Guild Wars Reforged: the 2005 MMO getting a 2025 glow-up

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Guild Wars is nearly 20 years old, but ArenaNet clearly isn’t ready to park it in the museum.

With Guild Wars Reforged, the studio is giving the original MMO a proper modern update: controller support, Steam Deck verification, sharper visuals, better fonts, a cleaner UI, and a new all-in-one bundle for $19.99 (around AED 73).

The update is free for existing players and rolls out alongside a new Steam release on 3 December 2025. For anyone in the UAE who bounced off the sub-fee grind of other MMOs, this is the same buy-once, play-forever Guild Wars – just finally tuned for current PCs and TVs.

What is Guild Wars Reforged?

Guild Wars Reforged is the new label for the updated version of the original Guild Wars, first released in 2005 as a subscription-free MMORPG.

• Includes all three main Guild Wars campaigns:
  • Prophecies
  • Factions
  • Nightfall
• Launches on Steam and Windows PC on 3 December 2025
• Offered as a single $19.99 bundle for new players
• Update is free for current Guild Wars owners

Instead of selling add-ons or remasters one by one, ArenaNet is rolling everything into a single, cleaner package. New players buy once and get the full classic experience in Tyria. Existing fans just log in on patch day and get the updated version at no extra cost.

The big upgrades: visuals, UI and audio

This isn’t a full remake, but Guild Wars Reforged does tackle the parts that felt stuck in 2005 – mainly the UI, resolution support and audio polish.

• Modern display support
  • High-DPI support for high-resolution monitors
  • New anti-aliasing options
  • Ambient occlusion and improved bloom effects
• Sharper interface
  • New HD skill icons
  • More font size options for in-game text
  • New quest tracker UI
• Better sound
  • Enhanced 3D environmental audio for more spatial detail

High-DPI support and new anti-aliasing options mean the game should look less muddy on today’s 1440p and 4K displays. HD skill icons and better font size controls help with readability, especially if you’re playing on a couch or a TV.

The new quest tracker is a quality-of-life fix players have been asking for in one form or another for years, and improved 3D audio should make cities, dungeons and large fights feel a bit more alive.

Controller support and Steam Deck play

The biggest change for a lot of people is simple: you no longer have to use a mouse and keyboard.

• XInput controller support added for the first time
• Designed to work both at a desk and on a TV
• Guild Wars Reforged will be Steam Deck verified
• Couch and handheld play becomes much more practical

XInput controller support means standard modern gamepads – Xbox-style controllers and many PC pads – will work natively. That alone makes the game much more inviting for living-room setups.

Steam Deck verification is the other big win. It signals that the game should run properly on Valve’s handheld with sensible defaults, working controls and readable UI, instead of leaving players to fight with community configs. For UAE players who already use the Deck as a travel PC, Guild Wars just joined the “throw it in your bag and grind a few missions on the go” list.

If you follow our Steam Deck coverage, this sits nicely next to the recent updates Valve has pushed for the handheld, from battery tweaks to firmware upgrades, making it a more solid platform for older PC titles.

Price and platforms

Guild Wars Reforged keeps one of the original game’s strongest selling points: no monthly subscription.

• One-time price: $19.99 (≈ AED 73 at a rough conversion)
• Includes:
  • Guild Wars: Prophecies
  • Guild Wars: Factions
  • Guild Wars: Nightfall
• Available:
  • On Steam
  • Directly from ArenaNet via guildwars.com
• No subscription fees

Regional pricing on Steam in the UAE can differ slightly from raw currency conversion, but the new bundle still lands firmly in “budget buy” territory for three full MMO campaigns and all the new quality-of-life tweaks.

If you’re comparing it with more modern online titles, it sits in the same mental space as other affordable, content-heavy classics that still hold up years later. It’s the sort of “backlog” game you can dip into between big releases without worrying about expiry dates, season passes or missing a battle pass window.

ArenaNet and 2weeks: returning to an old world

Guild Wars Reforged is a co-development project between ArenaNet and partner studio 2weeks. 2weeks was formed in 2024 by former ArenaNet staff who worked on the original Guild Wars.

• 2weeks team members have over 14 years of combined experience on the original Guild Wars
• The project brings back developers who helped shape Tyria the first time
• The goal is to modernise the experience, not rewrite it
• The update focuses on how you play Guild Wars, not on changing its core systems

That background matters. Instead of handing an old game to a random support team, ArenaNet has teamed up with people who helped build the original world. The focus here isn’t on new classes or massive balance changes. It’s on making the game more pleasant to live with in 2025: better fonts, nicer visuals, controller support and a clear path for new players to get everything in one shot.

Why this update matters in 2025

On paper, Guild Wars Reforged is “just” a UI and quality-of-life patch with a tidy bundle price. In practice, it signals that ArenaNet still sees value in the original game, even as Guild Wars 2 continues on.

• Keeps a 20-year-old MMO playable on modern hardware
• Removes barriers for new players:
  • No need to chase old boxed copies or separate keys
  • Clear, simple pricing
• Gives long-time fans:
  • Clean controller support
  • Visual and audio upgrades
  • A modernised interface for long sessions

For players in the UAE who are tired of live-service pressure or monthly bills, Guild Wars Reforged is basically an invitation to revisit an older style of MMO design. You can jump in for a few hours a week, play through story content with friends and then leave it alone for months without losing your place or missing a seasonal reset.

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