Moody Stalker 2 trailer revealed at the Xbox Game Showcase

Update: This post originally stated that Stalker 2 would launch on Xbox Series X before it launched on PC. This was an error. Stalker 2 will launch on PC and Xbox simultaneously. 

GSC Game World's famous post-nuclear survivalist nightmare sandbox trilogy is finally receiving a sequel. Like the original games, Stalker 2 promises to be "a unique blend of first-person shooter, immersive sim and horror."

Stalker 2 resurfaced back in March this year with a single screenshot and an assurance that this is GSC's most ambitious game yet. A previous attempt was aborted years ago, but more than a decade on, there's still plenty of reasons to be excited for a return to The Zone.

Today we saw at atmospheric trailer, which captured the bleak tone of the world very nicely indeed. We see some anomalies messing with reality, and a character in classic Stalker getup prowling through the tunnels of The Zone.

The simulation of the factions and creatures in Stalker 2 will be controlled by A-Life 2.0, a "reimagined version" of the A-Life system that appeared in the original games. "Countless events and encounters will happen every moment — even if you are not around to witness them with your own eyes," reads a post on the Xbox site.

The game is launching on PC and Xbox Series X simultaneously, according to a post on the official Stalker Facebook page, though no release date has been announced.

The same post states the trailer "demonstrates the level of graphics and atmosphere we are aiming to achieve on release," which sounds like it's not actually taken from the game itself. 

Tom Senior

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.