"An atmospheric game with a bunch of different bugs": critics gave their ratings for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Before the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the first reviews of the game have appeared online, revealing some of its pros and cons. After the embargo on publishing reviews was lifted two hours before the release, fans began to worry about possible problems, and in reality the situation turned out to be really mixed.

At the time of writing, the average score on Metacritic is 72 points in the version for PC. On Opencritic, the new product earned 77%, while only 64% recommend the game for passing

The main problem was called a lot of bugs: errors, crashes, graphic glitches and problems with completing some quests. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 still suffers from technical shortcomings, although recent updates have already improved the situation. Some reviews mention that even on an RTX 4090 with DLSS enabled, the game does not always consistently deliver 60 FPS. Additional problems arise with lighting: light sources do not function correctly, and many rooms are too dark.

Advantages include the atmosphere of the Zone, which, according to critics, is not inferior to the first parts, as well as interesting plot twists and non-linearity of tasks . The combat mechanics, including shooting, were well implemented, but some journalists found the battles with mutants boring.