Ukrainian studio GSC Game World will release the first major story expansion for STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, titled «The Price of Hope,» on August 20, 2026. The DLC will be released simultaneously on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
Ukrainian studio GSC Game World will release the first major story expansion for STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, titled «The Price of Hope,» on August 20, 2026. The DLC will be released simultaneously on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
The developers announced this in an official announcement, presenting a new trailer for the project.
The plot of the expansion will unfold in parallel with the events of the main game. Players will once again control the main character, Scyth, who receives a mysterious signal on his PDA. The event takes place against the backdrop of another escalation of the long-standing conflict between the main factions of the Zone — «Debt» and «Will».
GSC Game World promises new territories, an additional arsenal of weapons, and dozens of hours of gameplay, where the player’s choices will directly affect the ending of the story.
Along with the release of the expansion on August 20, the developers will release a free 2.0 update for the original game. It involves the transition of the project to the newer version of the Unreal Engine 5 engine, as well as a number of technical improvements and additional content. The studio plans to reveal details about the update and DLC in the coming weeks.
Earlier, GSC Game World founder Serhiy Grigorovich told Ukrainian gaming blogger OLDboi that the agreement with Microsoft and Xbox regarding console exclusivity for STALKER 2 covered the costs of developing the game and actually paid for it before its release. The studio denied his words and stated that Grigorovich did not participate in the negotiations and direct development of the project.
