When there are that many full-stops in a headline it can mean only one thing - there's an update for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, the irradiated sequel to the original and still haunting classic. Set after a second nuclear disaster at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, it puts players in The Zone - a mix of irradiated nature, mutated monstrosities, and strange sci-fi anomalies.

Overnight as part of the Xbox Showcase developer GSC Game World announced that the game is not only headed to Xbox Series X but will also arrive on Xbox Game Pass day one. In addition to the already announced PC release of course. And to celebrate there's a very cool new trailer.



It looks stunning in 4K too, with GSC noting that this is the biggest open-world it has created to date. Here's Zakhar Bocharov, PR Specialist at GSC Game World, setting the scene.

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise was always about the Zone. We see it as a standalone — and hugely important — character of the series. In the world we created, the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 wasn’t the only one to occur. The second explosion hit the reactor in 2006, creating The Zone as we know it. It’s a dangerous place, filled with mutated creatures, deadly radiation, and a strange, anomalous energy.

However, it’s not just an isolated place that’s dangerous by itself, but rather a threat to all of mankind. Still, there is no stopping for the explorers.

Bounty hunters delve deep into the Zone, driven by its treasures and mysteries. Some of them are running from their past, others are blinded by money, and some are obsessed with finding the truth behind all the mysteries. No matter what makes their hearts pump, these people are known as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s.

You are one of them.

GSC also notes that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 features A-Life 2.0, an update over the original game's unpredictable environment that will see it change and grow based on actual events - even stuff you're not a part of.

No word on a release date or release window though, here's hoping partnering with Microsoft will see this through to the finish line. Because after all, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was originally announced in 2010.