STALKER 2 delayed until December

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The apocalyptic game has been pushed by seven months to allow for more "thorough testing"

Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl
(Image credit: GSC Game World)

Stalker 2 has been delayed by approximately 7 months, from April 28 to December 8, 2022.

In a message posted on Twitter, developer GSC Game World said that "we have made a decision to postpone the release of STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl [...] these additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game."

"STALKER 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as long as necessary." The studio ends by saying that the decision was not an easy one, but that "more information, updates, and showcases" were on the way.

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The announcement comes hot on the heels of a rumour from YouTuber Oldboi, who recently claimed that Stalker 2 would be delayed until the Autumn, suggesting that the game would release between August and October. Now it's clear that even more time was needed, as GSC is taking two more months than were speculated in Oldboi's video. While the developer doesn't outline the causes for the delay beyond the need for more testing, a number of high-profile games have been pushed back over the last few years as a result of disruption caused by the pandemic.

It's another step backwards for GSC, which was forced to walk back its plans for an NFT-focused 'STALKER metaverse' last year in the wake of significant fan backlash over its plans. The studio has confirmed that it has no further plans relating to NFT in its apocalyptic upcoming sequel.

It might be coming a lot later than planned, but STALKER 2 will still be big in 2022.

Ali Jones
Ali Jones
Managing Editor, News

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.