Most games are made by developers who want players to deeply understand their creations, their gameplay systems, and their stakes. Games are so often hand-holdy power fantasies that something going against the grain can really stand out. Survival games have given us several such games for years now, with many of them likely pointing back to earlier Stalker games as inspiration. That’s partly why it’s so cool to see Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl arrive and once again be the bastion of uncompromising games set in hostile worlds that would rather bite off your hand than hold it.

At launch, much of Stalker 2’s best attributes were apparent but seen through a layer of bugs and jank. Those blemishes were forgivable–the game had already been delayed quite a lot while its studio and Ukrainians in general dealt with a war that kicked off when Russia invaded the country in 2022. But the game has quickly improved regardless of the details. Several patches deep just a few weeks since launch, Stalker 2 feels like this year’s Cyberpunk 2077: a game that is easy to love in spite of its faults, and one that is erasing those faults all the time, leaving behind only its special aspects.

As an open-world FPS game with bits of horror and survival mixed in, Stalker is a blend of genres that lend themselves to improvisation, emergent action, and rare occurrences that soon become campfire tales as you and your friends warm yourselves by the figurative fires of party chats and Discord servers. Stalker 2 is a story engine above all else, filled to the brim with characters who can be hard to identify and even harder to kill. But above all else, Stalker 2 knows what its strengths are. It leans into them and it expects you to meet it there or die trying.

“Criticizing Stalker 2’s technical issues is tough, simply because it’s astounding that GSC managed to launch the game in the first place,” Richard Wakeling wrote in our Stalker 2 review. “Admittedly, this made it easier for me to overlook some of its irritating quirks, particularly when they weren’t egregiously crashing the game. Yet even this might not have been the case if it also weren’t an engrossing game. Stalker 2 is notably flawed in a few areas, yet these shortcomings tend to dissipate when a compelling, non-linear quest goes awry thanks to an unforeseen element forcing you into a frantic shootout. This unpredictability and the way its various systems interact to create anomalous stories sets Stalker 2 apart. Throw in a beguiling world and the fascinating mysteries hidden within, and it’s difficult not to fall under its enticing spell.”

— Mark Delaney