S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has suffered yet another delay. The long-awaited post-apocalyptic shooter was slated to arrive on September 5 but will now launch on November 20 to give developer GSC Game World more time to address technical issues.

Additionally, the studio announced it will release its first-ever Developer Deep Dive video to give a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the game. The video will feature new gameplay footage, overviews of its world and locations, a full walkthrough of a story quest, and developer interviews. It is being made in collaboration with Xbox and will premiere on August 12. 

The delay marks another bump in the road for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. It was formally unveiled in 2020 after years of teases at the Xbox Games Showcase but has hit snags along the way, including garnering backlash for now-canceled plans for NFT implementation. The biggest disruption was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, where GSC Game World is based, which upended development and forced the staff to relocate to Prague, Czech Republic (though some team members actively fought and sadly perished in the war). Despite all of this, the game has managed to come together, and we even played it during Summer Game Fest this year.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl launches on November 20 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It will launch day one on Xbox Game Pass. If nothing else, this delay gives players more time to catch up with the Xbox re-release of the original games that arrived earlier this year.