S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is being updated to Unreal Engine 5.5.4. GSC Game World has revealed its plans for the rest of 2025

GSC Game World studio shared details about the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl for the remainder of 2025. The main point is the update of the engine to Unreal Engine 5.5.4, which should improve the game’s optimization.

The developers noted that updating the engine may complicate the implementation of other plans, but the studio is willing to take this risk in order to achieve its goals by the end of the year.

Among the expected innovations are also:

• night vision devices and binoculars;

• improvements to the A-Life system, including changes to NPC combat behavior;

• new weather conditions;

• additional missions and more content.

In addition, GSC Game World is updating the Zone Kit modification tool to phase 2, which will add support for audio mods, narrative tools for creating your own stories, and technical optimizations.

The studio promises to reveal more about the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro, as well as updates for the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy: Legends of the Zone Enhanced Edition, in the near future.

Read more: GameSpot released a documentary about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 development during the full-scale invasion