Today Ukrainian developer GSC Game World announced that the development of the highly anticipated game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has entered its final phase. 

The game is still slated for a Q1 2024 release, as announced back at Gamescom 2023. 

While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has been in development for a long time, and its creators have been challenged by the hardships created by the russian invasion of Ukraine, blackmail attempts by hackers and data leaks, it appears that the destination is in sight. 

To celebrate the announcement, the developer also released a new trailer focusing on the story and characters of the game. 

You can watch it below and get a taste of the game that we’ll experience in a few months.

During the celebrations for the PC Game Show, Yevhen Grygorovych CEO of GSC Game World and Game Director of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl thanked the fans for their support and passion. 

He also mentioned the ambition and significance behind the game, created in the most challenging conditions possible.

This game stands as the biggest and most complex game in our lives. It was ambitious from the beginning but evolved into an ultimate challenge. It holds extreme significance and a deeply personal connection for us, crafted amidst the most stressful conditions imaginable

Incidentally, I played S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl at Gamescom 2023, and while at the time it was still a bit rough, the DNA of the series was certainly recognizable, and there was a lot of promise in the demo I tried. You can read my thoughts in my hands-on preview.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is coming in Q1, 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X|S. At the moment, a specific release date has not been announced just yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as GSC Game World announces it.