Home / Books / The apocalypse gets artistic in Dark Horse’s The Art of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

The apocalypse gets artistic in Dark Horse’s The Art of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

With the long-awaited game finally incoming, Dark Horse is getting The Art of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl ready for 2025.

Art of the wasteland

As crazy as it seems, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is finally about to launch. If you haven’t been following it, it’s bee a troubled and lengthy dev cycle, to say the least. The original version of the game was slotted in for launch in 2012, before it was canceled and then subsequently resurrected in 2018.

Re-development targeted a 2022 launch, but that would prove to be the first in a series of delays, which of course are partially (and presumably most impactfully) due to the war in Ukraine, where developer GSC Game World is housed. Nevertheless though, and in the wake of all of that, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is on the horizon. The first-person shooter is looking terrific, and is set to land on the Xbox Series X|S and PC this year, on November 20th.

Fans will have an art book to grab too, though that will decidedly not be available at launch. Instead publisher Dark Horse will be seeing to the release of the title next May. So if you grab a copy of the game, and get lost in its post-apocalyptic world of horror and action, then you might want to lock up a pre-order for the book.

When the Chornobyl power plant mysteriously exploded again in 2006, deadly anomalies emerged from the troubled landscape to threaten humanity. Now, mercenaries known as stalkers enter the irradiated zone to recover valuable artifacts with supernatural abilities. To obtain these artifacts, the stalkers must fight for survival against the horrifying mutated monsters that lurk in the ruins of Chornobyl.

“The atmosphere has always been a fundamental part of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe – the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is one of our main sources of inspiration. We are glad to have the opportunity not only to pay tribute to the art aspect of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, but also to convey the feeling of being in the Zone to our players in another way. I would say this artbook is a passion project coming from our own passion project – and thus it feels significant.”—Ievgen Grygorovych, Game Director and CEO.

Dark Horse Books press release

The Art of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will clock in at 208 pages, and be presented in hardcover, 9 x 12″ format. The art tome has its launch set for May 27th, 2025, and as mentioned it does have those pre-orders open right now. Fans can secure one via “AmazonBarnes and NobleTFAW, and wherever books and comics are sold”.

About Jason Micciche

Jason's been knee deep in videogames since he was but a lad. Cutting his teeth on the pixely glory that was the Atari 2600, he's been hack'n'slashing and shoot'em'uping ever since. Mainly an FPS and action guy, Jason enjoys the occasional well crafted title from every genre.

Check Also

Hell is Us looks to deliver action and supernatural intrigue, in a world torn apart by civil war

There’s a lot going on in NACON and developer Rogue Factor’s Hell is Us, and …