STALKER 2 Gets Gigantic Update Right Before Launch

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has received its first-ever update, which happens to be gigantic. However, since the game isn’t out yet, the new patch will only be of interest to people who have preloaded STALKER 2.

Following around six years of development and four major delays, at least one of which can be traced back to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, STALKER 2 has gone gold in early November 2024. The long-awaited immersive sim is scheduled to hit the market on Wednesday, November 20.

STALKER 2 received an update just ahead of its release, with developer GSC Game World pushing it out on November 18. The patch is nothing short of gigantic, weighing 138.9GB. For reference, the initial STALKER 2 preload build, which rolled out on November 11, was 146.7GB in size. Social media reports from Xbox users who have already downloaded the update suggest that it replaces the majority of the game’s files rather than adding to them. STALKER 2 should hence still take up around 150GB of storage space once this pre-release patch is installed.

First STALKER 2 Update Is Limited to Xbox Consoles

The update itself is only available to download on the Xbox Series X and Series S. The PC version of STALKER 2—which will be available via Steam, Xbox Store, and Epic Games Store—hasn’t been made available to preload. If the update includes any multi-platform changes, they are likely to be integrated into STALKER 2‘s day-one PC build. GSC Game World did not share a changelog to accompany this patch, which is fairly standard practice when it comes to pre-release updates.

STALKER 2 will have a simultaneous global launch on November 20, at 8am PST / 11am EST / 5pm CET. Xbox Series X/S owners hoping to play the game as soon as possible will want to check if their consoles have downloaded the pre-release patch ahead of time, especially if they don’t have gigabit internet. In many cases, this installation will have occurred without any intervention, as the current generation of Xbox consoles can download patches automatically even while they’re asleep. In order for this functionality to work, it needs to be enabled by checking the “Keep my games and apps up to date” box found under Settings > System > Updates.

As for the PC version of STALKER 2, GSC has recently confirmed that it’s going to be quite demanding. The recommended system requirements for playing at 60fps and 1440p include the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti / Radeon RX 6800 XT, 32GB of RAM, and Intel Core i7-11700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a sequel to the award-winning game franchise developed by GSC Game World. Experience one-of-a-kind gameplay, featuring the elements of a first-person shooter, immersive sim, and horror.The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is a unique, dangerous and ever-changing environment. It promises a lot — the artifacts of unbelievable value can be yours if you dare to claim them. The price you may pay, on the other hand, is no less than your own life.One of the biggest open-worlds to date, filled with radiation, mutants and anomalies, is yours to explore. All the choices across the way not only define your own epic story, but influence the future itself. Be mindful about what you see, do and plan, as you will have to find your way through the Zone or be forever lost to it.

Systems

Released

November 20, 2024

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Intense Violence, Blood, Use Of Drugs And Alcohol, Language, Crude Humor

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