Summary
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobylhas been hit with its fifth delay, moving the long-awaited shooter from its planned release date of September 5 to November 20.
The last few yearshave been rough for developers and the gaming industry as a whole, but they’ve been especially hard for GSC Game World, the studio behind Stalker 2.After originally being planned for launch in 2012, the project was cancelled and eventually revived with a planned release in 2022. With GSC being based in Ukraine,that release was significantly delayed due to the ongoing Russian Invasion.
Development on Stalker 2 has steadily continued since the Russian Invasion began, with GSC Game Worldrecently settling on a final release date of June 09, 2025. That release has seemed set in stone for the past few months, but it understandably looks like a little more time is needed to finish things off.
Stalker 2 Is Now Launching On November 20
Today,GSC Game World has announced that Stalker 2 has been hit with a hopefully final two-month delayand will now be launching on November 20 instead of September 5. The reason for the delay is to give “the team breathing room to address technical issues with the game” and bring the final release closer to what fans are expecting.
“Today’s news also comes along with the announcement of a delay until November 20th, giving the team breathing room to address technical issues with the game and bring the final release closer to the experience that the fans expect.”
Alongside the delay announcement, it was also revealed that Stalker 2 will be getting its first-ever developer deep dive, which aims to give players “the most comprehensive look yet into the game”. That deep dive, which will premiere in collaboration with Xbox, is currently set for August 12, and will show off interviews, behind-the-scenes looks into development, and new gameplay footage.
Stalker 2’s latest delay marks the fifth time that it’s been pushed back from a planned release date.It was first delayed by seven months early on in 2022, before beingunsurprisingly pushed back to 2023 due to the Russian Invasion, whichresulted in some pre-orders being refunded. GSC Game World then delayed the game once more to its then-final release date of September 5, which has now been pushed back again.
Of course, while it’s always a shame when games get delayed from their planned date, it’s more than understandable considering the hardships that GSC Game World have gone through during Stalker 2’s development. All games should take the time that they need, but that’s even more true of Stalker 2.
