Guild Wars Reforged finally modernizes a 2005 classic—Steam Deck support, €19.99, and one big catch

Why this update actually matters

Guild Wars Reforged is the kind of update I’ve quietly wanted for years. The original 2005 MMO still plays brilliantly-tight eight-skill builds, instanced missions, and no sub fees-but running it on a 4K monitor or a Steam Deck has been an exercise in compromises and community workarounds. On December 3, 2025, ArenaNet (with partner studio 2weeks) is fixing the worst pain points: modern visuals, proper UI scaling, positional 3D audio, and full controller support, all while keeping the gameplay untouched. Translation: the classic Guild Wars is finally comfortable to play again in 2025.

Key takeaways

• It’s a modernization, not a remake-no new content, no balance changes, the original gameplay stays intact.
• Visuals get a real lift: ambient occlusion, sky bloom, modern lighting, texture clean-up, anti-aliasing, and HD skill icons.
• Full XInput controller support and Steam Deck Verified means couch play without janky configs.
• Newcomers can jump in for €19.99; returning owners should watch for final details on how the update lands in existing installs.

Breaking down the changes

Reforged lands on PC with Steam Deck verification on December 3, 2025. ArenaNet tapped 2weeks to help modernize Guild Wars’ presentation and UX without touching its systems. That’s an important promise for PvP veterans and PvE purists who don’t want their 20-year-old builds invalidated by a “remaster pass.”

On the visual side, you’re getting a suite of upgrades the old client sorely needed: new ambient occlusion for depth, dynamic sky bloom around bright sources, a modernized lighting pipeline, refined textures that don’t smear on high-resolution displays, and anti-aliasing that doesn’t turn into vaseline when you move the camera. HD skill icons are a bigger deal than they sound—quick parsing of your bar is half the fight in Guild Wars, especially in hard mode or GvG skirmishes.

Audio is getting love too. Positional 3D audio and punched-up environmental ambience should make Tyria feel less like a flat soundboard. If you’ve kited Charr in Pre-Searing Ascalon or danced around Margonites in the Desolation, better spatial cues matter for threat awareness.

UX is where longtime players will feel the biggest day-to-day improvement. There’s a redesigned interface with larger text options, high-DPI scaling, a cleaner menu flow, clearer quest tracking, and an on-screen control guide to ease you into the new inputs. Full XInput support means proper controller remapping, and with Steam Deck Verified status, you can finally grind Vanquishes from the couch without wrestling third-party tools. There’s even a refreshed franchise logo—nice touch, even if it’s not the reason you’re coming back.

Why now—and what it really means

This feels like ArenaNet acknowledging the game’s legacy at the 20-year mark while giving it a path to stay playable for another decade. We’ve seen a wave of respectful modernizations across the industry—Diablo II Resurrected polished, RuneScape keeps iterating, WoW splits the difference with Classic—and Guild Wars Reforged follows the smarter template: fix the tech and UX, don’t mess with the game’s identity.

The price matters. If you don’t own Guild Wars, the complete package is €19.99—a low-friction way to sample one of the most distinctive MMOs ever made. For existing owners, ArenaNet is framing this as an update rather than a new SKU, but I’m waiting on final word about how it rolls out to legacy accounts. Either way, €19.99 in 2025 for a modernized classic that runs clean on 4K and a Steam Deck is hard to argue with, especially when the alternative was relying on community wrappers and hoping nothing broke.

The gamer’s perspective: hype and hesitations

I’m genuinely excited to replay Nightfall with heroes on a Deck, mapping my eight skills across face buttons and triggers. But I’ve got questions. Guild Wars was built around click-to-move, precise targeting, and flagging companions—systems that weren’t designed with controllers in mind. The update promises full XInput remapping and an on-screen control guide, but how smooth will target cycling, ground-target placement, and hero commands feel on a pad? If ArenaNet nails those workflows, this could be the definitive way to revisit the campaigns.

• Are graphics features like ambient occlusion, bloom, and anti-aliasing fully toggleable for older rigs—or can you granularly tweak them on Steam Deck for battery life?
• Will the streamlined UI respect the speed of play veterans expect (fast inventory management, pinging builds) without burying options in modern menus?
• What’s the exact experience for existing owners—automatic patch, new launcher, or a separate “Reforged” branch?
• No new content means purists win, but will newcomers bounce once the nostalgia sheen wears off? Modern onboarding helps, but Tyria’s charm is its missions and builds, not cinematic spectacle.

And yes, “no gameplay changes” cuts both ways. PvP balance remains the classic rollercoaster we know, and speedrunners won’t have routes invalidated by surprise mechanics. But if you were hoping for new quests or rebalanced professions, that’s not what Reforged is about.

What to do on day one

• Dial in visuals first: try ambient occlusion and modern lighting on a desktop; on Steam Deck, start with Verified defaults and experiment with AA and bloom for battery and clarity.
• Use the larger text and high-DPI UI options if you’re on 1440p/4K—your eyes will thank you during long Vanquishes.
• Test the controller mapping in a safe area and build muscle memory for target cycling and ground-target placement before jumping into hard mode.
• Returning players: dust off your Hall of Monuments plans and enjoy a cleaner, sharper Tyria without third-party band-aids.

TL;DR

Guild Wars Reforged doesn’t rewrite Tyria—it makes the original game truly comfortable on modern hardware with HD visuals, 3D audio, a better UI, and controller/Steam Deck support. At €19.99 for newcomers, this is a respectful glow-up, not a cash-grab remake. If ArenaNet nails controller flow and gives us granular graphics toggles, returning to Ascalon this December will feel like coming home.