Stalker 2: Cost of Hope Expansion Announced

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GSC Game World has announced Cost of Hope, the first major expansion for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which will launch in the summer of 2026 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and PlayStation 5. The expansion adds significant gameplay, introducing new areas within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, including the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Iron Forest, each with unique hubs, missions, and activities. The game will also support Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing players to switch between devices without losing progress. Players will take on the role of Skif, with a storyline that runs parallel to the events of Heart of Chornobyl. After installing the DLC, a signal on the player’s PDA will initiate the new narrative. Player choices will shape the story’s outcome and its consequences for the Zone and its inhabitants. Additionally, the expansion features new weapons and gear to help players survive against mutants, anomalies, and other dangers.

Heart of Chornobyl: Duty & Freedom Entwined by D4 Pact

Cost of Hope revisits the conflict between the Duty and Freedom factions. According to Mykyta Horodyvskyi, brand manager at GSC Game World, the D4 treaty—a pact signed by all groups in the Zone before Heart of Chornobyl—now connects these former enemies. Duty considers the Zone a threat to humanity and seeks to destroy it, while Freedom views it as a source of valuable knowledge to be explored. GSC Game World describes Cost of Hope as a massive, nonlinear expansion and the second part of the Stalker 2 trilogy. The first trailer for the expansion is now available. GSC Game World is expected to release more details about the summer 2026 launch window soon.

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