Stalker 2 Expands Heart Of Chornobyl With Free Quests And New Hub

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is receiving a substantial free update this week, adding new story content, locations, characters, and equipment. The release follows closely after the game’s debut on PlayStation 5 and applies to all owners across platforms, including PC and Xbox Series X and S.

Developer GSC Game World confirmed the update in a PlayStation Blog post, stating that the additional content will be available at no cost. Players who previously accessed the game on PC or Xbox will automatically receive the update. Xbox users who played through Game Pass may need to verify ownership, as the title exited the subscription service last month.

The update introduces a new questline set around the Malachite area in the western part of the map. The storyline centers on unexplained signal interference affecting research teams and stalkers operating nearby. According to the developer, the phenomenon produces physical and psychological effects that point toward a dangerous anomaly worth investigating.

“Strange things start happening near the Malachite on the western part of the map,” the studio explains. “The research groups sent by scientists were reporting a signal interfering with their usual PDA communications. After listening to it, stalkers were suffering from headaches, nose bleeds, and hallucinations.”— GSC Game World

The content drop includes eight missions spread across seven new locations, alongside six additional characters. Players will also gain access to a new firearm, the GP37V2 rifle, expanding the game’s arsenal. A new hub can be established in the Burnt Forest region, providing another focal point for exploration and interaction within the Zone.

This update aligns with GSC Game World’s previously outlined 2025 roadmap, which promised ongoing story additions, gameplay updates, and technical improvements. Among the longer-term goals is a transition to a newer version of Unreal Engine. The studio has continued to address the state of the game following a troubled launch, marked by performance issues and bugs that drew widespread attention.

Read also: A recent stability-focused update, Patch 1.7.1, addressed crashes, visual glitches, controller issues, and performance drops, signaling steady progress on core technical fixes alongside new content delivery.