Back to the Zone – the Latest News of Stalker 2 

When the first trailer of the newest Stalker game was released, gamers all over the world got excited. There were rumours about the new part of the famous video gaming franchise being at work. Years passed, and no news got revealed, until summer 2020 and the first trailer of Stalker 2

The long-awaited sequel – Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl – appeared in the gamers’ wish lists immediately. However, they had to wait.

Now, it is the beginning of 2022. What do we know of the Stalker 2 game? Let’s check.

Source: https://screenrant.com/stalker-2-lore-chernobyl-book-games-movies-adaptation/

What is Stalker 2’s release date?

The release of Stalker 2 was planned for April 28th, 2022. However, on January 12th, the game creators, GSC Game World, announced the release postponing for 7 more months. 

The new Stalker 2 release date is December 8, 2022 – it will be the period of big Christmas sales. 

Naturally, gamers all over the world started to worry. Such a long postponing could mean that the project faced severe problems. That’s why the creators responded to the audience using their official Discord channel and did their best to dispel the concerns. 

The reason for postponing was simple – GSC Game World required more time to test and polish the game. As the company representatives claimed, otherwise, they would not be able to release the newest Stalker game according to the high standards. They plan to release lots of additional materials, news updates, trailers, and other content to keep the audience informed and engaged. 

And though the game creators totally understood that such a big waiting can make some users cancel their pre-orders, there wasn’t any other way out. The company wanted a perfect result. 

Thus, if you are one of those Stalker fans who now have to wait for 10 more months, it seems the only way is to be patient. 

Will Stalker 2 be open-world?

This is the most essential innovation that the game designers have already announced – Stalker 2 will officially be open-world. The entire Zone is waiting for gamers who can explore it, and this open-world may become one of the biggest available. However, this innovation has its reverse side too. 

A full open world is complicated, and it can overload the gameplay. There can be server-side problems, too, especially for those ones located in distant regions. In that case, it is better to take care in advance and get equipped with a reliable VPN service. This is the most efficient method how to unblock a game when you experience difficulties accessing your content. For gamers, playing in the open world makes the experience much more exciting. When they unblock the game world, they can create their own stories. As the company claims, every player’s decision is essential. It will have consequences in a short period, and it will also affect the global subject line. There will be multiple endings depending on your choices. 

One more big improvement relates to NPCs. The game will create routines that won’t depend on the players’ actions. This way, NPCs can interact with each other, and you don’t need to see them. The innovation targets making the open world of Stalker 2 more real for the players. 

What is the story? 

The story in Stalker 2 will take place in familiar locations. The abandoned city of Pripyat conceals the dark mysteries of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This is the area where the catastrophe polluted nature with radioactivity and turned the animals into mutant monsters. However, the soldiers of fortune called Stalkers come to that Zone searching for artefacts and risking their lives and souls. 

The Stalker 2 game introduces a new protagonist – Skif is one of the Stalkers who have to survive in this hostile land and reach the centre of the Zone searching for the answers to his questions. Unfortunately, the specific story is still a secret. The only thing we know for sure is that it will be non-linear.

Still, that information we already have suggests that Stalker 2 will proceed with the same storyline as before. The devotees who will unblock the game world when the game becomes available will surely receive their portion of dangers, fights, quests, and mysteries. 

What about NFT? 

In mid-December, 2021, the GSC Game World had more news for the fans. They announced NFTs. As planned, it had to be a kind of auction where players would be able to purchase some unique items or get into the game as NPCs (by having their faces scanned). 

This announcement, however, did not please the Stalker gaming community. Players rejected the idea at once, and their reactions were so powerful that the company had to cancel those plans of having NFT. According to their latest official update, there will not be anything NFT-relates in the games. Needless to say, fans were much more pleased by this announcement.

The graphics and technology 

The most important news is that Stalker 2 will be based on Unreal Engine 5 – the latest and most powerful version. The motion capture technology will guarantee realistic movements and facial expressions of all characters in the game. Environmental textures are also in the spotlight.

There is no doubt that the most devoted Stalker fans who will get the game immediately will enjoy this realistic visual experience. And though it is so long till December, it might be the right time to consider some game unblocker – who knows in what region you will be on the release date. In any case, you should not miss that premiere, so keep an active VPN to unblock all games when you are ready.  

Judging from the company’s claims, the game designers focus on making the world of Stalker 2 as elaborated and detailed as the real world we live in. Well, wish them good luck – it will be worth waiting. 

Will Stalker 2 be on PC?

Yes. After release, Stalker will be available on PC. Also, it will be available on Xbox Series X and S. Players can choose the platform suitable for them. As we know at the moment, these are the only platforms that are officially confirmed. PlayStation 5 does not plan to provide this game to its users, and neither is Sony – more precisely, they don’t know if they release Stalker 2, and if yes – when it happens. 

The game was to be a part of the Xbox Game Pass immediately after the release. Thus, the Microsoft subscribers would get it at once without the need to pay the full price to unblock all games. That was when the previous Stalker 2 release date was in effect, of course. Still, this model should remain for the new release date. In any case, there will be more updates in the future, so any changes will get in the public domain. 

Some gamers ask if they should play previous Stalker versions before proceeding to Stalker 2 when it is finally released. The answer is – you should do it. We don’t know how closely the newest Stalker game will be connected with the previous “chapters,” but these games are so popular for a reason. Playing Stalker is great fun. And if you can’t access your games from your location now – VeePN is at your service.