STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl release date, pre-order, gameplay and trailer

Developer GSC Game World has been through a torrid time to get the first-person shooter survival horror over the line. Cancellation. Fire. And having to compete with a full-blown invasion of their country. That in itself goes to show what an amazing achievement it is that STALKER 2 exists in any shape or form.

While previews and hands-on have given us an idea of what to expect from the full release, there's still a decent number of questions remaining. That's where we come in. Addressing everything from release date to pre-order details to trailers to Xbox Game Pass, we've got it all answered.

When is the STALKER 2 release date?

GSC Game World has confirmed that STALKER 2 will be released on Wednesday 20th November 2024.

The game has, understandably, been delayed multiple times because of the war in Ukraine. As a result, this prompted GSC Game World to relocate to Prague in the Czech Republic.

The bad luck didn't end there with a fire in the office of the new studio in September 2023 pushing development back once more. Thankfully, the game is finally here in November. Let's hope it's worth the wait.

When is the UK launch time for Stalker 2?

Stalker 2 is set to launch at 4pm UK time on 20th November.

GSC Game World provided a global rollout plan to its social media with that particular image found above. The game is expected to be 146GB on both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Pre-load is not expected to be available, so make sure to sign on at 4pm to begin the download.

Can I pre-order STALKER 2?

Yes, pre-orders for STALKER 2 are now live for both console and PC platforms.

The game's product pages are available on the STALKER 2 official website, Steam, the Epic Games Store, the Xbox Store and third-party retailers like CD Keys, among many others.

If you prefer a physical copy of the game. a pre-order can be made directly from GSC Game World or at GAME. Of course, you'll be able to walk into various physical stores and place an order in person if you'd like to as well. Just make sure you don't miss out on any pre-order bonuses.

What is the STALKER 2 Pre-Order Bonus?

There are seven different versions of STALKER 2: three digital and four physical. Every version will receive the below items as a pre-order bonus as long as a pre-order is obtained before launch.

The following items are included as a pre-order bonus:

• Extended campfire content
• Exclusive weapon skin
• Exclusive armour skin
• 'Early bird' multiplayer badge

How much will STALKER 2 cost?

STALKER 2 will launch at a suggested retail price of £49.99 / $49.99.

The Standard Edition of STALKER 2 has a recommended retail price of £49.99 GBP, although a deal that is currently running at CD Keys will let you buy cheaper than that. The standard pre-order bonuses are as below:

• Extended campfire content
• Exclusive weapon skin
• Exclusive armour skin
• 'Early bird' multiplayer badge

The Deluxe Edition of STALKER 2 has an RRP of £64.99, but CD Keys is again offering the game for a lower amount. The Deluxe Edition version comes with the following bits of extra content:

• Special Extra Quest
• Digital Artbook
• Official Soundtrack
• One costume and three weapon skins for the single-player campaign
• Two costumes and three weapon skins for the multiplayer experience

The Ultimate Edition of STALKER 2 has an RRP of £94.99 GBP with a big discount applied at CD Keys. It comes with all the bits listed above, as well as these extra goodies:

• Four further weapon skins for the multiplayer experience
• Two story expansions
• Season Pass

There are also the physical editions of the game, which come with even more goodies.

The Standard Edition contains the following:

• Steel book
• Letter from developers
• Souvenir zone permit
• Sticker pack

The Limited Edition takes things up a notch, and includes everything in the Standard Edition and the following:

• Zone map
• Poster
• Faction patches
• Military token
• Keychain (multi-tool) with fire starter

The Collectors Edition strays into silly money territory ($179.99), but you do get a lot, including everything mentioned before and the following:

• Artbook
• Stalker figurine

There is also a very fancy Retail Ultimate Edition that costs $379.99 This luxury physical version of the game will include everything from the Ultimate Edition and these extras on top of everything else:

• Artefact container lamp
• STALKER backpack

Is STALKER 2 coming to Game Pass?

Yes, Stalker 2 will be coming to Xbox Game Pass when it releases on 20th November. The game will be available for subscribers, whatever platform they play on.

Xbox will be hoping to lure more players to its Xbox Series X/S consoles with Sony's PlayStation 5 set to miss out on launch. There's a chance it may arrive on PS5 later down the line but if you want to play on day one, Xbox Game Pass is the cheapest way.

Is STALKER 2 a remake?

No, Stalker 2 is not a remake. It is described as a "next-gen sequel" to the award-winning PC game and is the fourth entry in the series.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl follows 2007's Shadow of Chornobyl, 2008's Clear Sky and 2009's Call of Pripyat. It's a sequel to all the previous games, which understandably makes the number in the title a little bit confusing.

Do you need to play STALKER 1 to play STALKER 2?

This is very much up for debate, however, here's what the GSC Game World said on the matter.

"STALKER 2 is a standalone project that can be enjoyed on its own. At the same time, we recommend complet[ing] the previous games for the maximum level of immersion."

With that, we'd recommend playing the first game to get the most out of the upcoming release. That said, it appears not too much will be lost if you do jump in without playing the prior game. You can also go back after playing the sequel. Player preference.

Which consoles and platforms can play STALKER 2?

GSC Game World has confirmed that Stalker 2 will launch on both PC and console platforms – more specifically, that's Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. For PC players, expect to find the game on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

That means that those on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch are set to miss out, at least at launch. STALKER 2 may arrive at a later date once any exclusivity window with Microsoft ends.

What is the STALKER 2 gameplay?

STALKER 2 gameplay will include a single-player campaign with a multiplayer experience said to be "coming soon after the release" as a free update.

The gameplay will be experienced from a first-person perspective like its previous iterations, with survival horror and gunplay being the main overriding themes of the experience. Expect to navigate lethal environments filled with otherwordly anomalies and powerful artefacts. Not to mention plenty of deadly foes who will gladly put a bullet in your back for a tin of irradiated beans.

For further details, make sure to read our hands-on preview in Prague where we spent three hours with the game.

STALKER 2 PC requirements

The minimum and recommended PC specs to run STALKER 2 have been confirmed well ahead of time.

The minimum PC build for STALKER 2 are as below:

• OS Version: Windows 10/Windows 11
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X/Intel Core i5-7600K
• Memory: 8GB
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
• Disc space: 150GB SSD

The recommended PC build for STALKER 2 looks like this:

• OS Version: Windows 10/Windows 11
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X/Intel Core i7-9700K
• Memory: 16GB
• Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB
• Disc space: 150GB SSD

Is there a STALKER 2 trailer?

There have been quite a few trailers for STALKER 2 at this point, as interest in the game has amassed millions of views on YouTube. The first trailer was unveiled in June 2020.

A Strider trailer was unveiled in November 2023, delving more into the story and setting. Watch below:

At Gamescom 2024, another trailer was released. This provided the best look at the game yet with a cinematic look at the gameplay and narrative. Not long now!

STALKER 2 is set to launch on 20th November 2024 across Xbox Series X/S and PC.

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