Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl - Everything We Know

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been in development for a long time, missing a planned 2022 launch before later slipping into 2024. If you're a fan of the original post-apocalyptic shooter, you're likely eagerly anticipating the sequel from GSC Game World, especially given that it was first announced (and even canceled) a decade ago. While we wait for the game's launch, here's everything we know so far about the once troubled, now promising genre-bender, from its gameplay features and platforms to the tragic reason largely responsible for its recent delays.

Release date window

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl was previously slated for a 2021 release, but it was later delayed to April 2022, then to 2023, and again to 2024. In January, it was delayed once again, this time to a specific date: September 5, 2024.

That's not for a lack of trying on the part of developer GSC Game World--the studio was founded in Ukraine and based in Kyiv prior to the Russian invasion of the country in 2022. Following the invasion, which has led to roughly 500,000 people dead or wounded, GSC Game World paused development on Stalker 2 and relocated its development team to Prague, Czech Republic. The game's name was also changed to reflect the Ukrainian spelling of "Chornobyl."

Sadly, not every game developer on the team was able to make the trip, with one team member--Volodymyr Yezhov--killed in action near the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Alongside the invasion, GSC Game World also dealt with an accidental fire in its Prague office. This resulted in up to $70,000 in damages, but by this time, a 2024 release date had already been decided upon.

Platforms and Game Pass

Stalker 2 will launch on PC and Xbox Series X|S. It will also launch on Xbox Game Pass on day one for both console and PC subscribers. Currently, a PlayStation launch has not yet been announced, but a leak seems to suggest the game will be a timed-exclusive on Xbox consoles for three months. After that, we may see the game head to other console platforms, though outside of a cloud-only release, it seems unlikely it will be supported on older consoles like Xbox One or Switch.

What is Stalker 2?

Stalker 2 is the long-awaited mainline sequel to the cult-classic original Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl from 2007. A PC exclusive back then, the game spawned two follow-ups in quick succession, first in 2008 and then 2009. A fourth game was once planned for 2011 but was canceled in 2012 due to a lack of funding.

For years, the numbered mainline sequel seemed to have evaporated, but it made a resurgence in 2018 when Stalker 2 was re-announced. Following a small teaser by way of a single screenshot in the spring of 2020, the game got a full-fledged announcement during the Xbox Games Showcase that year, which took place as part of an elongated E3 replacement series of online presentations in the earlier months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stalker 2 will see players once again taking on the role of a gas mask-wearing, rat-munching survivor in and around the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, the site of the infamous 1986 catastrophe that has caused suffering for generations of people who were exposed to the nuclear reactor's effects.

GSC Game World explained how you play as a titular Stalker--a bounty hunter who delves into the contaminated zone looking for treasure and secrets. The monsters and factions inside the zone 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 on the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.

Canceled NFT plans

GSC Game World courted controversy when the team announced it would be incorporating NFTs into Stalker 2. Unique in-game items were revealed to be in the works and were intended to be sold initially in an auction house whereby ownership would then be transferred to players. Those players would then be able to re-sell their items at a profit--if they could find buyers. This is the intention of NFTs in games, and GSC Game World was looking to be among the earliest adopters, but almost as soon as the team revealed its plans, it was met with blowback from critics who cited the pyramid scheme-like structure and environmentally catastrophic consequences of NFTs.

GSC Game World briefly put out a statement the following day on Twitter, which read like one part apology and one part doubling down on the plans, but it quickly deleted the statement within a few minutes. A few minutes after that, the team put out a new, much shorter statement revealing that all plans to incorporate NFTs into Stalker 2 had been canceled.

Trailers

To date, we've seen the game a handful of times, beginning with the above cinematic reveal trailer from the Xbox Games Showcase. Since then, we've seen deeper dives into the game, showing off its stealth-action shooting, survival mechanics, and the incredible character-modeling tech GSC Game World is leveraging.

PC system specs

GSC Game World has revealed a list of PC specs for Stalker 2, which cover both the minimum and recommended components.

Stalker 2 Minimum PC Requirements

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X or Intel Core i5-7600K
• Memory: 8GB RAM
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
• Storage: 150GB

Stalker 2 Recommended PC Requirements

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700K / Intel Core i7-9700K
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB / Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB / Nvidia GeForce GTA 1080 Ti 11GB
• Storage: 150GB

Preorder Stalker 2

Stalker 2 was, for some time, available for preorder on both of its announced platforms, including Xbox and PC (via Steam) before preordering was paused and refunds were offered due to the delays. However, preorders have since resumed on Steam. It's unclear when they will return to Microsoft's store, though you can preorder the Xbox game from other retailers like Amazon.