S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is one of the most anticipated games of this year and the last decade in general. Fans have been waiting for the continuation of the cult series for a long time. And soon, the game will finally see the light of day.

Despite multiple delays, the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is scheduled for November 20, 2024. You can pre-order it now on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store, GOG) and Xbox Series X/S. Additionally, the game will be available on Game Pass.

• $59.99 — Standard Edition
• $79.99 — Deluxe Edition
• $109.99 — Ultimate Edition

Why was S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl delayed? The history of postponed releases

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was first announced in 2010, with an initial release date set for 2012. However, due to a massive leak of materials, 75% of the staff was let go.

Financial difficulties also arose, leading to the halting of all company projects. In the end, disputes between investors, employees, and the owner of the intellectual property rights led to the cancellation of the game's development in 2012.

After the reformation of GSC Game World in 2018, the studio announced the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on its Facebook page and official website. The promo site dedicated to the game featured the numbers "2.0.2.1," hinting at a potential release year.

At E3 2021, players were shown the first gameplay trailer and the subtitle "Heart of Chernobyl." The release date was set for April 28, 2022. However, due to the project being shifted to the Unreal Engine 5, the release was pushed back to December 8, 2022.

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the game's development was put on indefinite hold. Later, the developers adjusted the subtitle from "Heart of Chernobyl" to "Heart of Chornobyl" to reflect the Ukrainian spelling, rather than the russian-influenced one.

On June 14, 2022, the developers announced the continuation of the game's development. GSC's headquarters and 200 employees were relocated to Prague, while 130 remained in Ukraine, with some of them joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On December 29, 2022, a new gameplay trailer was shown to fans, and a 2023 release date was announced. In March 2023, Russian hackers began blackmailing the developers, demanding the return of Russian voiceovers.

In late May, the hackers leaked a build of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl online. The developers urged loyal fans to refrain from viewing the leaked content.

On the night of September 7-8, 2023, a fire broke out in the Prague office of the studio, affecting the floors where servers with backup data were stored.

On August 24, at Gamescom, players were shown a new gameplay trailer, and it was announced that the game would be released in the first quarter of 2024. However, in January, GSC informed fans via a letter that further polishing of the game was required, so S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was postponed to September 5, 2024.

In July 2024, a new short trailer titled "Really, Again?" was released on the official website, in which the developers again delayed the release—this time to November 20, 2024.

Conclusion

We hope that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will finally be released on the scheduled date, and that fans of the series will understand the situation surrounding the studio and its development process. It’s important to remember that the development process, under these circumstances, has become a real challenge for the Ukrainian developers, one they have managed to endure.