When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
The best thing going for Stalker 2 is how weird it is. It’s far less structured and “triple-A videogamey” than games I expected it to resemble like Far Cry or Metro Exodus. There are parallels—open world maps with compounds you can approach from any direction—but where Far Cry leans into the player’s role as an apex predator, I spent most of my Stalker 2 time running away from monsters that would literally eat me.
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
Job security
That job established a formula that carried into other quests: I’d find a guy, then either shoot some guys or make a choice to dip out before things get ugly. In a larger multi-step quest, I tracked down a missing soldier to a house in the middle of nowhere. The soldier had died, but I met a member of the Monolith—a cult of Zone worshippers—who’d tried to save him.
Context clues told me everyone else thought these guys are bad news (I found out later that the Monolith are frequent antagonists in the series), but he treated me nicely, so when a gang of stalkers showed up to kill the Monolith soldier and he recommended I sneak out the back, I helped him out instead. Barely an hour into my Stalker 2 career and I was already jumping into bed with a cult of fanatics. I was a little bummed when that choice had no noticeable consequences. When I told the quest-giver the news back in town, he was a little confused that I buddied up with a cultist, but agreed I’d completed the job all the same.
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
Barely an hour into my Stalker 2 career and I was already jumping into bed with a cult of fanatics.
Barely an hour into my Stalker 2 career and I was already jumping into bed with a cult of fanatics.
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
Off track
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
The rising tension of conserving ammo over long stretches and trying to sneak around unnecessary fights adds to Stalker 2’s horror, but I wish the game would chill out sometimes and let me exhale. Maybe this is antithetical to the DNA of Stalker, but I don’t want to fight or go full stealth mode every 90 seconds like I’m in Escape From Tarkov.
My Stalker 2 demo wasn’t very moving, but I don’t think a few hours of playtime was long enough to eke out its best qualities. I struggled to find a groove in gunfights or get comfortable conserving ammo when it often took three rifle headshots to kill a single bandit. But I was also rolling with presumably the worst gear in the game, so I’m sure that power curve improves. I was too dirt poor to afford a gun that didn’t jam or to even buy more than the most basic armor from the town technician. I also didn’t get my hands on many artifacts—freaky little rocks that boost attributes when equipped.
What I’m sure of is that Stalker 2 is fully embracing its dangerous setting. The Zone will happily chew you up and spit you back out if you don’t tackle every mission with a plan. I’ll come up with a better one when I dive into the full game on November 20.
TOPICSXbox
TOPICS
More about fpsThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era ChicagoLatestIt’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thingSee more latest►
More about fpsThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era ChicagoLatestIt’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thingSee more latest►
More about fpsThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era Chicago
More about fps
The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era Chicago
The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’
The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’
If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era Chicago
If you missed it over the holidays, this noir Half-Life 2 mod turns you into a hardboiled detective in Prohibition-era Chicago
LatestIt’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thingSee more latest►
Latest
It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thing
It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thing
It’s time for me to admit that AI-accelerated frame generation might actually be the way of the future and that’s a good thing
See more latest►
Most Popular
Please join me in getting super excited for all the cool looking survival games coming in 2025 (and beyond)
Competitive shooters are at a crucial crossroads in 2025: ‘sweaty’ teamplay vs. casual fun
Call of Duty’s $28 Squid Game skins are the perfect crossover for our capitalist dystopia, and Activision knows exactly what it’s doing
These are the 14 biggest upcoming RPGs of 2025—get ready for another amazing year for the genre
Five new Steam games you probably missed (January 6, 2025)
I’ve seen enough: No more forcing singleplayer studios to make mediocre live service games
6 games that could be bigger hits than you’re expecting in 2025
What are your 2025 gaming resolutions?
The FBI put a $5 million bounty on the ‘Cryptoqueen’ last year but still hasn’t found her, so take your pick: Russia, South Africa, or murdered on a yacht in 2018
The Witcher season 4: Everything we know about Hemsworth’s debut on The Continent
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS
1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
1
Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
2
Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop
3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
3
Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
4
Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands
5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
5
Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested
1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review
1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review
1
Thank Goodness You’re Here! review
2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review
2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review
2
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review
3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
3
WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review
4Ikea Utespelare desk review
4Ikea Utespelare desk review
4
Ikea Utespelare desk review
5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
5
Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review
