Summary
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylshared some stunning new screenshots showcasing a number of its environments, as well as its recently revised heads-up display (HUD). This latest look at the game surfaced online without much fanfare shortly after GSC Game World assured its fandom thatSTALKER 2is still targeting an early 2024 release.
The originalSTALKERtrilogy achieved cult status for its unique blend of survival, horror, open-world exploration, and role-playing elements. While GSC canceled the original follow-up to the trilogy, the project restarted development circa 2018. Some two years later,STALKER 2was confirmed as a day-one Xbox Game Pass title.
And while the game is still without an official release date, GSC just updated its Epic Games Store page with four new screenshots. The images, first spotted by Twitter userStalker2News, showcase some stunning new environments, including a post-apocalyptic farm with a windmill and what appears to be some kind of a desolate boathouse. One of the screenshots features a firefight with members of the Zone, while another depicts a clash of some mutated and rather unfriendly-looking fauna.
New STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Screenshots
While a few screenshots from the recently surfaced batch werealready shared by theSTALKER 2developerin 2023, the freshly emerged images are still notable for including a revamped HUD. Specifically, it would appear that GSC ended up revising the game’s heads-up display with the goal of delivering a slightly more stylized interface. The most noticeable change concerns the bottom-left corner of the screen, which now features indicators for hunger, sleep, and overencumbrance. What appears to be a radiation meter is also a permanent feature of the newly redesigned HUD. If the past three games are any indication, all of these HUD elements will likely be user-toggleable.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl UI Comparison
Other than that, the compass at the top of the screen appears to be slightly more detailed compared to the previously sharedSTALKER 2screenshots. Specifically, this HUD element is now divided into smaller angle increments, while the icons that it displays are no longer black-and-white, but color-coded. For example, the player’s current objective is marked with a dark shade of orange verging on gold, while custom landmarks are displayed in green. Enemy indicators are bright red, while all the other icons visible in the screenshots are white.
GSC has yet to treat its upcoming title to a release date afterdelayingSTALKER 2to 2024. Given that state of affairs, and in light of the studio’s recent reassurance that the game is still targeting a first-quarter debut, March 2024 seems like the safest prediction for its launch window.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
WHERE TO PLAY
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a sequel to the award-winning game franchise developed by GSC Game World. Experience one-of-a-kind gameplay, featuring the elements of a first-person shooter, immersive sim, and horror. The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is a unique, dangerous and ever-changing environment. It promises a lot — the artifacts of unbelievable value can be yours if you dare to claim them. The price you may pay, on the other hand, is no less than your own life. One of the biggest open-worlds to date, filled with radiation, mutants and anomalies, is yours to explore. All the choices across the way not only define your own epic story, but influence the future itself. Be mindful about what you see, do and plan, as you will have to find your way through the Zone or be forever lost to it.
