S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Demo Confirmed for Gamescom 2023

A demo for GSC GameWorld’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will be playable at this month’s Gamescom which will take place on August 23rd-27th. The game is the next-gen sequel to the 2007 game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.

GSC Game World is a Ukrainian development company founded in Kyiv but based in Prague. The team is best known for both S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Cossacks and was previously the largest video game developer in Eastern Europe.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.2 was postponed after being officially announced back in August 2010. GSC Game World dissolved in 2011 but was revived in 2014, later announcing development on Cossacks 3 as well as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.2: Heart of Chornobyl. The game’s development was then paused due to the war in Ukraine, which also caused the relocation of the company to Prague. Sadly, one GSC developer, Volodymyr Yezhov, was killed in action in 2022.

The first game in the series was set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. It features strange events happening after a second nuclear disaster in the area. The game was based partly upon the novella Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which was made into a film called Stalker (the stylized name of the game is due to copyright issues).S.T.A.L.K.E.R.2: Heart of Chornobyl contains horror action and simulation elements, and will also feature a non-linear storyline. You determine what happens to the post-apocalyptic Zone through gameplay. The game is powered by Unreal Engine 5, boasting immersive and realistic graphics. After the game’s release, a multiplayer mode will be made available as a free update.

There are Steam preorder bonuses for the “Ultimate Digital Edition,” including a special bonus quest, costumes, soundtrack, and digital art book. There’s also an “Ultimate Physical Edition,” with such goodies as a steel book, map, posters, backpack, and figurine, which you can pre-order here.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.2: Heart of Chornobyl will also be released on Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. The game’s Steam page lists a December 2023 release date, although this is most likely tentative.