Stalker 2 Delayed For The Fifth Time

Summary

• Stalker 2 has been hit with a two-month delay, moving its release from September 5 to November 20.
• This marks the fifth time that Stalker 2 has been delayed, not counting its hiatus from 2012 to 2022.
• Of course, GSC Game World's delays are understandable considering it's based in Ukraine and has struggled with development since the Russian Invasion.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has 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 years have 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.

Play These Games Before Their Sequels Drop In 2023

Don't wait until the last minute to catch up before these sequel launch in 2023.

Development on Stalker 2 has steadily continued since the Russian Invasion began, with GSC Game World recently settling on a final release date of September 5, 2024. 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 delay and 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 being unsurprisingly pushed back to 2023 due to the Russian Invasion, which resulted 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.

Concord Asks What If Overwatch Was Tedious?

Concord's complex meta systems are novel, but its design slows things down way too much.