STALKER 2 Coming In 2021, Will Have One Of The Biggest Open Worlds Ever

During Microsoft's Xbox Series X event, the company debuted a new trailer for STALKER 2 on Xbox Series X. This will be the first time the horror first-person shooter franchise appears on consoles.

Until now, all we've had to go on was one screenshot--but now we have a proper look at the game, which is also coming to PC in 2021. The game will come to Xbox Game Pass on PC and Xbox Series X, and judging from the game's official website there are currently no announced plans to bring the game to PS5.

A new cinematic trailer provided an overview of spooky environments, from an abandoned playground to a derelict underground train. Anomalies were also shown, crumpling cars and nature around them.

In an announcement on the Xbox blog, the studio explained how you play as a STALKER--a bounty hunter that delves into the contaminated zone looking for treasure and secrets. The monsters and factions inside "the Zone" (as it's called) will interact with each other in a simulated living world, and the studio claims events will be happening constantly whether or not you're there to witness them. It also promises a branching story with loads of different endings based on your choices, and that its open-world will be one of the biggest to date. The story will be told in a non-linear fashion, which could potentially offer more insight into the game's take the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

The STALKER series revolves around the area surrounding the Chernobyl disaster, filled with mutated creatures, factions vying for control, and strange natural anomalies. The first game debuted in 2007, but the series has been dormant since 2009.