Craft your story by facing sinister hazards and monsters. Survive furious encounters with the help of your crafted weaponry, developed skills, gathered teammates, and supported factions.

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone is a post-apocalyptic action-RPG game, mixing free exploration of huge and extremely realistic open world, challenging combat, unique crafting, team and base management with non-linear, immersive storytelling.

Cole Grey, a former military and security guard, lives in a reality where the economy and industry are based entirely on a substance called Chernobylite. With its help, people have made a real leap in civilization. However, the construction of the utopia has been paid for by massive unemployment, pushing people like Cole to the margins of society. Due to severe financial problems, he joins the mysterious “Planewalker” initiative to provide for his family.

It quickly becomes apparent that there is a shortage of Chernobylite in Cole's universe, and the solution is the morally questionable initiative that involves traveling to parallel worlds in search of the mineral and obtaining it by any means possible. In addition, the Planewalker service requires appropriate genetic modifications. Cole must, therefore, physically absorb the essence of Chernobylite and, to increase his physical and intellectual capabilities, lose a part of his humanity. However, seeing no other options for himself, he agrees to the bloody and dangerous service, which results in him ending up trapped in the most sinister place in the world: the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. There, he meets a Black Stalker, the Zone's dark guide and silent ruler. 

The Exclusion Zone is a battlefield that changes every day and reacts to your every action. Will you find a way to help the others defeat the army of vicious monsters? And when old conflicts are revived, whose side will you be on?

Following the vast amount of feedback gathered on Chernobylite from players, Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone introduces the elements most anticipated when compared to the original game: a vast open world and a gameplay model in line with the most canonical action-RPGs. The plot, player character development, exploration, combat, weapons and gadgets, the number of side characters, relationships with other story characters - each of these elements is expanded many times over the predecessor, providing more opportunities to build your own version of the story of survival in the mysterious and sinister Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.

The 3D-scanned post-apocalyptic world of Chornobyl has been given incomparably more detail and has been further enhanced with countless ambient elements brought by Chernobylite from other dimensions thanks to Unreal Engine 5 and Nanite, as well as Reality 51’s scanning technology, which The Farm 51 has been developing for over ten years.

The long-awaited Steam Early Access Megapatch 03 for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone is now available on for all players around the world.

The new update is the result of extensive and deep consultations with fans about the direction they would like to see the game take. While the core of our design philosophy has not changed and Chernobylite 2 is still a hybrid action-RPG with survival elements, we decided to return to our roots in terms of some sci-fi elements, gameplay elements, visual tones, and dark, horror atmosphere.

The new patch also brings many changes in technical aspects, in terms of game performance and general stability, so that all zone explorers can enjoy a smooth experience. Additionally, to celebrate, we’ve managed to combine this release with the Steam event ‘From Poland with Love’ hosted by Untold Games – a big, weekly long sale of gaming hits made in our beloved Poland. Thanks to this, everyone interested in visiting the Exclusion Zone will be able to do it with -20% discount. (From Poland with Love takes place from August 4 to 11).

It’s worth mentioning that two months have passed since our game director, Artur Fojcik, addressed these words to players:

"The abundance of critical comments has made it clear that we can no longer confidently follow the roadmap we initially laid out and simply hope that in the end, everything will magically fall into place as the game of our - and your - dreams. In trying to meet the expectations of all our fans, and after numerous studies and focus tests, we went too far and lost sight of what made you love the first Chernobylite. The prequel was a brutal and grounded survival experience that offered freedom in how players tackled challenges. That experience was lost under a pile of limiting stats, “bullet sponge” enemies, forced co-op, and unclear gamey mechanics. We want to return to that experience, but to do so, we need to take a big step back."

Since then, we have been working hard to meet the difficult challenge of delivering a game that, on the one hand, retains the foundations on which it was built, while also incorporating the elements of the original Chernobylite that made it special for many players. As the patch's name suggests, it is indeed a comeback to roots.

We sincerely hope that this Megapatch will be the first significant step in this direction.

But before we take a look at what's in the latest update, we have some...

