S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl for PC is a first-person shooter (FPS) survival horror game and the highly anticipated fourth installment in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. After more than a decade of development—during which the studio faced various financial and legal hurdles—the game is finally here, living up to the expectations and promises of its fans.
About the Game
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 combines fast-paced first-person shooting action with deep simulation and horror elements, all set within a richly atmospheric open world that you can explore—if you’re brave enough!
You play as one of the "stalkers"—a ragtag group of individuals living on the edges of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, scavenging, exploring, and making a living however they can. As a stalker, you’ll venture into the heart of the contaminated Zone to uncover quests, face challenges, and discover the horrors that lie within.
Set in an alternate timeline where a second explosion in the Chernobyl disaster caused even more devastation than the real 1986 event, the game introduces a world drastically altered by the catastrophe. Flora, fauna, and the very fabric of reality have all been twisted by the fallout, creating strange and terrifying new threats.
The Zone is inhabited by other stalkers, but don’t expect any camaraderie—survival is the priority. While you may occasionally find fellow survivors around a campfire, sharing stories before heading back out on your next dangerous mission, trust is a rare commodity in this hostile world.
As they say in the Zone: You never get used to it.
Key Features:
Branching Storyline: The game offers a deep, branching narrative where your choices matter. Even seemingly minor decisions can have significant, sometimes regrettable, consequences later in the game.
Survival Gear: Armed with an array of weapons, gadgets, and tools, you'll need to use your wits and caution to survive. Equip devices like Geiger counters, anomaly detectors, and telescopic lenses to help you navigate and avoid the deadliest hazards.
Exploration: Venture deep into the heart of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a dangerous wasteland filled with relics, secrets, and creatures from another world. It's a barren landscape, but far from empty.
What to Watch Out For:
The Zone is filled with deadly enemies, traps, and strange phenomena:
Anomalies: These are dangerous, unpredictable traps scattered throughout the environment. Look for shimmering distortions in the air and use rocks or logs to test them before you wander too close. One wrong step, and it could be your last.
Mutants: The fallout from the explosion has caused bizarre mutations in both humans and animals, leading to hostile, deformed creatures that are far from friendly.
Artefacts: Some objects in the Zone have become powerful artefacts—valuable for trade, but potentially deadly to those who don’t understand their nature. Finding out which ones are helpful and which ones will vaporize you is part of the thrill.
System Requirements
Minimum
OS: Windows 10, Windows 11
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X / Intel Core i5-7600K
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
Storage: 150 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD required
Recommended
OS: Windows 10, Windows 11
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X / Intel Core i7-9700K
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB
Storage: 150 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD required