GSC Game World releases Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl

GSC Game World officially releases Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, stylized as STALKER 2, for PC, Xbox Series X and S, and Xbox Game Pass. The Ukrainian developer previously delayed the game several times.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is again set in the radioactive ‘exclusion zone.’ In the fourth part of the Stalker series, the player plays the character Skiff, who enters the area populated by mutants and various factions for personal reasons. Like the previous parts, the game combines shooter and survival horror elements with a large open world. According to the developer, the non-linear story has different endings depending on the player’s choices. GSC Game World promises to add a multiplayer mode to the game with a free update later. It is not known when this should happen.

GSC Game World had to delay Stalker 2 several times. The game was initially announced in 2010, after STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Pripyat were released in 2007, 2008, and 2009, respectively. Shortly after, the game seemed to be canceled. In 2018, Stalker 2 was announced again: the game was set for release in early 2022 but was delayed to later that year. Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the game was postponed again. A fire and a cyber attack on the studio are also said to have caused delays.