A long and tedious road.
The hostile and treacherous Zone.
Unbelievable treasures that might cost you everything.
A blood trial, separating your old life from a new one...

The unique combination of first-person shooter, immersive sim, and horror is back. With unprecedented scale, advanced graphics, freedom of choices, and the thickest atmosphere of a deadly adventure, it’s going to be the ultimate S.T.A.L.K.E.R. experience.

Welcome to The Zone — an area of exclusion around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a seamless open-world environment full of radiation, mutants and anomalies, it keeps drawing adventurers from beyond the perimeter.

Through everything, the Zone found her own way to bloom and thrive. Luring seekers from all over, gifting with wonders protected by the unknown, desolation, and human sins.

Bounty hunters dwell deep into the Zone, driven by its treasures and mysteries. These people are known as stalkers.

Are you ready to become one of them?

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope, the first major expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PC, and PlayStation 5 in Summer 2026.

Cost of Hope explores the long-running conflict within the Zone between two iconic factions. Zulu, a series veteran from Duty, and Mavka, a member of Freedom, are set to uncover new and terrifying mysteries of the Zone under increasingly tense circumstances. Caught in a rapidly unfolding chapter of an age-old confrontation, Skif — the protagonist controlled by the player — must follow previously unexplored paths and face dangers beyond comprehension, choosing sides and once again shaping the future of Chornobyl through his decisions.

This trailer offers a glimpse of brand-new locations to explore, including the Iron Forest and CNPP, alongside familiar locations that have been fully reimagined through a new lens, delivering fresh experiences not only for franchise veterans and newcomers to the Zone, but for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise as a whole.The trailer highlights a deeply emotional journey filled with unsettling encounters, complex personalities, and a prevalent sense of decay, all set within the iconic atmosphere the series is known for.

The story of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope revolves around the long-burning conflict between the Duty and Freedom factions. Two iconic rivals, who see the Zone differently — as a danger to humanity, and as a gift to it.

But how did it all start?

Origins

Captain Tachenko was one of the military men sent into the Zone. When he witnessed the horrifying secrets hidden within this place, he realized he could never return to the Big Land. Not before the Zone was destroyed — no matter the cost.

Tachenko later disappeared, but his ideas lived on. A group of like-minded followers evolved into a full-fledged paramilitary faction, Duty. Living by a strict code and organized along military lines, Duty grew into a major force — a shield protecting humanity from the Zone.

But for every action, there is a reaction. Some believed the Zone should be opened to humanity. One such stalker, Chekhov, gathered people around him to explore the Zone for their own benefit and for the good of the Big Land. He believed an entire faction could be built on liberty and equality, even if others would later label them anarchists.

And so Freedom was born. Living in harmony with the Zone, they became the second most powerful faction here, drawing more and more stalkers into their ranks.

Two opposites could not live in peace. And so, a lingering war began.

You can explore the full lore and story in the original trilogy games, which are now available as Enhanced Editions in the Legends of the Zone bundle on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.

Nowadays

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 takes place in 2021, many years after the founding of these factions. While we won’t share any spoilers about the lore and story of the whole series, let us give you a glimpse into Duty and Freedom, which have not stood still during these years.

Duty

With the arrival of the Ward in the Zone, everything changed. The D4 Treaty put an end to the faction wars. Duty withdrew from Rostok to the Cement Factory. It may seem that its current leader, Voronin, has lost his resolve. But is everything really so simple when it comes to the actions of a battle-hardened general?

Zulu

And yet there are still those within Duty who remain fiercely devoted to the idea of protecting the world from the threats of the Zone and are ready to act decisively. After mysterious events forced him to leave Duty’s ranks, Zulu, a familiar face from S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Prypiat, returns to the faction at Voronin’s personal request.

Freedom

For Freedom, meanwhile, a golden age has arrived. At least, that is what Miklukha, Freedom’s leader and the creator of a new currency — coupons — believes. And what is gold, if not money? Now, both coupons and customers from across the Zone are flowing into Rostok like a river.

Mavka

The Arena is thriving too — thanks in no small part to its commentator, Mavka. She cuts into stalkers with words while mutants tear into them with claws, yet never withholds her sharp-edged praise from the victor. Still, this is far from why she came to the Zone in the first place — and more and more often, Mavka slips away alone on expeditions beyond it all.

Is the conflict reemerging?

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope is a massive expansion that will take dozens of hours to complete and even more if you choose to fully explore two new regions: the Iron Forest and the legendary CNPP. New locations, arch-anomalies, and more await, but above all, this is a new chapter in the story of the renowned factions.  

The non-linear story principle, present in the main game, is applied here as well. Your decisions will directly affect not only the outcome, but the general narration of the story, which you won’t be able to see in full in one playthrough.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will feature a branching story with multiple endings. Players will have to constantly make uneasy choices with tough consequences — some of them changing the world itself.

The unique simulation system called A-Life from the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy is getting on a new level with A-Life 2.0. With different behavior of characters and mutants, the Zone changes constantly. Every playthrough will be unique with lots of things happening every moment, even if the player doesn’t witness them directly.

Since the very start of Russia's full-fledged war against our country, GSC Game World has been supporting Ukraine in all the ways possible. For those willing to do the same, we recommend following this link to the official charity fund of Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine himself.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is available for PS5, PC and Xbox Series X|S.