Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Delayed Again, Sets November 20 Release Date

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the first-person shooter survival horror title from GSC Game World, has been pushed back further. The game, which has faced several delays since it received an announcement trailer in 2020, will now launch on November 20 instead of its previously planned September 5 release date. The latest delay was announced with a tongue-in-cheek release date trailer Thursday, titled “Really, again?”

Stalker 2 delayed, again

“We know you might be tired of waiting, and we truly appreciate your patience,” the message from GSC Game World accompanying the new trailer read. The developer said that the two-month delay would allow them to fix more “unexpected anomalies”, or bugs.

Stalker 2 will also receive a Developer Deep Dive video on August 12, GSC Game World announced. “This detailed update will include exclusive interviews, lots of new footage, and a full video walkthrough of one of the game quests,” the developer said.

The latest delay comes after the game previously hit yet another delay earlier this year in January, with GSC Game World announcing a “final” release date of September 5. The Ukrainian developer had initially set an April 2022 release date after revealing an extended gameplay trailer for Stalker 2 at E3 2021. The game's development was hit severely following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with some GSC Game World employees even deploying to the frontlines of the conflict.

The upcoming shooter is the fourth game in the Stalker franchise and the first since 2009's Stalker: Call of Pripyat. The game is set in an alternate version of the exclusion zone surrounding the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl will be released November 20 on Xbox Series S/X and PC. The game will be available on Game Pass day one.