Volumetric Light Quality – Low, Medium, High
- Terrain Quality – Low, High
- Draw Distance – Slider
What are the PC min / recommended specs for Alan Wake Remastered?
Minimum specs
CPU: i5-3340 or Ryzen 3 1200
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or AMD RX470. 4GB VRAM.
RAM: 8 GB or higher
OS: Win 10 64-bit
Recommended specs
CPU: i7-3770 or Ryzen 5 1400
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD 5600XT. 6GB VRAM
RAM: 16 GB
OS: Win 10 64-bit
Do save games carry over from PS4 to PS5 / Xbox One to Xbox Series X, etc.?
Yes.
When you start the game on Series X|S, the console will automatically detect a previous generation save game and offer to load it, allowing players to continue their game from where they left off on a previous generation console.
If you have a PlayStation 4 save game on your PlayStation 5, the game will auto-detect this and upon booting up, ask if you want to continue from this save game. To bring a save game from the PS4 to PS5, if you have an active PlayStation Plus subscription, you can use the cloud save storage to get your save game over to the PS5. The manual old-school method is that you copy the saves from a PS4 to an USB stick and import them onto your PlayStation 5. Fingers crossed!
You cannot “downgrade” a save game, meaning you cannot use your PS5 save game to continue playing on the PS4.
Background
Who developed the original Alan Wake?
The original Alan Wake was developed by Remedy Entertainment. It was released on Xbox 360 in May 2010 and on PC in the fall of 2012.
Who are Remedy Entertainment?
Remedy Entertainment is a video game developer of some merit based in Finland.
Remedy Entertainment Plc is a globally successful video game company known for story-driven and visually stunning console and computer games such as Control, Alan Wake and Max Payne. Founded and based in 1995 in Finland, the company employs over 280 game industry professionals from 27 different countries. Remedy is listed on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland marketplace. For more information: www.remedygames.com
Who is the co-developer behind Alan Wake Remastered?
d3t, a UK-based studio specializing in remasters in collaboration with Remedy. You can read about d3t more at: https://d3tltd.com/
Several of the key Remedy developers who were creating the original Alan Wake, like the Chief Technology Officer and VFX lead, are involved in the creation of Alan Wake Remastered.
Why did you not go for a full-on remake?
The plan has always been more about introducing Alan Wake to new audiences rather than remaking the game. We are still quite happy with the game a decade later.
Gameplay
Does Alan Wake Remastered come with difficulty settings?
Alan Wake Remastered comes with the same difficulty settings as the original Alan Wake. The three selectable difficulty settings (Easy, Normal, and Nightmare) determine enemy spawns, enemy health, ammo drops and health regeneration.
Nightmare difficulty will only unlock after the game is completed once.
Have you changed or improved the gameplay compared to the original?
We have not touched the gameplay.
From the outset, we decided that this is a remaster and not a remake. While there were some frustrations with the original game’s gameplay (things like Alan often being out of breath when running), we feel these are part of the original Alan Wake experience and haven’t changed them.
There are natural gameplay benefits from a smoother framerate and higher resolution, as well as, for example, the improved rumble and haptics in PS5 and Xbox Series X|S controllers that improve immersion.
Random
Are the Achievements and Trophies the same as in the original game?
Yes.
Do I really have to pick up 100 thermoses for an Achievement/Trophy… ?
Yes.
Is there a digital and physical release?
Yes. Alan Wake Remastered is being released both digitally and via disc / physical retail. There are no content differences between the digital and disc versions.
What languages will be supported?
- Interface/Subtitles – English, German, French, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Polish, Traditional Chinese and Latin-American Spanish
- Turkish and Brazilian Portuguese added as new languages
- Audio /VO – English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Latin-American Spanish.
Is this a remake or a remaster?
It’s a remaster.
The plan has always been more about introducing Alan Wake to new audiences and platforms, rather than remaking a game that we are quite happy with a decade later. Alan Wake has not been available for PlayStation platforms at all before this.
Publisher/Release
What is the release date of Alan Wake Remastered?
Tuesday, October 5th, 2021 on PC, Play Station and Xbox and Thursday October 20, 2022 on Nintendo Switch.
Who is publishing Alan Wake Remastered?
Epic Games Publishing is publishing the game.
What is the retail price of Alan Wake Remastered?
Alan Wake Remastered will be available as a physical edition for $29.99 USD / €29.99 / £24.99 and as a digital edition for $29.99 USD / €29.99 / £24.99 / 3080 ¥. The game can be purchased for PC on the Epic Games Store, and via physical and digital editions on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S , Xbox One consoles and only in digital format on Nintendo Switch.
