S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl: release date predictions, trailers, gameplay

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was set to release on April 28, 2022, but in January 2022, developer GSC Game World announced that the game would be delayed for a massive seven more months until December 7, 2022. In an unpredictable turn of events, GSC Game World was once again forced to delay the game after their home city of Kyiv was targeted by a Russian invasion. Due to the unprecedented circumstances, the team has put work on the game on hold until the conflict has been resolved. The team released a video detailing their experiences, stating, “The game development shifted to the sidelines. But we will definitely continue. After the victory. Glory to Ukraine.” You can check out their full message to fans, and the world, below. Be warned, this video does contain some disturbing footage of the real conflict in action.

Despite the terrible conflict still in process, GSC has put together an update and new dev diary detailing how they are managing to continue work on the game during the war.

At this time, the game is now intended to be released on September 5, 2024.

Microsoft showed off S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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.

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.

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.

Microsoft debuted gameplay for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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.

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.

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 only remark made about multiplayer for this title is that it will be added to the game with a free update sometime after launch. So, while you won’t be able to team up with or compete against friends at launch, you will soon after.