When is the Stalker 2 release date? The long-awaited sequel was first announced during the Xbox and Bethesda Games E3 2021 showcase, with developer GSC Game World also revealing a trailer replete with gameplay and story details. The game's official title is Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, following from Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat.
best PC games once it's finally released.
Stalker 2 release date
The Stalker 2 release date is Wednesday, November 20, 2024. It's due to launch at 8am PST / 11am EST / 4pm GMT / 5pm CET / 3am AEDT.
This release date marks the third and final delay for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, announced via the "Really, Again?" trailer. The press release explaining the studio needs additional time to "fix 'unexpected anomalies' (or simply 'bugs', as you call them)."
Speaking on the delay, game director Yevhen Grygorovych thanks fans for their patience. "We are always grateful for your ongoing and understanding – it means the world to us," he says. "We're just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself."
Stalker 2 was originally slated to release on December 8, 2022, but it was launch date to September 5, 2024 to address "technical imperfections." However, it seems this long-awaited sequel needs a little more time.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is due to release on PC via Steam, Game , and the Epic Games Store. It also currently has a console exclusivity deal, meaning that it's also coming to Xbox Series X|S.
The physical, limited edition of Stalker 2 has been so popular that the dev has opted to extend the run, giving players a better chance at securing some in-zone, real-world loot, if they want to.
Stalker 2 Game
Stalker 2 will be released on Game day one, meaning that anyone with an active subscription to the service can play the open-world game as it launches.
Players who'd prefer to preorder it outright can purchase the Stalker 2 ultimate edition, which received a price increase "to keep the quality at the desired level during these uneasy times" following the studio's relocation during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Stalker 2 trailers
The E3 2021 trailer shows us the first official gameplay for Stalker 2, including a cameo from the series creator. The footage shows a cutscene of survivors sitting around a campfire, a place of respite from the relentless and dangerous world. The campfire scene is spliced with gameplay, including a gunfight at the nuclear plant. With plenty of factions to befriend or take out, it looks like combat will be tough once again as a "variety of enemies that follow different tactics [are] trying to outsmart you."
We also get a first look at the Bloodsucker and an anomaly-infested area, where you can chuck bolts forward to test for these deadly rifts. The trailer shows a mix of horror, survival, and action. Although we know little about the story, the expanded open world adds survival mechanics, a life simulation system, and advanced AI. Mod will also be available to give freedom to creative players.
The Stalker 2 'Bolts and Bullets' trailer also includes a voiceover that may tease the central protagonist's plight: "I was attacked while on a job. I got hit in the head, and when I woke up, I was in almost nothing but my birthday suit." What follows is a montage of the worst morning-after imaginable, consisting of supernatural occurrences, rabid dogs, and flesh mutants.
Other trailers for Stalker 2 include the announcement of a partnership between Stalker 2 and the Non Stop energy drink brand, depicted in-game as a brief interlude where the protagonist gulps down a can to regain their focus. The video description proclaims that "experienced stalkers got an ace in the can, the same as 16 years ago" – a reference to the Non Stop brand's usage in Shadow of Chornobyl within specific territories.
The Strider trailer confirms that the former Monolith stalker canonically survived the events of Call of Pripyat and is making a welcome return in the sequel. We also got a preview of Stalker 2's industrial-synth combat music, with the assurance that we "already know what will happen in the next few minutes, so it's time to prepare and endure."
Finally, Stalker 2 received a new Stalker 2 Summer Game Fest preview calls it "beautiful and lethal in equal measure."
Stalker 2 gameplay
Stalker 2 is set in the deadly exclusion zone, plagued by mutant creatures, warring factions, and strange open-world game where you play as a lone stalker, choosing paths to define a branching storyline with several different endings. Using an upgraded detector, you can uncover artifacts and secrets in dangerous locations guarded by legendary mutants – including the returning Bloodsucker – with different subtypes for unpredictable behavior.
Game director Evgeniy Grygorovych lifted the lid on Stalker 2 weapons loadout with over 30 different types of guns and modifications. Stalker prides itself on realism in a thankfully unrealistic, terrifying world, so expect its weapons to stick close to their real-world counterparts, with some post-apocalyptic exceptions.
PCGamesN got the chance to get up close and personal with the Stalker 2 cats, our preview certainly left a lasting impression.
With only a short while left to prepare for the Stalker 2 release date, gear up for the PC games to play after you've rolled credits on Stalker 2.