Selling over 1 million copies within less than 48 hours from its launch,S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobylhas proven to be a success. With 17 years since the originalS.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl’s release back in 2007, and 15 years since the release ofCall of Pripyatin 2009,players have been eager for a new entry into the franchise for quite some time now.
Carrying such high expectations,S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobylvery easily could’ve struggled, yet the game has been met with a very popular reception. From new players to old fans alike,the title proudly boasts over 1 million sales within two days of its launch. Sharing the news to their social following on X, theGSC Game World Teamthanked their supporters with an appreciative message of gratitude, both to those who have purchased the game and to the many who have been playing through Xbox Game Pass.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Has Gained Even More Traction On Xbox Game Pass
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Reaches An Impressively Large Audience
Despite never releasing anything of this scale before, the GSC Game World Team has been met with astounding success throughS.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl.As a certified smash hit, their over 1 million sales within just 48 hours of release prove that this game has been far more successful than anyone could’ve ever imagined.With over 117k peak concurrent players on Steam alone, the reception has been incredibly positive as playerscontinue to return to playamong the masses.
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Out of all the side quests you can find when first starting the game, there’s one that will help you the most if you do it first in STALKER 2.
As well as its astounding sales numbers,the newly released gamewas also available to players as a day-one Xbox Game Pass release. With this in mind, it can be assumed that the current player count is truly much higher than just the 117k peak concurrent players through Steam alone. Attracting such a large audience across the board, it’s safe to say thatS.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobylseems to have delivered aunique and engaging playthroughto the fans.
Our Take: Even After A Major Feature Broke, GSC Bounces Back
Despite Launch Troubles, GSC Prove To Be Hands-On With Quick Fixes
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobylhasn’t been all success though, originally launching with several bugs and performance issues.One large break in particular saw the game’s A-Life 2.0 feature, something that manages NPC spawns and interactions,often working incorrectly or struggling. The developers quickly announced they were working on fixes for these spanning issues, proving that even with a rocky launch there’s a lot that can be appreciated from their quick hands-on attitude to tackling issues.
Despite its lengthy development cycle and bugs at launch, though, there’s something to be taken from how successfulS.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobylremains despite that. With so much love poured into this highly anticipated addition to the franchise, it’s clear that the GSC Game World Team cares greatly about the game they’re working on and will continue to fix. Delivering an experience that expands on the franchise’s previous entries while creating something new players can dive into without any knowledge either, this new gem is one that’ll likely only continue to grow.
