Stalker 2 has been delayed to late 2024

GSC Game World has confirmed another delay for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl.

Most recently scheduled for release in the first quarter of this year, the post-apocalyptic shooter sequel will now arrive on September 5, 2024.

The Ukrainian studio said it made the decision to delay the game based on fan feedback it received after putting it in the hands of thousands of players for the first time in the second half of last year.

While it said it received plenty of positive feedback about the sequel, it was also felt that, “on the technical side of things — the game needs more time”.

Stalker 2’s release date has seemingly been something of a moving target since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the time, GSC Game World was based in Kiev, but it has since partially relocated to the Czech Republic.

Not all of its staff were able to leave Ukraine, however, with a number of developers continuing to work on the game from the war-torn country, where their lives have been turned upside down.

“Throughout the frankly challenging development process, we understood the time was of the team’s main essence,” the studio said in a message published on Tuesday.

“Seeing the scope of polishing and understanding that we can’t push your patience too much, we were absolutely dedicated to releasing the game in Q1 2024, and we worked extra hard to meet the release window.

“That, however, doesn’t change the fact that at the beginning of this year, we still witnessed the certain amount of technical imperfections that hold S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 below the expected standards for the final experience our fans are waiting for.

“While there is absolutely no way to make another delay sound less dim, we decided to be clear about our reasons to postpone the game for the sake of yet another wave of polishing.”

Stalker 2 will be released for Xbox Series X/S and PC and will be available on Game Pass on day one.