Bad news if you were looking forward to playing STALKER 2 this spring, as the release date has been shunted back right towards the end of the year – news that came right after some commotion surrounding the use of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in the game.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, controversy aside, looks set to be a bleak but thrilling experience in a nuclear wasteland and while the delay is disappointing, it at least means that the developers have more time in the bag to deliver something special.
This survival horror game is high on the list for many to play and while the NFT situation may have done some damage, more on that shortly, it is still among our most anticipated and our fingers are locked in the crossed position that another delay won’t see it pushed into 2023.
For all we know so far about STALKER 2, including that NFT noise, here is all you need to know.
When is the STALKER 2 release date?
The STALKER 2 release date will now take place on Thursday 8th December 2022.
The game was previously planned to launch in April, but it has been delayed instead, with the developers breaking the news on social media by sharing the message below.
STALKER 2 NFT explained
The NFT plan for STALKER 2 is now off the table following a less than positive response – and we are putting that very mildly – from the gaming community.
The game developers from GSC Game World had planned to team up with some NFT specialists from a company called DMarket to bring a range of NFT content into STALKER 2, an official announcement blog previously confirmed.
This partnership was intended to result in “the creation of STALKER 2 Metaverse, where players can truly own a piece of the game”. This essentially meant that players would have been able to buy and own ultra-rare digital items in the game.
This announcement stated that the project “will use blockchain technology to let the community own a piece of [the game]”, with GSC and DMarket planning to create a situation where the “rights to certain unique items will belong to players [for] the first time for the AAA video game.”
As part of this project, there was set to be an auction held in January 2022, with players invited to bid for a chance to become “the first-ever metahuman”. A digital likeness of the winning bidder would then have been “released and exposed to hundreds of millions of gamers worldwide” and would have appeared in the game as a non-playable character (NPC).
It was an interesting direction for them to head in, but the STALKER 2 NFT plan has now been binned. The developers stated bluntly on Twitter: “Based on the feedback we received, we’ve made a decision to cancel anything NFT-related in STALKER 2.” And that was the end of that.
Is STALKER 2 a remake?
Gore aplenty awaits in STALKER 2.
Seeing as STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is actually the fourth game in this franchise – following in the footsteps of 2007’s Shadow of Chernobyl, 2008’s Clear Sky and 2009’s Call of Pripyat – you might be wondering if STALKER 2 is a remake.
We can confirm that STALKER 2 is not a remake, with the game’s official website instead describing it as “a next-gen sequel to the award-winning PC game franchise developed by GSC Game World”. It’s a sequel to all the previous games, then, which makes that number in the title a little bit confusing.
Do you need to play STALKER 1 to play STALKER 2?
Considering that there are three previous STALKER games (as explained in the previous section), you might be wondering if you need to play STALKER 1 or any other game before you play STALKER 2.
“Stalker 2 is a standalone project that can be enjoyed on its own,” GSC has said in a statement on its website. The developers added: “At the same time, we recommend to complete the previous games for the maximum level of immersion.”
Basically, then, it’s up to you whether or not you want to play through the previous STALKER games before jumping into STALKER 2. If you’ve got the time, why not give those classic titles a go?
Which consoles and platforms can play STALKER 2?
STALKER 2 will launch on PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the developers have confirmed, with the computer-based release being split across Steam and the Epic Games Store.
That might leave some gamers asking, will STALKER 2 come to PS5? The answer to that question appears to be no, at least for the time being, with there being no mention of PlayStation consoles on the game’s official website.
The game has been pegged as a next-gen affair, so we wouldn’t expect to see STALKER 2 on Xbox One, PS4 or Nintendo Switch unless a downgraded version gets released at a later date.
Can I pre-order STALKER 2?
Yes, you can order STALKER 2 now. Product pages are live on the game’s official website as well as Steam, the Epic Games Store, the Xbox Store and third-party retailers like CD Keys. And so, you can take your pick and order your copy of STALKER 2 from whichever platform or shop you prefer.
What is the STALKER 2 Pre-Order Bonus?
Whichever version of STALKER 2 you buy – there are four to choose from, as we’ll get onto in a second – you will also get these items as a pre-order bonus if you place your order before the launch day of 28th April 2022.
- Extended campfire content
- Exclusive weapon skin
- Exclusive armour skin
- ‘Early bird’ multiplayer badge
How much will STALKER 2 cost?
Which version of STALKER 2 will you go for?
The STALKER 2 price has now been confirmed, and there are four different versions (each with a different price point) for you to consider splashing the cash on.
The Standard Edition of STALKER 2 has a recommended retail price of £49.99 GBP, although a deal that is currently running at CD Keys will let you buy it for £31.99 instead.
The Deluxe Edition of STALKER 2 has an RRP of £64.99, but CD Keys will give you a quid off that price. The Deluxe Edition version comes with the following bits of extra content:
- Special Extra Quest
- Digital Artbook
- Official Soundtrack
- One costume and three weapon skins for the single-player campaign
- Two costumes and three weapon skins for the multiplayer experience
The Ultimate Edition of STALKER 2 has an RRP of £94.99 GBP, or it is one pound cheaper at CD Keys. It comes with all the bits listed above as well as these extra goodies:
- Four further weapon skins for the multiplayer experience
- Two story expansions
- Season Pass
There is also a very fancy Retail Edition, pictured above, which doesn’t have a confirmed price yet (but it does have a pre-order page waiting to go live on the game’s official website). This luxury physical version of the game will include everything from the Ultimate Edition and these extras:
- Steel Book
- Letter From Developers
- Souvenir Zone Permit
- Sticker Pack
- Zone Map
- Poster
- Faction Patches
- Military Token
- Keychain (Multi-tool) with Fire Starter
- Art Book
- Stalker Figurine
- Artefact Container Lamp
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Backpack
STALKER 2 gameplay
STALKER 2 gameplay will include a single-player campaign at launch, with a multiplayer experience said to be “coming soon after the release, as a free update”.
Once again, gameplay in STALKER 2 will be experienced from a first-person perspective, with survival horror and gunplay being the main overriding themes of the experience. To take a look at the game in action, check out the five-minute STALKER 2 gameplay trailer here:
STALKER 2 PC requirements
The minimum and recommended PC specs to run STALKER 2 have been confirmed well ahead of time, with the developers suggesting that as the minimum:
- OS Version: Windows 10 / Windows 11
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X / Intel Core i5-7600K
- Memory: 8 GB
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
- Disc space: 150 GB SSD
The recommended PC build for STALKER 2 looks like this:
- OS Version: Windows 10 / Windows 11
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X / Intel Core i7-9700K
- Memory: 16 GB
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB
- Disc space: 150 GB SSD
STALKER 2 trailer
The first trailer for STALKER 2 debuted in July 2020, and it has since amassed millions of views on YouTube. You can take a look here while you wait for the STALKER 2 release date on 8th December.
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