Summary
GSC Game World has revealed a number of bug fixes and other changes that will be included in the first post-release update forSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The upcomingSTALKER 2patch is scheduled to roll out in late November 2024.
The fourth entry in GSC’s immersive sim series hit the digital and physical store shelves on November 20.STALKER 2had already received several updates by that time, the latest of which came close to completely replacing the game’s preload build on the Xbox Series X/S. Of course, only the players who had access to a review copy of the game were able to actually see the improvements that these updates have introduced.
As forSTALKER 2’s first post-release update, developer GSC Game World has just announced it on Saturday, November 23. The new patch is planned to be released on the week of November 25. It will roll out to both theXbox and PC versions ofSTALKER 2simultaneously. GSC listed half a dozen categories of fixes and improvements that will be part of the upcoming release, including those targeting crashes, quest progression, gameplay balance, visual issues, and user interface elements.
Specifically, a number of cases of memory allocation failures leading toSTALKER 2crashes are promised to be fixed by the upcoming update. Ditto for a variety of bugs blocking main quest progression, including instances of NPCs getting stuck in terrain or objects, broken quest markers, and glitched cutscenes. The patch will also fix a peculiar bug that can soft-lock players if they place ammo in the wrong slot while using a gamepad in the trading interface, preventing them from exiting the menu.
Upcoming STALKER 2 Update Won’t Address All Known Issues With the Game
The patch won’t address all known issues with the game that GSC has acknowledged since November 20. Among them is thelack of controller stick deadzone settings inSTALKER 2—a feature the developer has already promised, but one that’s still lacking a firm release window. Since the day-one version of the game also doesn’t have a default deadzone offset, it can be challenging to control on gamepads with even minimal stick drift.
Another set of issues that GSC is still working on addressing concernSTALKER 2’s A-Life system. According to some early adopter impressions, the game has a tendency to frequently spawn mobs too close to the player, to the point that such behavior breaks immersion. GSC confirmed that A-Life fixes are on the way but won’t be part of its first update targetingSTALKER 2’s launch issues.
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.
