S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review (PC) – A Great But Flawed Experience

I’ve spent a few weeks playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and while the game captivated me and I enjoyed the experience for the most part, Stalker 2 is not for the faint of heart. I’ll explore why in our S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl review.

Game Name: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Platform(s): Xbox Series X|S, PC (reviewed)
Publisher(s): GSC Game World
Developer(s): GSC Game World
Release Date: November 20th 2024

As a newcomer to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is my first experience with the franchise, and now I finally understand why it’s so beloved—more on that later. While veteran fans are already familiar with what it means to be a “Stalker” and the complexities of this world, newcomers like me will quickly realize there’s a steep learning curve. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. isn’t just another first-person shooter; it’s an immersive military sim infused with survival mechanics and a haunting supernatural twist.

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, you play as Skif, a man drawn into the Zone after a mysterious artifact destroys his home. Artifacts, in this universe, are relics imbued with unique, almost magical properties. Unfortunately, the one that crashes into Skif’s life has lost its “charge,” as these artifacts appear to draw their energy from the Zone itself.

Naturally, your quest to restore the artifact’s power doesn’t go as planned, setting you on a dangerous journey through the Zone—an unforgiving and enigmatic place where every step feels like a test of survival.

Nuts and Bolts

Now that you know the basic story setup, let’s dive into the exciting part—the gameplay. At its core, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a military sim with a strong focus on first-person shooting. From a functional standpoint, the shooting mechanics feel familiar, as you’d expect from an FPS game in 2024—you can aim, shoot, reload, lean, and so on. However, where S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 truly stands out is in the systems surrounding its gunplay.

For starters, weapons aren’t flawless tools. Guns can jam in the middle of a firefight or even break entirely, requiring repair. Ammo is also relatively scarce, which forces you to approach combat more tactically. These systems don’t just add realism—they create panic-inducing moments where every shot counts. Combine this with how punishing the damage can be, and you’ll quickly learn that preparation is key. A few well-placed shots from a low-level raider can easily take you out. At least, that was my experience with the game’s default difficulty. While you can lower the difficulty for a less stressful time, I found this made the game far too easy and diminished the intended experience.

Beyond firearms, you have another unexpected tool at your disposal: bolts—yes, simple bolts. Surprisingly, when thrown, these bolts can trigger anomalies, discharging their energy momentarily and allowing you to pass through safely. Fortunately, bolts are infinite, so you won’t need to worry about scavenging for them. They’re a simple yet essential mechanic for navigating the Zone’s many hazards.

Artifacts and Anomalies

Speaking of anomalies, they often conceal valuable artifacts. To locate these artifacts, you’ll need a scanner, which you’ll acquire early in your playthrough. However, there’s a catch—while using the scanner, your pistol will be the only weapon available. Venturing through the dangers of the Zone with just a sidearm might feel unnerving, but the risk is absolutely worth it.

Artifacts are among the most valuable items in the game. You can sell them for credits, which can then be used to upgrade or repair your weapons and gear, as well as purchase essential supplies. Alternatively, if you choose to keep the artifacts instead of selling them, they offer meaningful boosts that can give you an edge. These bonuses can include protection against radiation damage, increased carrying capacity, and more.

If it’s not clear by now, life as a Stalker is anything but easy. Thankfully, in major towns throughout the Zone, you’ll find vendors who can upgrade your gear or sell you better equipment. Guns, for example, can have scopes attached, recoil reduced, and other improvements applied. You can even upgrade your weapons and gear to make them more durable, reducing the wear and tear they take over time.

Surviving The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Zone

Beyond upgrading your gear, it’s crucial to ensure you’re always carrying enough ammo, food, water, and healing supplies. Hunger isn’t just a minor inconvenience—it can negatively impact your abilities if you go without food for too long. Water, on the other hand, isn’t primarily for thirst but is useful for dealing with radiation, as are certain other drinks you’ll come across.

Trust me, you wouldn’t want to encounter a pack of mutant dogs without a solid stash of healing items. Mutants of any kind not only deal significant damage but can take a surprising amount of effort to kill. Worse still, a single hit from a mutant can cause bleeding, which slowly drains your health over time. Bandages are essential for stopping the bleeding, so running out isn’t an option.

