S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl's development has been a little rocky of late due to the conflict in Ukraine, which is where developer GSC Game World is located. As part of a new in-depth Wired article covering this fascinating and tragic setting for developing a game, we got some stunning new screenshots showcasing the game's world and visuals.

Running on Unreal Engine 5, it might just be one of the most visually impressive games to date when it launches on PC and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2023.

Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.

The game has been in development for several years and is shaping up to be quite the excursion into the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, with a 64km squared open world to explore, branching paths and playstyles, and even a story you can shape and change. Here are the new screenshots.