S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl topped the Steam global sales chart on release day

The long-awaited shooter from the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, instantly topped the sales charts on Steam. The game was ranked first among paid projects and became the second in the overall list, behind only Counter-Strike 2.

Two days before the release, the excitement around the game continues to grow. Its popularity has already ensured a new run of physical copies, although they will only become available to buyers in April.

A new peak for GSC Game World

The game's release, scheduled for November 20 (in Ukraine, the presentation is scheduled for 18 hours), will become one of the main events in the video game world this year. Despite numerous postponements of the release date and difficult development conditions, the GSC Game World team managed to bring the project to completion. The studio's efforts have already been recognized by players - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has outsold such popular games as Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

The game will be released on the Xbox Series X/S and Windows platforms, becoming an exclusive for the new Microsoft consoles. It will also be available from day one through the Game Pass subscription, which will provide it with an even larger audience.

The game's popularity allowed it to surpass even the most successful free-to-play projects such as PUBG and Warzone. In the Steam sales ranking, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has even surpassed Counter-Strike 2, which has remained the undisputed leader for 640 weeks.

World recognition of the Ukrainian game

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series has long gained cult status among players. The game takes place in the alternate reality of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where radiation has created anomalies and mutants. This storyline combined with the unique atmosphere made the series a cult in the world of gaming.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2's position in the top of Steam guarantees high interest in the game after its release. In addition, the ability to play through Game Pass will make it available to millions of players around the world. The success is already a significant victory for the studio, which has been working in the war.

History of GSC Game World studio

Founded in 1995 by Serhiy Hryhorovych, the Ukrainian company has gained international fame for its S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Cossacks series. The Xbox documentary showed how the studio continued to work on the game despite the challenges of a full-scale war.

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