Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl delayed again, now arriving in November
Developer Deep Dive coming in August.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the long-in-the-works sequel to developer GSC Game World's cult-classic 2007 post-apocalyptic horror shooter, has been delayed again. It's now due to launch on 20th November, giving the studio "breathing room to address technical issues".
Word of the delay surfaced on reddit today from a user who said they'd been emailed about the date change by GSC Game World. The news has now been publicly confirmed by the developer in a video titled "Really, again?" posted to YouTube, below.
Stalker 2 has, of course, had quite the journey to release. It was originally set to arrive in 2012, having been announced by GSC Game World two years prior, but those plans were eventually shelved following troubles at the studio. It was a bit of a surprise, then, when Stalker 2 re-emerged in 2018 with a new release window of 2021.
Since then, however, Stalker 2's development has had numerous setbacks. First, its release date moved to April 2022 before shifting again to December, but the Kyiv-based GSC was then forced to put the game on hold following Russian's invasion of Ukraine. Development resumed in May 2022, with some of the team relocating to Prague, but its release was moved to 2023 then 2024 amid an NFT backlash, claims of a Russian hack, and even an office fire.
When we last heard from GSC, Stalker 2 was scheduled to launch for PC and Xbox Series X/S on 5th September this year, but that release date has shifted again, this time to 20th November.
"We know you might be tired of waiting," a statement included in the YouTube video's description reads, "and we truly appreciate your patience. These two additional months will give us the chance to fix more 'unexpected anomalies' (or simply 'bugs', as you call them). We are always grateful for your ongoing support and understanding - it means the world to us. We're just as eager as you are to finally release the game and for you to experience it for yourself."
To alleviate the wait a little, GSC has teamed up with Xbox to present a special Stalker 2 Developer Deep Dive on 12th August. This promises a "variety of never-before-seen content", including a video walkthrough of a story quest, plus footage providing a world overview, a look at various locations, new gameplay, and cutscenes.
Assuming no further delays, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl will be available for Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam, GOG, Epic, and GSC's website when it launches on 20th November.