The team behind STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been through a tough time, and GSC Game World has had to push the release of its upcoming follow-up back again, this time to 2024.
War is hell
In a recent press kit, the STALKER 2 developer gave a little rundown on what fans can expect in the anticipated horror FPS. Described as an “immersive sim,” Heart of Chornobyl will take you through the dangerously irradiated area near the titular nuclear power plant, fighting off mutants and other enemies.
At the bottom of the press kit, GSC reveals that the game will now be coming out in the first quarter of next year. However, a specific release date has not been mentioned. The good news for Xbox users, though, is you’ll be able to play STALKER 2 from day one through Game Pass.
The studio has been trying to work through its latest project amidst the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The team had to postpone development and relocated to Prague in 2022.
As such, many fans will have understood the need to put developer safety ahead of finishing the game, which has been delayed a number of times already.
The horror community especially has been looking forward to the new STALKER game. The first one (subtitled Shadow of Chernobyl) came out in 2007 to critical reception, winning GameSpot’s award for Best Atmosphere for that year.
Although Heart of Chornoby is labeled as STALKER 2, it’s actually the fourth entry in GSC’s series, and is the first installment since 2009’s Call of Pripyat. As of now, expect more updates on when this latest entry will actually be released.
STALKER 2 will be available on PC and Xbox Series X|S.
