S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl gets release date and gameplay trailer

Prepare to venture once more into the haunting and creepy Chernobyl.

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The fate of the STALKER franchise was up in the air for a while there. After being cancelled in 2012, revived back in 2018, and then announced for Xbox Series X, players have finally been given a look at the eagerly anticipated S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. Please, take a look at the trailer below, which also includes its release date!

The trailer shows the player character infiltrating an enemy compound, using a silenced weapon despite everyone already knowing of their presence. However, things really start to heat up as the focus shifts to an open, swamp-like location where a sort of Geiger counter is used to detect an anomaly while the player throws out what appear to be screws.

Over on Xbox Wire, the team has this to say about the next entry in the series:

Experience a unique blend of first-person shooter, immersive sim and horror. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is a unique, dangerous and ever-changing environment. It promises a lot — the artifacts of unbelievable value can be yours if you dare to claim them. The price you may pay, on the other hand, is no less than your own life. One of the biggest open worlds to date, filled with radiation, mutants and anomalies, is yours to explore. All the choices across the way not only define your own epic story, but influence the future itself. Be mindful about what you see, do and plan, as you will have to find your way through the Zone or be forever lost to it. Experience the thrills on day one with Xbox Game Pass.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl is releasing on April 28, 2022 and is pitted as a next-gen only title, which means it's only coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S. We’ll be sure to keep you updated with more information as it’s released. Head over to the Shacknews E3 2021 page for everything else announced during the gaming event.

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler 

From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 13, 2021 10:22 AM

    Sam Chandler posted a new article, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl gets release date and gameplay trailer

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      June 13, 2021 11:22 AM

      Oh man, I'm conflicted by this. It's all very pretty and the FX look great, but those combat bits look pretty bad in a 'console-inspired' way. Enemies just standing around waiting for you to waste them while you just plow through them like a tank? That's not the careful, tactical combat that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games and mods are known for. Doesn't help that the player's obviously using a controller, but this almost looks like a Gears game during the bits of fighting shown (yes, I know it's a UE based game).

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        June 13, 2021 11:29 AM

        I feel the same way. Looks like it lost its charm.

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          June 13, 2021 11:45 AM

          Just re-watched it. That combat is like Call of Duty / MoH but they don't even disperse or try to flank you 😖
          If you tried that bums rush in CoP that Bandit you missed when entering the room would be tea-bagging your corpse.

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            June 13, 2021 11:46 AM

            Looks like a mockup, honestly. Maybe damage isn't even implemented yet.

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      June 13, 2021 11:35 AM

      looks fantastic, but also looks a little too Metro Exodus and not enough STALKER. maybe just that way so they could put a trailer together? hmm.

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        June 13, 2021 12:00 PM

        It also looks a lot like the "The Secret War" ep from LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. We may have passed the peak of Russian / Ukrainian wasteland games...

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