The STALKER 2 release date is still a few months away, but the developers from GSC Game World have already had to comment on some backlash pertaining to the use of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) in the game.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, to give the game its full title, will once again combined first-person shooter thrills with a grimly horrific portrayal of life in a nuclear wasteland.
This survival horror game has been highly anticipated for a while now, and you could’ve argued that it didn’t need to jump on the NFT craze to garner any attention.
Whether you’re a long-term fan of the franchise or you’re just learning about it now because of all the news coverage of the NFT situation, keep on reading and we’ll tell you everything you need to know about STALKER 2.
When is the STALKER 2 release date?
The STALKER 2 release date will take place on 28th April 2022, the game’s official website confirms. Nearer that date, we should learn the precise STALKER 2 release time, and we’ll be sure to update this article when that information comes to light.
STALKER 2 NFT explained
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The game developers from GSC Game World are teaming up with some NFT specialists from a company called DMarket to bring a range of NFT content into STALKER 2, an official announcement blog has confirmed.
This partnership is said to result in “the creation of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Metaverse, where players can truly own a piece of the game.” This essentially means that players will be able to buy and own ultra-rare digital items in the game.
This announcement states that this project “will use blockchain technology to let the community own a piece of [the game]”, with GSC and DMarket creating a situation where the “rights to certain unique items will belong to players [for] the first time for the AAA video game.”
As part of this project, there will be an auction held in January 2022, with players invited to bid for a chance to become “the first-ever metahuman”. A digital likeness of the winning bidder will be “released and exposed to hundreds of millions of gamers worldwide” and will appear in the game as a non-playable character (NPC). We’ll bring you more on that auction as we hear it.
This is certainly a surprising strategy for this upcoming horror game to take, and the online community was vocal in its response to the news. There was something of a backlash to the announcement, which seems to have prompted the game’s developers to respond with the Tweet below. In the Tweet, the developers assure fans that these NFT elements will be “completely optional” and will have “no influence on gameplay”.
Welcome to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Metaverse!
— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) December 15, 2021
– S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is not a blockchain-based game
– No influence on gameplay
– Completely optional
– There will be free giveaways for the community members
– All tokens to be activated before the release https://t.co/gZVUEJ5swe
Is STALKER 2 a remake?
Seeing as STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is actually the fourth game in this franchise – following in the footsteps of 2007’s Shadow of Chernobyl, 2008’s Clear Sky and 2009’s Call of Pripyat – you might be wondering if STALKER 2 is a remake.
We can confirm that STALKER 2 is not a remake, with the game’s official website instead describing it as “a next-gen sequel to the award-winning PC game franchise developed by GSC Game World”. It’s a sequel to all the previous games, then, which makes that number in the title a little bit confusing.
Do you need to play STALKER 1 to play STALKER 2?
Considering that there are three previous STALKER games (as explained in the previous section), you might be wondering if you need to play STALKER 1 or any other game before you play STALKER 2.
“Stalker 2 is a standalone project that can be enjoyed on its own,” GSC has said in a statement on its website. The developers added: “At the same time, we recommend to complete the previous games for the maximum level of immersion.”
Basically, then, it’s up to you whether or not you want to play through the previous STALKER games before jumping into STALKER 2. If you’ve got the time, why not give those classic titles a go?
Which consoles and platforms can play STALKER 2?
STALKER 2 will launch on PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the developers have confirmed, with the computer-based release being split across Steam and the Epic Games Store.
That might leave some gamers asking, will STALKER 2 come to PS5? The answer to that question appears to be no, at least for the time being, with there being no mention of PlayStation consoles on the game’s official website.
The game has been pegged as a next-gen affair, so we wouldn’t expect to see STALKER 2 on Xbox One, PS4 or Nintendo Switch unless a downgraded version gets released at a later date.
Can I pre-order STALKER 2?
Yes, you can order STALKER 2 now. Product pages are live on the game’s official website as well as Steam, the Epic Games Store, the Xbox Store and third-party retailers like CD Keys. And so, you can take your pick and order your copy of STALKER 2 from whichever platform or shop you prefer.
What is the STALKER 2 Pre-Order Bonus?
Whichever version of STALKER 2 you buy – there are four to choose from, as we’ll get onto in a second – you will also get these items as a pre-order bonus if you place your order before the launch day of 28th April 2022.
- Extended campfire content
- Exclusive weapon skin
- Exclusive armour skin
- ‘Early bird’ multiplayer badge
How much will STALKER 2 cost?
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The STALKER 2 price has now been confirmed, and there are four different versions (each with a different price point) for you to consider splashing the cash on.
The Standard Edition of STALKER 2 has a recommended retail price of £49.99 GBP, although a deal that is currently running at CD Keys will let you buy it £31.99 instead.
The Deluxe Edition of STALKER 2 has an RRP of £64.99, but CD Keys will give you a quid off that price. The Deluxe Edition version comes with the following bits of extra content:
- Special Extra Quest
- Digital Artbook
- Official Soundtrack
- One costume and three weapon skins for the single-player campaign
- Two costumes and three weapon skins for the multiplayer experience
The Ultimate Edition of STALKER 2 has an RRP of £94.99 GBP, or it is one pound cheaper at CD Keys. It comes will all the bits listed above as well as these extra goodies:
- Four further weapon skins for the multiplayer experience
- Two story expansions
- Season Pass
There is also a very fancy Retail Edition, pictured above, which doesn’t have a confirmed price yet (but it does have a pre-order page waiting to go live on the game’s official website). This luxury physical version of the game will include everything from the Ultimate Edition and these extras:
- Steel Book
- Letter From Developers
- Souvenir Zone Permit
- Sticker Pack
- Zone Map
- Poster
- Faction Patches
- Military Token
- Keychain (Multi-tool) with Fire Starter
- Art Book
- Stalker Figurine
- Artefact Container Lamp
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Backpack
STALKER 2 gameplay
STALKER 2 gameplay will include a single-player campaign at launch, with a multiplayer experience said to be “coming soon after the release, as a free update”.
Once again, gameplay in STALKER 2 will be experienced from a first-person perspective, with survival horror and gunplay being the main overriding themes of the experience. To take a look at the game in action, check out the five-minute STALKER 2 gameplay trailer here:
STALKER 2 PC requirements
The minimum and recommended PC specs to run STALKER 2 have been confirmed well ahead of time, with the developers suggesting that as the minimum:
- OS Version: Windows 10 / Windows 11
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X / Intel Core i5-7600K
- Memory: 8 GB
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
- Disc space: 150 GB SSD
The recommended PC build for STALKER 2 looks like this:
- OS Version: Windows 10 / Windows 11
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X / Intel Core i7-9700K
- Memory: 16 GB
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB
- Disc space: 150 GB SSD
STALKER 2 trailer
The first trailer for STALKER 2 debuted in July 2020, and it has since amassed millions of views on YouTube. You can take a look here while you wait for the STALKER 2 release date to roll around on 28th April 2022:
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