Skip to main content

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl: release date predictions, trailers, gameplay

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the next hotly anticipated entry in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise. The game is releasing over 13 years after the last entry in the series, and it’s making its debut on consoles as an Xbox Series X exclusive.

GSC Game World, just one of the many European developers, is currently in the midst of an aggressive invasion from Russian forces that has caused their entire lives to be disrupted. In their efforts to support their country’s freedom, the team had to put development on pause to “help our employees and their families to survive.” Other game companies, such as EA and CD Projekt, have also shown support for the Ukrainian people by halting sales and the representation of Russia in their games.

To get you up to date on the post-apocalyptic survival shooter, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 release date

Survivors around a camp fire in Stalker 2.
GSC Game World

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was set to release on April 28, 2022, but in January 2022, developer GSC Game World announced that the game would be delayed for a massive seven more months until December 7, 2022. In an unpredictable turn of events, GSC Game World was once again forced to delay the game after their home city of Kyiv was targeted by a Russian invasion. Due to the unprecedented circumstances, the team has put work on the game on hold until the conflict has been resolved. The team released a video detailing their experiences, stating, “The game development shifted to the sidelines. But we will definitely continue. After the victory. Glory to Ukraine.” You can check out their full message to fans, and the world, below. Be warned, this video does contain some disturbing footage of the real conflict in action.

Lights! Camera! War…

Despite the terrible conflict still in process, GSC has put together an update and new dev diary detailing how they are managing to continue work on the game during the war.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Dev Diary: Game Development During the War

At this time, the game is now intended to be released on September 5, 2024.

Platforms

Wasteland in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an Xbox console exclusive. The game is launching on Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as PC. When it launches, the game will be available through Xbox Game Pass. Although a release date for PlayStation 5 hasn’t been announced, leaked internal documents revealed that the game will only be a console exclusive for three months.

That doesn’t mean the game is coming to PS5, though. Tetris Effect: Connected was also named in the documents with six months of console exclusivity. This updated version is coming to PS4 in July, but not PS5. GSC Game World says S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 won’t come to last-gen systems due to limited performance capabilities.

Trailers

Microsoft showed off S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 with an in-engine trailer during the Xbox Series X game showcase in 2020. It shows the grim, desolate wasteland through a series of striking images, setting the brooding tone the game will likely have. You can watch the first trailer below.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 - Announcement Trailer

As far as the story is concerned, the official site invites players to “Discover the vast Chornobyl Exclusion Zone full of dangerous enemies, deadly anomalies, and powerful artifacts. Unveil your own epic story as you make your way to the Heart of Chornobyl. Choose your paths wisely, as they will determine your fate and shape the future of the Zone in the End.” This heavily implies that, much like the first game, your actions will make a big impact on how the narrative wraps up. Beyond that, not much is known about what the actual story will be aside from it being non-linear and focusing on bounty hunters seeking treasure in the Zone.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl — Enter the Zone Trailer

Another trailer was revealed during the Xbox Extended Games Showcase in 2022 that is all about an area known as the “Zone” that could potentially “reveal a whole new world” according to the voices we hear. When a truck drives into this area, all the electronics begin to malfunction, the road cracks and concludes with a shot of debris floating around a small beam of light.

Gameplay

Microsoft debuted gameplay for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 during its E3 2021 press conference. The trailer cuts in scenes of gameplay with a group of survivors huddled around the campfire. You can watch it below.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl — Gameplay Trailer

The trailer shows off a lot of interesting gameplay systems. The first is the ability to grab attachments for your weapons around the environment and immediately attach them. It shows the player grabbing a scope and a silencer and equipping them right away without going through an inventory screen.

It also shows off several enemy designs, including an updated Bloodsucker design that looks strikingly similar to Cthulhu. True to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, the visuals look insane in the gameplay trailer. However, Microsoft didn’t clarify what system the gameplay was running on.

Following the announcement, GSC Game World released a commentary video detailing some of the interesting points from the gameplay reveal.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 — Dev Highlights: E3 2021

While we do see a lot of action, survival mechanics will still be involved. Hunger, radiation, and stamina all need to be managed in this open-world game.

Multiplayer

An explosion in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The only remark made about multiplayer for this title is that it will be added to the game with a free update sometime after launch. So, while you won’t be able to team up with or compete against friends at launch, you will soon after.

Preorders

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 physical version comparison.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Preorders for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl have returned after being temporarily discontinued on the official store page.

