Summary
- STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, a highly anticipated survival horror game, is set to release in Q1 2024 after facing delays due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
- The development team for STALKER 2 had to relocate to the Czech Republic from Ukraine and faced other challenges from hackers.
- The game will initially be released as a Microsoft exclusive on Game Pass for Xbox and PC, but will be available for purchase from other PC storefronts after a short exclusivity period.
GSC Game World, the Ukrainian developer behind the upcoming STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, has given an update on the long-awaited first-person survival horror game, including a release window of Q1 2024. Development of the first game in the franchise to be released in 15 years has been beset with a series of hurdles, not the least of which was the STALKER 2 development team relocating from Ukraine to the Czech Republic due to the ongoing war with Russia that began in February 2022.
Over the course of that year, work on the game was paused for two months and several team members left to join the fight in Ukraine, where one STALKER 2 developer tragically lost his life. Then, in March 2023, Russian hackers leaked work-in-progress images and artwork of the game and threatened to release gigabytes more. GSC Game World later revealed that it had been battling to keep the hackers out of its servers for 16 months and warned that a variety of materials, which were not release ready, had been stolen.
15 Survival Horror Open-World Games You Should Play While Waiting For STALKER 2
STALKER 2 is still a wait away, but fans of the franchise have a bunch of fantastic similar survival horror open-world games to try in the meantime.
Understandably, STALKER 2, which was originally planned for a 2022 release, has been delayed and there have been very few updates on the game’s status. But on November 30, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl won PC Gamer’s Most Wanted PC Game award. The studio's acceptance speech was delivered in the form of a video, during which GSC Game World CEO Yevhen Grygorovych mentioned that the game is in the final stages of development. This was followed by a new trailer that revealed that STALKER 2 will be coming to consoles and PC sometime in Q1 2024.
When Will Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Release?
- Q1 2024
- Xbox Series X/S, PC
Fans also noticed that the trailer mentioned Game Pass, a reminder that STALKER 2 will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one and will launch as a Microsoft exclusive. However, documents leaked in 2021 via the Epic Games v. Apple court case revealed that this exclusivity will only last for three months, and the game will then be available for purchase from Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG. It’s not clear if there will ever be a PlayStation release. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that plans may have changed in the years since the documents leaked.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl truly has been a long time coming. Its first iteration was originally intended to come out in 2012, with development announced right after the launch of Call of Pripyat, the third game in the franchise. After a cancellation, GSC Game World revealed in 2018 that the fourth entry was again in development, and since then, the occasional screenshots and trailers for STALKER 2 have gotten fans very excited. For many, the upcoming survival horror title certainly deserved to earn the Most Wanted PC Game award.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 64%
- Released
- November 20, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- GSC Game World
- Publisher(s)
- GSC Game World
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Prequel(s)
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
- Franchise
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
WHERE TO PLAY
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in the year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, and warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive.
Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk, striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.
EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLD
Take over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.
VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONS
Meet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety of enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.
LEGENDARY MUTANTS WITH DIFFERENT BEHAVIOUR MODELS
Prepare to encounter horrifying mutated creatures that will try to slaughter you following different behaviour model. Each mutant may appear in different subtypes which makes their behaviour less predictible. Truly extreme danger represent regions with lairs with numerous mutants hunting in large groups.
ARTIFACTS OF INCREDIBLE VALUE AND UNFORGIVING ANOMALIES
The most valuable artifacts and secrets of the Zone are hidden in the most dangerous places. Beware of the hazardous anomalies and unique devastating arch-anomalies as you hunt for highly valuable artifacts scattered around the Zone. Will you dare to unveil the mysteries of the Zone that took lives of many others before you?
GOOD HUNTING, STALKER!
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Open-World, Post-Apocalyptic, Survival
