S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope Screenshot
Image: GSC Game World

It must sound strange that, as a long-time fan of the STALKER series (no, I won't be properly punctuating it), I'd barely scratched the surface of STALKER 2 since it launched back in late 2024. I was expecting it to be rough-edged, of course - what massively ambitious Eastern European sandbox FPS isn't? - but it was perhaps just a little too janky for me at the time. Nearly two years later, I'm plotting my first full deep-dive expedition into the haunted, irradiated, mutant-infested Ukrainian wastelands, thanks to a major overhaul update landing today, along with Cost of Hope, the game's first (of two planned) major story expansion.

For the completely uninitiated (and there are really too many games to keep up with, so not judging), the STALKER series is big open-world tactical shooters set in a haunted alternate-universe version of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Rather than just being radioactive, this one's extremely haunted, thanks to a mixture of Soviet-era super-science experiments getting caught up in the nuclear meltdown. Now it's plagued by reality-warping anomalies and psychic mutants. It's also full of magical artifacts that are very sought after by those foolish enough to live and work within the Zone - the titular STALKERs.

The whole series of games is about slowly taking mercenary work. Recovering artifacts, hunting monsters, taking out bandit camps, and then using your meager payday to slowly upgrade your gear to take contracts closer and closer to the heart of the mysterious zone. Exploring the zone should be a bit nicer today, as the v2.0 update (extensive patch notes here) includes a whole new lighting engine, bringing STALKER 2's look a bit more in line with the earlier games. They've also tuned up the A-Life systems of the game, spawning more independent NPC, animal and mutant forces fighting over fresh points of interest, so don't be too surprised to find the occasional battleground to loot that you had nothing to do with.

There are more guns, more scopes, more binoculars, new weather mechanics and a custom difficulty option, plus some all-new locations added in this major new release. And that's not even counting the Cost Of Hope expansion - the first of two promised in the game's costly Ultimate edition. While STALKER 2 is mostly focused on newer factions, Cost Of Hope returns to the series roots, as you get to throw your lot in with OG rivals Freedom or Duty, each one offering their own quest-line and ending. The former being a loose collective of folks wanting to coexist with the strange world of the Zone, while Duty are military types seeking a way of containing or destroying this strange chunk of unreal estate.

Despite its title, Heart Of Chornobyl never really lets you into that titular heart. The expansion opens up the map further, finally letting players into the unbelievably haunted, incredibly radioactive, and hotly contested power plant itself. There's also the Iron Forest to explore, a rusty, foggy industrial hellscape full of storms and electrical anomalies. And lastly, there's the haunted town of Lymansk, which I'm itching to explore. The series is often at its best when exploring those cramped urban spaces full of environmental storytelling and tricky combat spaces.

Now updated to v2.0, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is on sale now for £50/$60, with a 30% discount running until August 31st. The Cost of Hope expansion is another £25/$30 by itself. But for a better deal, the Ultimate edition of the game (which includes both this and another upcoming expansion, plus some extra goodies) is available for £90/$110 on Steam, with a similar 30% discount bringing it to a more reasonable price. Better yet, savvy shoppers can find the Ultimate edition for around £50/$60 if you're willing to shop outside of Steam.

Be warned, though. Fully installed, this one clocks in at a storage-hogging 175 GB. It's a big game in every respect. If the price tag and the sheer intensity of the game seem a bit much as your first step into the world of STALKER, consider starting with STALKER: Anomaly, a massive, free fangame frankensteining the worlds of the original trilogy together (made with GSC Game World's blessing) into a single sandbox game, playable just about any way you'd like.