We're just hours away from the worldwide release of STALKER 2. Is your PC ready to run this 140 GB open-world RPG? This complete pre-release guide covers the following information for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl:
STALKER 2 Release Time
Pre-order Bonuses
Recommended Specs for STALKER 2
Minimum PC Requirements for STALKER 2
STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is the highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning franchise from GSC Game World. The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is set to be one of the largest open worlds ever created in a video game, and many players are hoping this open world full of mutants, radiation, and unique weapons will rival other RPGs like Fallout 4.
STALKER 2 Worldwide Release Time
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has a worldwide release on November 20th at 8 AM PST, or 11 AM New York Time. Xbox players are currently able to preload the huge 147 GB game. In the past hour, STALKER 2 received a 140 GB update for Xbox, meaning players will need to update and preload the game again before tomorrow.
Today's 140 GB update was likely an optimization patch for console. PC players on the other hand will need to make sure that their system is ready for the demanding open world and impressive graphics that STALKER 2 brings.
Luckily, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is also coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and releasing at 8 AM PST tomorrow on Game Pass as well. Players that pay for an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription on either console or PC will be able to skip the $70 purchase for the standard edition and play with Game Pass.
STALKER 2 Pre-Order Bonuses
While players can enjoy the Standard Edition on Ultimate Game Pass and Game Pass for PC, there are several upgraded editions that may be worth it in the long run.
The Deluxe Edition comes with the following bonuses:
Additional Side Quest
1 outfit and 3 weapon skins in single player mode
2 outfits and 3 weapon skins for multiplayer
Digital artbook
Digital soundtrack
The Ultimate Edition comes with the following bonuses:
Season Pass that includes future access to all DLCs - including 2 story expansions already planned
Additional side quest
1 outfit and 3 weapon skins for single player
3 outfits and 7 weapon skins for multiplayer
Digital artbook
Digital soundtrack
It feels like players that plan on spending the majority of their time in multiplayer will get the greatest benefit from purchasing the Ultimate Edition, since it comes with the Season Pass, 3 outfits, and 7 different weapon skins.
There are also 4 different physical editions of the game that include unknown pre-order bonus content, along with a bunch of physical merch for fans.
Players that are able to get their hands on a physical Ultimate Edition will also get a ton of other goodies including a STALKER backpack, a steel book, an artifact lamp, and a bunch of other pins and tokens. You can pre-order the Ultimate Physical Edition on the STALKER 2 official website.
Recommended PC Specs for STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl
Although there is a variety of ways to experience STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, GameRant recommends that players should get to experience the stunning AAA game in 1440p @ 60 FPS. Here are the PC requirements to play STALKER 2 on the recommended settings.
Your PC should have the following or equivalent:
Resolution: 1440p @ 60 FPS
CPU: Intel Core i7 11700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti / RTX 4070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
RAM: 32 GB of RAM
Storage: 160 GB of SSD Storage
To play STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl on the highest possible settings, the 'Epic Preset' Setting, players will need top of the line gaming PCs with the following:
Resolution: 2160p @ 60+ FPS
CPU: Intel Core i7-13700KF or AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
RAM: 32 GB RAM in Dual Channel mode
Storage: 160 GB of SSD Storage
GameRant calls these recommended settings already too high for the majority of players, and that it would be controversial should STALKER 2 utilize DLSS as well. For players that just want to know the minimum requirements to play the game, here are the minimum requirements to play STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl on PC:
Resolution: 1080p @ 30 FPS
CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB / AMD Radeon RX 580 8 GB / Intel Core Arc 750
RAM: 16 GB RAM in Dual Channel mode
Storage: 160 GB of SSD Storage
To get the most out of playing STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, players will need top of the line computer hardware. The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is currently the best AMD on the market.
After seeing the recommended PC specs, it makes me wonder how the game will run on console. Will STALKER 2 be able to run at 60 FPS on an Xbox?
STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter and open-world horror RPG releasing on November 20th, 2024, for PC, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
STALKER 2 promises to be one of the best apocalyptic open-world games to release since the Fallout series. Check out the Official Trailer below:
QuestAccepted! is a PC gaming news source with guides for popular titles like World of Warcraft, Diablo IV, and Elden Ring. Information is subject to change.
You may also be interested in these related articles: