What is the release date for S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2?

Originally slated for a late release in April 2022, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2’s release date has now been pushed to December 8, 2022. The game is shaping up to be GSC Game World’s biggest game to date. Those who have purchased the Xbox Game Pass will get access immediately on day one of the release.

The game is being powered by the breathtaking Unreal Engine 5, after initially being developed using Unreal Engine 4. The post-apocalyptic shooter set in Ukraine will launch on Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC.

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Why the delay?

Ukrainian developer GSC Game World broke the unfortunate news on January 12, 2022. The developers communicated that they needed additional time to test and polish S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2. The devs said in their statement:

“Those additional seven months of development are needed to to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game.”

According to the developers, the game is the biggest project GSC Game World has ever tackled. To deliver a polished product would indeed require extra time to develop.

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What’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 all about?

Stalker 2 is truly open-world this time (Image via GSC Game World)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 takes place in an area called the Zone. It’s located around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which was the site of a terrible real-life nuclear accident back in the 1980s. Since then, it’s been an area of dangerously high levels of radiation.

The series takes place in an alternative version of that radiative zone where the players come in contact with horrifying creatures. Expect to encounter strange anomalies and a depressing environment, as the title is sure to mix true open world and first-person survival.

Moments of humanity between horrors (Image via GSC Game World)

In the past, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series had big, open spaces, but none of the titles used an authentic open-world setting. Each area was its own “world,” connected to other regions via access points. That’s a thing of the past. In fact, GSC Game World had this to say:

“For the first time in the series, the Zone will be yours to explore as a post-apocalyptic open-world—one of the biggest ones to date.”