⚠️ *** Important Information *** ⚠️

• Due to the sheer number of changes, we strongly encourage you to start the game over. Your old saves should still work, but your current gameplay may not fit the newly designed balance. In other words, your characters will be VERY powerful, and your base may be in terrible shape.
• Due to numerous changes, bugs, and a less-than-warm reception from players, we've disabled co-op missions for now. Decisions on what we do next with this feature will be made in the future.

Community Changes

In response to community feedback, we've made a key change to worn-out firearms: weapons will retain their original damage stats (previously, they decreased in direct proportion to the gun's physical condition), but we've also add the ability for them to jam during a firefight.

Following your suggestions, we've changed the in-game currency from money to food. Food becomes the most important currency in the zone, and sleep is no longer artificially limited by the narrative—it simply increases hunger, which has consequences during gameplay.

We've redesigned ammunition—their graphical design and naming are based on real-world ammunition. We've also introduced new ammunition types. Instead of speed, energy, or power ammo, each weapon now has its own ammunition type.

Another suggested change concerns Chernohosts with crystal shields. After the update, these shields can be simply destroyed.

We've massively increased the range in which you can change the game's FOV.

Excluding events, enemies no longer respawn at the end of the day.

New Features

We've introduced various types of weapon silencers, each with different sound-dampening properties. It's worth testing which ones are best for open-air combat and which ones are best for tight corridors. It's important to remember that monsters have worse hearing than humans.

We've completely reworked weapon stats after modifications. Mods no longer only affect the weapon's basic parameters but can also grant special "perks" that can be used to deal extra damage to enemies.

We've added special items to the game that allow you to access areas that were previously locked behind character stats. This means that a lack of skill is no longer an obstacle, and locked chests or doors can be opened simply with a lockpick.

We've eliminated grenades and shields. Instead, we're introducing items for repairing weapons and equipment. Additionally, we've replaced three "gadget" slots with one dedicated to healing items and introduced an additional, third weapon slot in place of the shoe slot.

We've introduced a new resistance and vulnerability system. If an enemy has an iron plate attached to their torso, the damage from projectiles striking it will be reduced. Of course, this armor also has durability and will disintegrate after a few hits.

We've replaced the tablet with a PDA modeled after the one from the first Chernobylite game. Its basic functionality remains the same, with other features unlockable later.

We've significantly overhauled the enemy AI. Now, when they spot dead comrades lying on the road, they'll begin searching for the perpetrator. They'll also go to places where they've seen or heard something disturbing. They patrol the area and interact with the environment. Overall, they behave more naturally.

A whole host of new, optional locations have appeared around the center of the map.

We've reworked the game's main menu. Thanks to its new look and new background music, it's much more atmospheric and fits the overall mood of the game.

Improvements

We've completely rebalanced the gameplay. From now on, enemies will feel the brunt of any damage we deal. No more sponges! The changes also apply to the player—death will be much easier.

Headshots no longer "incapacitate," but instead cause critical damage. For weaker enemies, each headshot means instant death.

We're removing character classes from the game. The game will begin in the style of classic RPGs, with players allocating 10 points for each attribute, which will be developed over time. Weapon and equipment stats will also no longer be limited by attributes—these will become more important later in the game and during advanced weapon upgrades. We're also simplifying the entire character progression structure by reducing the number of parameters and stats, leaving only those that are clear and whose changes have a real impact on gameplay.

We've once again significantly improved the first-person perspective. Weapons now have significantly better recoil, and evasions are more immersive.

We've reworked the visual identification of enemies. There are fewer characters straight out of semi-sci-fi movies, more soldiers and stalkers. Speaking of mutants, they've also undergone a noticeable visual transformation. They now resemble a cross between radiation victims and horror movie characters.

We've improved the way enemies move outside of combat. Their movements are now much more natural.

We've completely overhauled the game's economy, resetting all crafting recipes and the costs of specific items. Enemies also drop new items.

We've created completely new animations for stealth kills, modeled after those from the first Chernobylite. This significantly enhances the survivalist nature of the game.

The base expansion mechanics are introduced later in the game. They've also been slightly improved to better integrate with building things outside the base.

Lighting in many areas of the game has been reconfigured to further enhance the horror atmosphere.

We've completely removed essence and all "mages" present in the game (we'll give them different roles). We felt they didn't fit the Chernobyl atmosphere and our new vision, which significantly reduces the game's sci-fi elements. The Energy Gauntlet is still craftable, but it works with ammunition powered by blasters and railguns. "Intelligence" now increases the weapon and equipment wear rate instead of increasing Essence.

