Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the long-awaited sequel to developer GSC Game World’s hit 2007 post-apocalyptic horror shooter, has been delayed once again. The game’s launch was postponed to November 20th to allow the studio more time to resolve technical issues.
News of the delay first appeared on Reddit today from a user who claimed to have received an email from GSC Game World regarding the change in release date. The developer has since publicly confirmed this news in a YouTube video titled “Really, Again?”.
Stalker 2 has had a long road to release. The game was originally slated for a 2012 release, after being announced by GSC Game World two years earlier, but those plans were eventually scrapped following troubles at the studio. So it came as a surprise when Stalker 2 resurfaced in 2018 with a new release window of 2021.
However, development on Stalker 2 has hit a number of snags since then. First, the release date was pushed back to April 2022 before being pushed back to December, but Kyiv-based GSC was then forced to put the game on hold following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Development resumed in May 2022, with some of the team moving to Prague, but the release date was pushed back to 2023 and then 2024 amid anti-NFT protests, Russian hacking allegations, and even an office fire.
The last time the community heard from GSC, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl was scheduled to release for PC and Xbox Series X/S on September 5th of this year, but that release date has been moved up again, this time to November 20th.
“We understand you might be frustrated by the delay,” a statement included in the YouTube video’s description reads, “and we sincerely thank you for your patience. These additional two months will allow us to address many of the ‘unexpected anomalies’ (or ‘bugs’ as you call them). We are always grateful for your continued support and understanding – it means the world to us. We are just as excited as you are to release the game and let you experience it firsthand.”
To ease the wait, GSC has partnered with Xbox to host a developer’s in-depth Stalker 2 talk on August 12. This promises to bring “a whole host of never-before-seen content,” including a story mission trailer, along with footage that provides an overview of the world, various locations, new gameplay, and cutscenes.
Assuming there are no further delays, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl will be available on Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam, GOG, Epic, and GSC’s website when it launches on November 20.
