S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (PS5)

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is out now for PlayStation 5, exactly one year after it landed on Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game was developed by Ukrainian GSC Game World and development was extremely problematic due to a pandemic and not least Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which resulted in large parts of the team having to flee and others being called up to fight at the front against the Russians.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was plagued by numerous technical issues when it was released last year - parts of the game were borderline unplayable. Since then, GSC Game World has worked tirelessly and the game has been updated several times and thousands of bugs have been fixed. Now, one year after its release, the game looks far better than it ever did.

On launch day, the PlayStation 5 version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will be on the same level as the Xbox Series X/S and PC versions, meaning that the game will be in V1.7 when it is released for PlayStation 5. This review will mainly focus on the PlayStation 5 version - and you can also read our review of the PC version from last year if you want even more details.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a grim game. It's a combination of a first-person shooter, a horror game and an immersive sim - this is not a run-and-gun shooter. Set in the decommissioning zone around the closed Chernobyl plant, the area is filled with horribly mutated creatures, deadly radiation, strange energy discharges and mysterious "anomalies" that no one can really explain. It's a world that is constantly trying to kill you, and there is a perpetual lack of ammunition, lack of food and lack of general resources. Surviving in a place like this requires a combination of patience and strategic thinking - and a little cynicism too.

GSC Game World has created a fantastically atmospheric world that is wonderful to explore - despite being so brutal and bleak. You can't help but think that if the developers needed inspiration for what a ruined civilisation might look like, they probably just had to look out of their own windows. It makes it all a little more creepy and real.

The story is another of the game's great strengths. Unlike the first game, all dialogue is now also recorded in English, but you can still play with original Ukrainian speech. The voice acting is of somewhat variable quality, but the narrative is still strong, especially if you play with Ukrainian speech. The main missions drive the story forward, while the excellent side missions tell stories that add a layer of depth to this bleak universe. They are highly recommended.

As mentioned earlier, the PlayStation 5 version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl in V1.7, on par with the other versions that have been out since November last year. This means there are now four difficulty levels, and the new Master difficulty makes the game even more brutal and challenging. Mutants and NPCs in Master are far more aggressive, radiation, hunger and lack of sleep can kill much faster and there are even fewer resources than before - and traders think they are sitting on gold because they want much higher payment for their goods. The game also saves far less often - often only when you leave a hub, so you really have to be careful out in the dangerous world.

The other three difficulty levels, Rookie, Stalker and Veteran can now be played in Expedition Mode, which means that your game saves in the same limited way as in the new Master difficulty, but the difficulty level still sticks to Rookie, Stalker and Veteran.

The gameplay has also been adjusted in several areas, for example, enemies have a harder time seeing you when hiding in tall grass and both mutants and NPCs will now flank more intelligently and they can also withdraw from a fight if they feel their chances of survival are slipping. The Equipment section of your Inventory has been redesigned and many other adjustments have been made in this V1.7, which applies to all versions of the game.

As mentioned at the beginning, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl looks far better than it did on release and PlayStation 5 players need not worry about diving into this game at the risk of getting a game that is plagued with bugs. There ARE still glimpses of the bugs of the past, but we didn't experience anything worse than what we see in other games of this size and scope. So there's nothing to worry about if you have the courage to give this game a go.

The graphics in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl can vary from really beautiful, for example when black storm clouds roll in over the land, to rather mediocre, typically when you're indoors. We tested the game on PlayStation 5 Pro and didn't experience any worrying technical issues with the visuals. If you play on both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation Pro, you have two graphical settings. On PlayStation 5 you have Performance (1440p/60fps) and Quality (4K/30fps), while on PlayStation 5 Pro you have 4K in both settings, but still with 60fps in Performance and 30fps in Quality respectively. Both versions offer PS5-specific features such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers and other features.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is in better shape than ever. You're thrown into a beautiful and ugly world at the same time, and it's a world filled with mystery and danger everywhere. The gameplay requires thought, strategy and a bit of cynicism if you want to survive, and it's not a game where you shoot wildly. That strategy won't work for long, anyway.

Many people have been waiting for this game for years - so it was extra disappointing that it was in pretty bad shape when it was released last year. But it was understandable and easily forgiven. That's why it's great that GSC Game World can continue to work tirelessly on the game and that it's now in the condition you'd expect - and now PlayStation players get to join in. It can feel old-school and a little rigid at times, but it's also a game that burns itself into your memory. It's brutal and beautiful at the same time, and GSC Game World now has a worthy successor to the 2007 original.