Mutant dogs are just one of the supernatural threats you face on your journey through the zone. Other mutants have the power to turn invisible, meaning you’ll hear them but won’t see them until it’s too late. That’s just two types of mutant threats you’ll face, but there are more to discover. These supernatural beings, combined with the anomalies, lead to a constant feeling of unease when travelling through the zone. The sound design supports these feelings superbly, with every rustle of bushes or strange sound in the distance. I’d find myself looking around, checking for enemies constantly, and often changing my route just to avoid them.

One of the most dangerous things you’ll do in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is travel through the Zone. There’s no fast travel in the traditional sense—while you can move between major settlements, everywhere else requires traveling on foot. While this might deter some players, I found it to be a deeply immersive experience. Every trip out of town forced me to plan ahead, ensuring I had enough supplies to survive the journey. If I didn’t, I knew I’d have to scavenge for resources in abandoned buildings or facilities along the way.

Understanding the Zone is also critical, especially when it comes to deadly emission weather events. These anomalies can kill you incredibly quickly, so knowing where to find shelter at a moment’s notice could mean the difference between life and death.

A Beautiful Mess

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a visually stunning game, particularly when it comes to the Zone itself and if you have the hardware to provide those visuals. The environments look exactly as you’d imagine following the Chornobyl disaster—barren, broken, and hauntingly empty. There’s a strange beauty in stumbling across an abandoned house, where the remnants of a forgotten time tell their own silent story. The game’s world feels alive despite its desolation, making it a joy to explore and immerse yourself in.

Unfortunately, the same level of detail doesn’t always extend to the characters. While the main story characters look decent, many of the NPCs feel like relics of an Xbox 360-era game. They’re not outright terrible, but the visual inconsistency between the richly detailed environments and the lower-quality character models can be immersion-breaking at times.

Audio also suffers from a similar issue. The English voice acting is largely serviceable, but it often lacks authenticity, with some characters sounding mismatched and side dialogue coming off as overly cringey. Much of this can be attributed to the writing, but the experience changes significantly with the Ukrainian voice track. Listening to the dialogue in its native language with subtitles removes much of the awkwardness and adds a layer of authenticity that feels far more fitting for the game’s atmosphere.

If you’re open to subtitles, I’d strongly recommend playing with the Ukrainian voice track—it elevates the experience and helps maintain the immersion the game works so hard to achieve.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Improving All The Time

It’s well documented that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl had its share of technical issues during the review period. However, I didn’t gain access to the game until a day before release, by which time things had significantly improved. While I did encounter a few visual glitches and minor audio issues, nothing I experienced was game-breaking. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 felt far more polished than some other big-budget titles at launch. That’s not to say the game was bug-free—your mileage may vary—but the fact that it even released at all, given its tumultuous development, is something worth celebrating. Based on some testing I did yesterday (at the time of writing), recent patches are continuing to improve the experience further.

Regarding performance on PC, I played at 4K with the game’s highest settings enabled. DLSS is essentially required at this resolution, so I set it to “Balanced,” which delivered a very smooth experience, consistently hovering between 70–80 FPS. Of course, individual results will vary depending on your hardware setup.

Since S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is also available on Xbox and through Game Pass, I did some light testing on the Series X as well. In performance mode, the frame rate proved inconsistent, but a variable refresh rate (VRR) display can make it significantly more playable. On the other hand, the quality mode—capped at 30 FPS—felt much more stable. For now, I’d recommend playing in quality mode if you’re playing on the Xbox Series X.

For a more in-depth analysis of console performance, I highly recommend checking out Digital Foundry’s video, as it provides a detailed breakdown of the game’s technical aspects.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: The Big Heart of Chornobyl

In the end, I loved my time with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The Zone is both thrilling and dangerous to explore, offering a setting that feels truly unique. The gameplay strikes a great balance—simulation-based without ever pushing realism too far. While the lack of fast travel might deter some players, for me, it encouraged better preparation and added to the immersion.

Yes, some technical issues remain, but they are largely minor, and the game continues to improve with regular updates. I wholeheartedly recommend giving S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 a try, especially through Game Pass. You’ll know within a few hours whether it’s for you—and if it is, don’t be surprised when it completely takes over your life.

Review Disclosure Statement: A copy of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was provided to us for review purposes by GSC Game World. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more info.