The first bug I saw in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the same bug I saw in Stalker: Call of Pripyat 14 years ago, and I find that downright heartwarming

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

A stalker in The Zone

I don’t use YouTube much, but back in 2010 I posted a clip calledRadiation Side Effects in STALKER. It’s 30 seconds of footage I recorded while playing Stalker: Call of Pripyat, and not to brag, but over the past 14 years it’s gotten over 6,000 views. How am I not making mad bank as an influencer?

In the video I follow a fellow Stalker who is walking a bit weirdly (because his head is on backwards) to a bunkbed, where he clips through it, lies down, sinks to the floor, and then levitates, in the supine position, to hover a few inches above the mattress.

Look, it was a Stalker game. You’re gonna get jank like a guy floating above the bed he’s supposed to be sleeping on.

This week I began playing Stalker 2, fully expecting the jank to continue even though it’s a decade and a half later and it’s a whole new game engine. And I wasn’t disappointed! Even better, the first legitimate piece of jank I ran into in Stalker 2 was almost that same jank from Call of Pripyat I saw back in 2010.

In an early mission I was sent to locate a missing Stalker, and I found him wounded in a house, lying on a bed. At least he was lying on a bed for the first few moments. As soon as I started interacting with him, whoops! He began levitating. Years may have passed, but in the Zone, nothing really changes. His head wasn’t on the wrong way, but I guess you can’t have everything.

Here’s a clip of both bits of jank for you to compare:

That’s not the only bit of jank I’ve seen in GSC Game World’s new FPS. As Joshua pointed out in hisStalker 2 review,there are “bugs aplenty.” I killed a guy only to see his body hang stiffly in the air before going completely transparent (except for his mask). I keep finding injured Stalkers embedded halfway into the ground, which I suppose could be due to an anomaly but is more likely another goofy glitch.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

There are issues with the UI, too. Quest markers straight up don’t work sometimes. I routinely lose my HUD completely and have to reload a save to get it back. Sometimes these little bugs make me chuckle, sometimes they make me sigh.

(Image credit: GSC Game World)

A stalker in The Zone

That kinda jank isn’t so heartwarming. That was about an hour of wasted time.

But, same as with the original Stalker games when some malfunction caused me to lose progress, I just can’t stay mad. All it takes for me to forgive Stalker 2 is to see a guy slowly levitate off his bed. It’s good to be back in the Zone.

More about fpsTeam Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’LatestWormhole is an impeccable arcade revival of Snake that plays like it fell off the back of Derek Yu’s vanSee more latest►

More about fps

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40KThe most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

Money money money.

Team Fortress 2 just had the single biggest trade in its history, with ‘the absolute best hat you can get’ going for around $40K

FBC: Firebreak

The most important tool in Remedy’s new co-op FPS is the shower: ‘Saving water is essential’

LatestWormhole is an impeccable arcade revival of Snake that plays like it fell off the back of Derek Yu’s vanSee more latest►

Latest

Wormhole is an impeccable arcade revival of Snake that plays like it fell off the back of Derek Yu’s van

Wormhole

Wormhole is an impeccable arcade revival of Snake that plays like it fell off the back of Derek Yu’s van

See more latest►

Most Popular

18 games the PC Gamer team can’t wait to play in 2025

The Witcher 3’s now 2-year-old bonus quest is our first taste of the ‘vibe’ CD Projekt is going for in The Witcher 4

2024 was the year updates for old games beat out all the new ones for me

Train like you game with this adventure-inspired workout

‘It’s simply impossible to make a difficulty level that’s just right for all players’: How Final Fantasy 14’s lead battle designer has been playing a precarious balancing game for Dawntrail’s dungeons and raids

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)

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! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback3WD 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

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

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

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

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

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

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review: An anarchic treasure trove of jokes and skits

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review—like juggling chainsaws on horseback

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals