It’s already been two years since S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl launched, yet the game is still receiving regular updates to this day. Actually, the big 2.0 Update is almost here, something that is sure to delight those who’ve been with the gamme for a while now. That’s not all that’s coming, though. In fact, there’s quite a bit more coming in the form of ‘s first expansion: Cost pf Hope!

Just to get right into it, here’s how the developer, GSC Game World, describes what’s going on here:

In Cost of Hope, players once again step into the role of Skif — the protagonist of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl — as a mysterious PDA signal draws him into events unfolding alongside the main game’s story.

Explore uncharted locations, encounter unexpected allies and enemies, discover powerful weapons, and experience a gripping new story. With dozens of hours of content, your choices will shape the future of the Zone in this major new chapter of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga.

So yeah, it sounds like a full and proper expansion like old school games on the original Xbox used to get. What’s more, this is launching alongside Update 2.0, which was mentioned above.

It really is a big update too, as it not only adds its own portions of new content and characters, but also upgrades the whole game to a new version of Unreal Engine 5. It all hits on August 20, so there’s still plenty of time to get in the game and get ready.

Personal aside, I love seeing stuff like this and wish it would happen more often. That is, developers really putting time, energy and effort into meaningfully and tangibly improving their games. Also, offering new content for all players and not just those buying into expansions and/or DLC is a huge W move too.

Here’s hoping it all goes well, because developers who actively try to give their players value instead of cynically trying to extract it from them need to be rewarded in a big way. Anyway, you can check out the game here.

Happy hunting, Stalker!

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What do you think of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? How about the dev’s support strategy?

Image is promotional material from a media kit