Stalker 2. Best games on Xbox Game Pass in 2024 (December)
- What to choose?
- Forza Motorsport
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Resident Evil 2 and 3
- Gears 5
- SnowRunner
- Wartales
- Doom Eternal
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Age of Mythology: Retold
- Hellblade
- Yakuza 0
- No Man's Sky
- Against the Storm
- Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Psychonauts 2
- Diablo 4
- Stalker 2
Stalker 2
- Year of release: 2024
- Developer: GSC Game World
- Genre: Post-apocalyptic FPS
- Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X/S, Cloud
- In a nutshell: an open-world post-apocalyptic shooter with survival elements, set in the dark reality of the Zone.
The sequel to Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl once again takes players to a post-apocalyptic world, specifically to the areas of the Zone around the destroyed nuclear power plant in Chornobyl. The main character of the second installment is Skif, who is tasked with investigating the energy source that emerged after another explosion in the power plant's reactor – as you can see, the devs don't adhere to historical accuracy, which isn't a criticism of them at all. It's important to mention that the story in Stalker 2 isn't a direct sequel to the previous installments, allowing you to begin your journey with the series from the newest part.
What makes it worth playing?
Fans who have been longing to return to the Zone certainly don't need convincing - they have been playing Stalker 2 for a long time already. However, if this is to be your first expedition into dangerous areas, the dense climate and interesting world may encourage you to do so. At every step, you can feel the despair here, and sometimes even fear. The dirty, destroyed, and irradiated locations hides a whole lot of curiosities, including artifacts. The shooting mechanics and graphics might appeal to you as well - the game runs on Unreal Engine 5.