GSC Game World has released Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl on PlayStation 5 alongside its major 1.7 update, featuring A-Life improvements, visual enhancements, and new weapons. The studio plans to continue supporting the game with further updates, including a cinematic DLC and an upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.5.4. Developers note they could update the title indefinitely due to endless ideas in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe.
Update Highlights
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl launched on PlayStation 5 with the substantial 1.7 update, transforming the supernatural survival shooter from its initial version. Key additions include enhanced A-Life technology for more dynamic AI, visual upgrades, new weapons, and other content that makes exploration in the Zone more immersive.
Over the past year, the game received seven major updates plus numerous smaller ones, not just fixing bugs but adding features like monster loot, night-vision goggles, new guns, and varied weather systems. Communications director Zakhar Bocharov stated, “These didn’t just fix bugs and make it run better; they also added tons of new stuff. The game now feels very different from what it was when it first came out.”
Future Plans
GSC Game World is developing the game's first major DLC with a more “cinematic” tone while refining the core experience. Ongoing work focuses on A-Life improvements, player tools, and a significant engine upgrade from a heavily modified Unreal Engine 5.1 to version 5.5.4. Bocharov explained, “In the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. world, you could probably keep adding them forever, just like chasing something perfect that you never quite reach.”
Updates are guided by player feedback, prioritizing popular requests alongside the studio's vision. Technical producer Ievgen Kulyk highlighted the challenges: “The main problem is that our game engine is very heavily modified. We wrote a lot of custom things (and even systems) ourselves, and now we have to move all of that to the newer version. It’s a big job.”
This post-launch engine overhaul, rare outside blockbusters like Fortnite, aims to boost performance and introduce new rendering features, with GSC expecting players to notice a clear difference.