by Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl was the best game I played in 2024, with bags of atmosphere, genuinely exciting gunplay and cool tech, so I'm excited to say that the first expansion pack is finally on the horizon. Developers GSC Game World announced that "Cost of Hope" story expansion will be released on August 20th, just over three weeks away, alongside a "2.0" update that will add some long-requested features to the game.
The expansion, which centres on a conflict between classic factions Duty and Freedom, promises to include new locations, new allies/enemies and new weapons too. There were some iconic Stalker weapons that didn't make the jump to the numbered sequel, like the AN-94, F2000 and Desert Eagle, so it'll be interesting to see if any of these are included.
The 2.0 update also sounds far-reaching, with a new version of Unreal Engine supported - hopefully at least 5.8, which would allow for MegaLights tech that could be perfect for the new expansion content. The 2.0 update also includes "a variety of new content and improvements" - with the promise of more specific patch notes to come "in the coming weeks". Hopefully, performance improvements are included to make the game a little more consistent, especially on PCs with weaker CPUs that struggle in more NPC-dense areas.
As you might imagine, the 2.0 update will be available to all Stalker 2 owners, versus the expansion content which will be sold separately.
The Cost of Hope expansion is available for pre-order on Steam, GOG, Epic Games, Xbox and PS5, the same platforms as the original game. As always, we recommend waiting to see reviews of the new content before parting with your cash, though given how much I enjoyed the base game this is likely to be a day one purchase for me.
What's on your wish list when it comes to the 2.0 update and the expansion? Let me know in the comments below.