Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl: release date, trailers, gameplay

By Jesse Lennox and Jacob Roach Updated July 25, 2024

Key art for Stalker 2. A character in a lit-up gas mask and a gun on their back. — GSC Game World

A crashed helicopter in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. — GSC Game World

Stalker 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.

Developer GSC Game World was forced to delay this title after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and uprooted the team members’ lives. Despite the hardships and tragedy every member of the team no doubt suffered, and all the sacrifices they made, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was not abandoned and the team pushed on to continue developing the game.

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

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Stalker 2 release date

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl — Really, Again?

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl got one (hopefully) last delay and will now launch on November 20, 2024.

Platforms

Wasteland in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. — GSC Game World

Stalker 2 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 Stalker 2 won’t come to last-gen systems due to limited performance capabilities.

Trailers

Microsoft showed off Stalker 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.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl — The Time of Opportunities Trailer - Xbox Games Showcase 2024

Showing up at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, this trailer finally gives a name to our main character, Skif. He meets up with Richter as the two step out into the overgrown wilderness. That’s unfortunately all the plot we’re given as the rest of the trailer is focused on the action with some snippets of narration.

Gameplay

Microsoft debuted gameplay for Stalker 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.

The last look from the Xbox Games Showcase had plenty of gameplay clips, but a few notable things we saw were the enemy variety. Among the normal humans with firearms and melee weapons, there are mutated animals and massive monstrosities stalking the Zone you will need to contend with. There will also be safe zones where you can interact with other NPCs and presumably trade for items and supplies.

Preorders

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

Preorders for Stalker 2 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

Topics

Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…

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Smite 2 sticks to most of what made the first Smite so successful, including all of the basic gameplay mechanics and design philosophies the popular MOBA is best known for. However, this sequel has changed the way roles work, doing away with the original's class-based design in favor of a loose and flexible system that allows you to use any god in any role if you build and play them correctly. While there are still gods best suited for certain roles, the creativity this extra freedom allows can be very rewarding for new and returning players alike. Here's what you need to know about each role in Smite 2.
Solo
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Recommended god for newbies:
Chaac offers low cooldowns, solid lane clear, and a powerful area-of-effect ult that is easy to land and silences foes momentarily. He also has sustainability via an ability that self-heals.
Jungle
The Jungle role is among the hardest to master in Smite 2, as you'll spend your time rotating around the map and learning when you need to rush to the aid of your teammates. This is a job for those who enjoy playing as an assassin of sorts by ganking enemy players from each of the three lanes. However, it's not as easy as just being a killing machine because you'll also need to quickly and consistently farm jungle camps throughout the map while you plan to make those moves on out-of-position foes. If you aren't clearing camps (or have them stolen by the enemy Jungler), you'll fall behind in level and make things more difficult on your team. It can take quite some time to learn how to play Jungle effectively, but when you do, you can turn the tides of a match in mere moments.
Recommended god for newbies:
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Middle
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Recommended god for newbies:
Kukulkan has excellent lane clearing capabilities, an attack that slows foes hit, and a very hard-hitting ultimate ability. His dash can also let him get in and out of engagements quickly.
Support
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Recommended god for newbies:
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Carry
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Recommended god for newbies:
Cupid can provide support for himself and others via healing, has a dash for quick escapes, and can dish out solid auto-attack damage. His wide area-of-effect ultimate ability can even slow enemies down for big damage opportunities.

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