Remakes vs. Remasters: What to Expect When Classic Games Return

It’s exciting when your favorite video game receives a flashy rerelease, but it’s sometimes confusing to know what will be in the package. Is it the same game you loved, or a new experience that carries a familiar name?

Don’t fret—we’re here to break down the differences between remakes and remasters, so you can better understand what you’re purchasing. However, there’s an important term that applies to all rereleased games that we should tackle first.

God of War’s PC port
(Credit: Santa Monica Studio)

What Is a Video Game Port?

A “port” is a video game that makes its way to a new platform. For example, Sony recently ported many of its previously exclusive PlayStation games to PC (God of War and The Last of Us Part I, for example). Porting console games to PC has its perks; they typically support mouse and keyboard controls, and run at a higher fidelity (depending on your hardware). Sometimes ported games gain community mods, so you can double your web-swinging speed(Opens in a new window) or play as Kingpin(Opens in a new window) in Marvel’s Spider-Man. 

The benefits apply to consoles, too. Microsoft offers a frame rate booster for numerous older titles that lets games run at 60 or 120 frames per second. Sony also has a line of fancy ports that it calls “Director Cuts.” Ghosts of Tsushima, which was released in 2020 on the PlayStation 4, saw a PlayStation Director’s Cut a year later that included additional content, cinematic lip-sync animations for the Japanese vocal tracks, haptic feedback, faster load times, and a dynamic 4K resolution. These Director Cuts are usually more expensive than the base game, but publishers sometimes just charge an upgrade fee to people who own the last-gen version.

You’ll also see “Definitive Edition” and “Game of the Year” rereleases, which are similar in nature. Typically, they’re the same games as the original releases, but they include all of the post-launch content without a premium price tag. 

Metroid Prime Remastered for Nintendo Switch
(Credit: Nintendo)

What Is a Video Game Remaster?

At its core, a remastered game is a port that appears on more powerful hardware with a fresh coat of paint, and compatibility with modern monitors and televisions. There isn’t a standardized checklist of changes that a game must meet to be considered a remaster, and video game publishers use the nomenclature in different ways. So what should you look for in a good remaster? 

For older games, high-definition textures can increase foliage density or make pavement extra gritty. In addition, improved visual effects, such as ray tracing, make lighting and shadows more realistic.

A remastered title’s gameplay is rarely touched. If it is, the changes are usually subtle. An example of this is the Halo: Master Chief Collection, a bundle that contains the entire Halo saga, as well as Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 2 Anniversary. Those two remasters feature new visual assets, but untouched gameplay. In fact, you can jump between the game’s new and original graphics by tapping a button. 

Recently, Nintendo released Metroid Prime Remastered, an example of a remaster that veers into remake territory. The game features a complete visual overhaul, plus new control options to make it play like modern first-person shooters. However, the player and enemy animations are 1:1 with the original game. 

These games are beefy remasters because they are 20 years old. Remasters such as Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection or Batman: Return to Arkham are less exciting because the gap between their original and new releases is so small that the visual changes are fairly minuscule by comparison. 

The Dead Space remake running on PC
(Credit: Electronic Arts)

What Is a Video Game Remake?

If a remaster is a mostly graphical overhaul, then a remake is when developers get under a game’s hood to make significant changes. These games are remade from the ground up, sometimes down to the original source code. Textures, lighting, animation, combat, and story beats are all subject to change in service of a quality remaster. It’s a delicate balance; the goal is to tap into a new player base while exciting the original fans.

There’s an amazing documentary by No Clip‘s Danny O’Dwyer(Opens in a new window) that features him interviewing developers at Bluepoint Games about the company’s Demon’s Souls remake. It touches upon the aesthetic changes you find in a high-end remaster, as well as the subtle alterations that showcase the game’s remake status. In regards to Demon’s Souls, the devs talk about increasing the drop rates of certain items, so you’re better equipped to battle the game’s first boss; a complete animation overhaul; and new motion-capture performances for each in-game character. The video is worth a watch.

In this year’s Dead Space remake, Isaac Clark is no longer a silent protagonist. That’s a huge change that affects the game’s narrative and tone. Likewise, the game’s setting—a derelict space frigate named the USG Ishimura—was originally split into zones. In the remake, the Ishimura is a single map, so you can traverse the ship without load times. The Dead Space remake also features an “intensity director,” a gameplay mechanic that randomly generates scary sounds or enemy attacks as you explore the ship. It’s a great touch that ensures you never feel safe entering a corridor. It’s a terrific example of adding positively to the gameplay experience.

The most talked-about remake in recent years is Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The 40-hour action-RPG remakes the first five hours of the 1997 classic, and it received near-universal praise. It features a new, fantastic combat system and spectacular visuals, but some fans of the original game question its “remake” status due to significant narrative departures. That’s the dilemma developers face when remaking a beloved game: How do you remake something without feeling derivative?

Why You Should Game on a PC

Remakes vs. Remasters: Which Is Best?

Neither! Remakes and remasters serve different functions. Remasters are aimed at audiences who want to return to a beloved title and see new bells and whistles. If your favorite shooter now runs at 4K/60fps, isn’t that enough of a reason to hop back into the action? Likewise, remakes are a great opportunity for new players to experience a classic game they missed, but with contemporary touches. Regardless, always do your research before plunking down cash, so you know exactly what you’re getting.

For more, check out How to Play Classic PC Games and The Best Emulators for Playing Retro Games on Modern Devices.