The Stalker series has returned, with a brand new entry, and we now know the Stalker 2 release date.
Titled S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chernobyl, the trailer showed off several vignettes of the player in combat and surviving in the harsh landscape of the zone, deep in the heart of a post-apocalyptic Russia. The gameplay footage shown saw the named stalker Skif fighting off other humans and mutated creatures, having a conversation with a man dancing to the waltz in a decaying building, and tensely walking through a swamp-like area by throwing grenades into the mire to get through.
All of this is accented by a scene of Skif speaking with several others around a campfire before he takes his leave to go on a new mission.
Stalker 2 will retain its survival and simulation gameplay, but with vastly improved FPS mechanics to go with it. This is fitting since this year marks the 14th anniversary of the original Stalkers release.
According to some official Xbox news, several familiar locations in the zone have been recreated again, but slowly decaying in the swamps as nature takes over. We also get some confirmations on other locations, weapons, and even factions involved in Stalker 2, including Chernobyl-2 with the dancing man, and the Gilka, a unique-looking 'stick' that was used to navigate the swampland.
Currently, the Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl release date is April 28th, 2022, where it'll be available to play first on PC, and Xbox Series X|S, as a part of the Xbox Game Pass.
Be sure to check out the rest of our E3 2021 Coverage here.
