S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Skif in the Zone

Developed and published by Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl launched on 20 November 2024 on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Microsoft Store) and Xbox Series X|S, then on 20 November 2025 on PS5. This open-world survival FPS is set in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, reshaped by a second explosion in 2006: players control Skif, a lone stalker facing radiation, anomalies, mutants and rival factions. The studio notes that development was completed during the war in Ukraine.

What the press says

On PC, PC Gamer (83/100) finds Stalker 2 still Stalker down to its bones, that mix of FPS, survival horror and immersion, with its heart shining through despite performance issues and bugs ranging up to crashes and progress-halting problems. TheSixthAxis (9/10, PC) praises an immersive experience like no other, unpredictable shootouts, gorgeous visuals and plentiful meaningful side quests, while regretting the bugs, sometimes overly limiting weapon durability and a very weak English dub. VG247 (4/5, PC) calls it a brilliant work of struggle and loneliness with a fantastic main story, though plagued by bugs.

Editions and prices

Checked on 12 November 2026: on Steam, the Standard Edition costs €59.99, the Deluxe €79.99 and the Ultimate €109.99. On the Xbox Store, the Standard Edition (Xbox Play Anywhere, Xbox Series X|S and PC) costs €59.99, the Deluxe €80.99 and the Ultimate €110.99. On the PlayStation Store (PS5), the Standard Edition costs €59.99, the Deluxe €79.99, and the Ultimate is discounted to €76.99 instead of €109.99 until 21 November 2026 at 00:59 (Paris time). The Xbox listing says the game is included with Game Pass: that subscription route is not a purchase and is not listed as an offer, nor are the PlayStation game trial, subscriber-only discounts or the Cost of Hope expansion. The Epic Games Store, GOG and physical editions were not checked for this survey.

Who is it for?

Fans of demanding survival shooters, heavy atmosphere and free exploration, and fans of the original trilogy. Players who dislike resource management or technical rough edges should be careful, although the game has since received major updates not covered here.

Press average

The score block above shows the press average computed from original reviews of the PC version, checked on 12 November 2026: PC Gamer 83/100, TheSixthAxis 9/10 and VG247 4/5. Each score is converted to /20 and averaged with equal weight. These are launch reviews: later patches and the Xbox and PS5 versions are not covered. This summary is not a hands-on review.