More than a year after its release, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is getting its first expansion. Announced during the Xbox Partner Preview today, the Cost of Hope expansion from Ukrainian developer GSC Game World is set for release this summer on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Cost of Hope is described as a “massive nonlinear expansion” featuring “dozens of hours” of new gameplay. It will introduce new stories and characters and the same level of dread that the base game has. As its name suggests, though, Cost of Hope gives players “a flicker of hope breaking through.” Here’s the trailer:
Like in the main game, Cost of Hope has players assuming the role of Skif as he explores two new regions, including the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Iron Forest.
“Each region features its own hub, quests, and activities. New weapons and gear give Skif a fighting chance against mutants, anomalies, and other dangers that are lurking,” reads a line from the expansion’s description.
Another expansion is coming next, with Cost of Hope standing as the middle part of what GSC Game World called the game’s “second trilogy.” A future story expansion will come next, and it will “form a new, expansive narrative arc” for the game.
GSC also mentioned that Cost of Hope is in development as the Russian-Ukraine war continues, with the studio adding that it “continues to support its homeland in every possible way.”