While 2025 is considered the big year for the videogame industry, the latter part of 2024 looks no less promising with its offerings. The world will see Star Wars Outlaws, Silent Hill 2 Remake, God of War: Ragnarok, and, of course, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 – an atmospheric yet brutal survival FPS with horror undertones we all have been waiting for years. As one of the most followed upcoming releases on Steam with 96% positive reviews, the game will provide a rough competition to other popular titles like Counter-Strike 2 or Dota 2 with a multi-million base of fans that either play games themselves or make match predictions on GGBET.
The sequel to the cult S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call Of Prypiat was originally intended to launch in April 2022 but suffered numerous delays due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The game was pushed back over and over again until this September, keeping millions of fans on the edge of their seats waiting to explore the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. As S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s release is finally in sight and a bunch of hype trailers have been shown, all the attention so far goes towards this highly anticipated sequel. So what do we know about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? Let’s consider the latest news and game highlights.
Gameplay
GSC did not make any game simplifications to reach a wider audience but left the Zone harsh for players. So, the journalists who have gone hands-on with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 at Summer Game Fest 2024 claimed that the game felt super difficult and unforgiving even in the 30-minute demo.
Indeed, you risk bleeding to death if you do not bandage yourself promptly, or radiation poisoning will eventually kill you if you do not drink anything. Your weapons may also jam in the midst of a fight without timely repair, while the inventory space is limited so you will need to manage the items smartly. With all the dangers lurking around every corner, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 constantly makes you feel like you are at risk of dying, and this is what we expect from a top-quality survival shooter.
Weapons and AI
The latest S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 trailer has revealed an impressive number of weapons, including pistols, submachine guns, shotguns, rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, and grenades. At the same time, shootouts looked very juicy with a tight bullet spread and exciting gun customization. There are more than 30 weapon types, which makes the gameplay more interesting, especially since GSC promises aggressive AI that will force you to change your tactics in each combat. The enemies are smarter now – they try to hit you in the head and can also actively communicate with each other during the fights.
Visual enhancements
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl boasts superior graphics and animations primarily because of the switch to Unreal Engine 5 in 2021. The game setting looks highly realistic with improved lighting and texturing features, which cannot but please the eye. Besides, we can also expect the change of time of day and weather conditions that will directly affect the gameplay. Some players who have already tried the game demo called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 to be the best use of Unreal Engine 5 they have ever seen. That’s truly powerful, considering how many popular games were developed with this engine (Fortnite, The Matrix Awakens, Lords Of The Fallen, etc.).
Multiplayer
Many S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 fans expect the game to have co-op support, and GSC Game World has not yet announced any details on that matter. However, the studio once confirmed their determination to provide gamers with the Multiplayer mode, which will be added to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 as a free update shortly after the release. Rest assured, this is great news for the majority of community members.
Name change
When Russian forces crossed the Ukrainian border in 2022, GSC changed the spelling of the game’s subtitle from ‘Heart of Chernobyl’ to ‘Heart of Chornobyl’, which surprised many fans. However, the explanation is pretty simple and reflects the country where the game was produced since ‘Chornobyl’ is the only correct Ukrainian spelling of the world. That’s how the developers rejected the Russian transliteration of the infamous power plant located near Prypiat city.
