GSC Game World has announced S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is delayed to December 2022, forgoing its previously planned April 2022 release date.

While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is delayed to December 8th, 2022, the team felt the game needed more testing and polishing “to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game.”

Once released, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl will be available for Xbox Series X|S, and later on Windows PC. The game will be available on Xbox Game Pass on launch.

In related news, the game came under fire recently by fans due to the confusing embrace of NFTs for the survival-horror shooter – which the developers quickly scrapped after fan backlash.

Here’s the word from GSC Game World:

Stalkers, We have made a decision to postpone the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl to December 8th, 2022.

These additional seven months of development are needed to fulfill our vision and achieve the desired state of the game. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the biggest project in the history of GSC, and it requires thorough testing and polishing. We are convinced that development should take as Fong as necessary, especially in the case of such a project.

This decision is not an easy one, but we are doing the best possible to deliver you a game that can live up to the expectations.

With more information, updates and showcases coming, we have an exciting and important year ahead. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

With love, GSC Game World team.