Regardless of the version, all preorders come with an exclusive preorder pack, which includes extended campfire content, exclusive weapon and armor skins, and an early bird multiplayer badge.

There are several different versions available for preorder. On the digital front, the Standard Edition includes the game, the preorder bonus pack, and exclusive Steam content. Here’s what’s included with the other digital versions:

Deluxe edition

  • $80
  • All Standard edition content
  • Special extra quest
  • Digital artbook
  • Official soundtrack
  • One costume and three weapon single-player skins
  • Two costumes and three weapon multiplayer skins

Ultimate edition

  • $110
  • All Deluxe edition content
  • Three costumes and seven weapon multiplayer skins
  • Two story expansions
  • Season pass

In addition, GSC is offering four physical versions of the game. The Standard version comes with the game plus a preorder bonus, a steelbook case, a letter from the developers, a souvenir zone permit, and a sticker pack. Here’s what the other versions include:

Limited edition

  • $80
  • All Standard edition content
  • Zone map
  • Poster
  • Faction patches
  • Military token
  • Multi-tool with fire starter

Collector’s edition

  • $180
  • All Limited edition content
  • Deluxe digital content
  • Collector’s art steelbook
  • Art book
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. figurine

Ultimate edition

  • $340
  • All Collector’s edition content
  • Ultimate digital content
  • Ultimate art steelbook
  • Artifact Container lamp
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. backpack

Editors' Recommendations

Jacob Roach
Senior Staff Writer, Computing
Jacob Roach is a writer covering computing and gaming at Digital Trends. After realizing Crysis wouldn't run on a laptop, he…
Light No Fire: release date speculation, trailers, gameplay, and more
Four explorers on a cliff.

Hello Games burst onto the scene when it debuted its first project No Man's Sky, at the old Spike Game Awards. That makes it fitting that the studio's next project was also revealed at the new iteration of the awards show, The Game Awards 2023. Light No Fire may not be trying to recreate the entire universe like its predecessor, and instead, it is remaining grounded on Earth, though it appears to be just as ambitious. The shift from sci-fi to fantasy opens up a brand new avenue for Hello Games to experiment with new systems and mechanics. Of course, given the history of No Man's Sky's pre-release marketing and misleading statements on what was and was not possible at launch, some are a little weary of buying in too early. Here's everything we know for sure about Light No Fire.
Release date speculation

There is no confirmed release date or window for Light No Fire. Hello Games has suggested that it doesn't want an overly long marketing cycle for this title, so it is possible it could come out in 2024, but we will have to await an official announcement.
Platforms

Read more
Ark 2: release date speculation, platforms, trailers, gameplay, and more
People riding a T-Rex in Ark 2.

In the surge of survival games that flooded the market around the time of Minecraft's release, only a few were able to carve out an audience and, well, survive. Those that did were the ones that had strong mechanics, lots of content, and a unique spin on the world. Ark: Survival Evolved was a little late to the party in some ways, hitting early access in 2015 and fully launching in 2017, but it was a hit right from the start. That was, of course, thanks to the key feature of the game: dinosaurs.

Ark 2 is a rare sequel to a game that typically tries to simply build on and expand a base game with constant updates. However, a sequel was not only announced, but also has the involvement of none other than Vin Diesel himself. Seeing Diesel riding on the back of a T-Rex might be enough on its own to sell most people on this ambitious survival game, but for everyone else who needs a bit more information before investing in this prehistoric adventure, here's everything we know about Ark 2.
Release date

Read more
Cities: Skylines 2: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more
A screenshot from Cities: Skylines 2's cinematic reveal trailer.

After the Sim City franchise faded away, gamers were left with few options when it came to city-building simulations. That changed when Cities: Skylines came out. The first game was a smash hit, filling the void left by the pioneer of the genre - and in many ways even surpassing it. However, that game came out in 2015, and even the numerous updates and DLC packs added to the game could only extend its life so long. Now, Cities: Skylines 2 has been officially revealed and fans have already built up their hopes as high as skyscrapers. Have the developers designed the perfect system for this sequel to thrive and grow? Let's take a bird's-eye view and see what groundwork has been laid for Cities: Skylines 2.
Release date

Cities: Skylines 2 will be fully constructed and ready to play on October 24, 2023 for PC, however, the console versions of the game have been delayed to sometime in spring 2024.
Platforms

Read more