Having just launched on Xbox, fans wonder when Stalker 2 is expected on Sony's PlayStation 5 (PS5).
Ukrainian video game development studio GSC Game World, founded in 1995, is most famous for launching the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise in 2007 with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, a first-person shooter survival horror game set in a fictitious Chornobyl after the nuclear disaster of 1986.
The developer released two more games, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. But 15 years later, GSC Game World released the newest entry in the franchise, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, on November 20 for Xbox and PC.
Stalker Fans Will Have To Wait for PS5 Release
During Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple in August 2020, documents revealed that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl would have a three-month exclusivity deal with Microsoft for Xbox (The Verge). This means a port to Sony's PlayStation 5 could happen as soon as February 20, 2025.
However, this doesn't guarantee it, as a developer from GSC Game World said in 2021 in an interview with GamingBolt that there were "no plans for now" to bring the game to PlayStation 5.
The developer said the publisher and team "saw several good opportunities for the brand" through Microsoft's Game Pass instead:
“We negotiated the possibilities with Microsoft and saw several good opportunities for the brand — including Game Pass.”
The developer then affirmed, "We're concentrating on the Xbox Series X/S version," which means Sony fans must wait longer to play Stalker 2.
When Should PlayStation Fans Expect Stalker 2?
Comparing other timed exclusives like Scorn and High on Life and their releases from Xbox to PlayStation, one might be able to determine a timeframe for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
Scorn was released on Xbox on October 14, 2022 before being released on PS5 a year later on October 3, 2023. High on Life debuted on December 13, 2022 and then came to Sony's console seven months later on July 22, 2023.
Based on this, it's most likely that the earliest Stalker 2 could be released on PS5 is six months after launch, around May 2025, or at the latest a year after, around November 2025.
Of course, development varies from studio to studio, especially one that had to relocate to Prague in 2022 due to Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. However, despite critics and fans enjoying S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl overall, it was undeniable that the game launched with multiple bugs and technical issues.
GSC Game World will have to address those issues plaguing the Xbox version before it can consider launching a port of Stalker 2 for the PS5.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is available on PC for Microsoft Windows and Xbox Series X/S.
