S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart Of Chernobyl is facing some major timetable issues with a 7 month delay that won’t see it hit PC or console until 8 December 2022.
While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 might have dropped a gameplay teaser and already confirmed it is coming to the XBOX Series X, the latest in the franchise won’t actually arrive on PC or consoles until the end of this year. In an unexpected social media update, developer GSC announced that the expected release date of 28 April is now off the cards. In the letter to the community, the team behind this dystopian shooter detail the need for more testing and polish time to make the experience as ready as possible.
— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) January 12, 2022
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is easily the biggest project that GSC has worked on in its existence, and with such a large endeavor will likely come a new level of complexity. This is also compounded by the last 2 years of COVID related work restrictions, so the delay isn’t a total surprise, even if it is a sizeable seven months.
Thankfully, fans of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series can expect plenty of content for their patience. After turning up in the E23 2021 announcements, the return to Chernobyl confirmed it will add the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, one of the biggest open-worlds ever to face fans, and comes loaded with radiation, mutants, and anomalies. Across a huge 64-km² radioactive zone, players will take a non linear approach to this tale. Whether quietly creeping through desolate buildings or utilizing more than 30 different weapons to blast through the mutants that patrol the zone, players can choose how to take on this epic new experience beneath the shadow of a fictional Chernobyl. In the meantime, if you’re looking for something else to do out in an alternate Pripyat, check out our Chernobylite giveaway, or just head over to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 website for more now.