The grass reacts to the player's and enemies' footsteps.

Technology

We've added HDR support. You can select it in the game options.

We've significantly optimized CPU performance in many areas: from collision detection methods and their number, to sound propagation, to character movement components and their animation system. These optimizations should be very noticeable if you're pairing an average CPU with a very good graphics card, but the overall, significant positive difference should be noticeable to everyone.

We've reprocessed most of the foliage to technically behave more consistently in terms of LOD and wind effects.

In FPP mode, we've moved main character to forward rendering, which, in short, should improve GPU performance and it gave us greater flexibility in maneuvering the FOV

Bug Fixes

• Fixed explosive and energy ammo icons
• Fixed numerous objects hanging in the air
• Fixed NPCs being underground
• Fixed invisible building texture edges
• Patched a ground breach
• Fixed an element change on the glove
• Reworked the glove functionality
• Removed a monitor and bed located under the base
• Fixed missing corpses on the tablet after scanning
• Fixed inability to change keybinds on the keyboard
• Fixed a screenshot not appearing when making a bugit (shfit+o)
• "Strange guy" - Removed the ability to talk to Yuri again
• "Make a wish" - Fixed Leonid being in the ground
• "Strange guy" - Fixed a corpse clipping with the ground
• Fixed a fence ending in the air
• Fixed some issues with objects remaining in the air
• Fixed a stat with a negative damage multiplier
• Weapon disassembly has been fixed
• Renamed "bunker" to "Old NAR" Bunker"
• Hardening now works on home-made weapons
• Fixed an issue with light passing through the player's base
• Fixed weapon part icons
• Fixed 0 exp display when loading the game
• Fixed resources falling underground
• Fixed numerous issues with outdated landscape
• Fixed weapon icons for base-crafted weapons
• Many collision and object physics fixes
• Fixed the corrupted berserker model

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We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support, and for the journey you are taking with us! We really hope you gonna enjoy the changes coming to the game in this patch! Please remember that we greatly value your feedback, so please feel free to share it here on Steam or on our social media channels 💚

* * *

There is nothing left for us to say but...

Take care, and good hunting, Stalkers! ☢️

Key Features:

• Explore the big and realistic open world of the real Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Chernobylite has taken over the zone, transforming many of its elements, and people are trying to defend themselves against it using prototype technology.
• Create and develop your hero. Attributes and skills will affect the effectiveness of combat, as well as the style of conversation. An arrogant muscle man with a big sword trying to intimidate everyone? Or a smart sniper who always finds the right arguments? The choice is yours.
• Fight for survival with an advanced melee combat system or keep your enemies away with a diverse arsenal of firearms in a third-person perspective - gain complete control over your character. You can also use the stealth approach or ask others for help. When you explore the game world, you can see it from your eyes’ perspective, but whenever it comes to combat, you’ll get the third-person perspective to see all the threats around you more clearly and be able to react more accurately.
• The combat system of Chernobylite 2 is a massive expansion of its predecessor. The introduction of advanced melee weapons fight and crafting system gives more diversity to the character build, strategies, and tactics you can create independently. Don’t forget that if you like to play at the pace of the original Chernobylite, you still can!
• Embark on the exciting journey of team building. Each of your mates is a potential teacher, ready to impart their knowledge and skills. Assemble your team and discover the unique strengths and abilities they bring. The question is, will you earn their trust and unlock their full potential?
• Adapt your build and equipment to the situation with planewalking, which allows you to change things on the fly. You’re free to develop more than one character skill set. Are you encountering a situation that your previously prepared heavy melee build will solve better than your current ranged sniper? Planewalk and use another one.
• Develop your base. There, you can create valuable items and upgrade your weapons every day. Assign your people to tasks, and they will take care of your equipment and supplies.
• Fight for influence and negotiate with factions. The Exclusion Zone is a battlefield that changes every day and reacts to your every action. Can you help them defeat the army of vicious monsters? And when old conflicts are revived, whose side will you be on?
• Experience online cooperative missions embedded in a single-player campaign allowing players to interact in various ways to achieve the goal.

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone is coming to PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2025.