Stalker 2 could still release this year, according to distributor listing

Xbox console exclusive Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl could be set for release before the end of the year, according to a distributor listing.

As spotted by VGC contributor Andrew Marmo, distributor Plaion has updated its listing for Stalker 2 with a release date of December 1. It’s possible this isn’t a placeholder, since December 1 is set to land on a Friday this year.

Additionally, developer GSC Game World recently confirmed that Stalker 2 will be playable for the first time at this month’s Gamescom show in Germany, potentially indicating that it’s close to release.

The post-apocalyptic shooter is coming first to Xbox Series X/S and PC and will be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch.

Originally planned for release in April 2022, Stalker 2 has already been delayed on a couple of occasions. As of June 2022, it was scheduled for release sometime in 2023.

GSC Game World, which was based in Kiev prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has since partially relocated to the Czech Republic.

Other GSC Game World staff joined volunteering efforts in Ukraine or the country’s armed forces, including several employees featured in a development diary released last year, which showed how the war had impacted the team and its work.