S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was delayed until this month back in January, before the war understandably delayed the game further into 2023. GSC have reiterated throughout the year that work was continuing, with at least some staff relocating to the Czech Republic. Like the hugely ambitious (and also much delayed) original, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is an open-world survival game set within the nuclear exclusion zone formed around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It’s being powered by Unreal Engine 5, apparently features a non-linear story, and it’ll come to Xbox Game Pass on day one. Beyond that, we don’t know too much concrete about its story or new features - although the trailer above suggests it’s not straying far from the previous games. Previous S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games have been much beloved by successive RPS writers over the years and one game still has a home on our list of the best horror games. They’re much beloved by others, too, and if you can’t wait for a sequel you might want to try the fanmade S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Anomaly.
