Big news coming in from the horrorscapes and radioactive wastelands: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has won the Xbox Excellence Award for 2025. Crazy, right? This game has been making life hell for hardcore survival horror fans since the day it was announced, and it sure has gotten some real love from the big shots at Microsoft.
So what’s this award, then? Each year, the Xbox team picks the crème de la-crème games, the ones that shine out in a sea of sameness with shooters and open-world collectathons. This year, GSC Game World’s grimy, gritty sequel was on the shortlist. Not too shabby for a game that’s pretty much been running away from delays like the anomalies in the Zone.
The devs have all the party-going. They assure that the fans are the real deal on their Twitter spew: it wouldn’t have happened without the incessant stir from the community itself. And in all honesty-S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fans are a breed of their own, honestly.
They have kept the fire since the first announcement trailer with waiting, memeing, and dissecting every crumb of intel. With a runway stretched as far as the eye can see (hell, they won one! That’s right), all that is left is pure hype.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is sure a shooter, but it goes above and beyond. This is a grand return to the Zone, that ravaged stretch of post-apocalyptic hell where mutants, radiation, and shady factions render every step a gamble. There was a reason the previous two were cult classics; they managed to mix classic survival mechanics with a world that felt alive in the worst (and best) possible way. If Heart of Chornobyl somehow follows that direction, then the Xbox Award may be just the first of many.
That is, if anyone will get to play it. Having already endured a couple of delays-thanks, war; thank you, pandemic-it is now mooted for early 2025. But hey, at least we know it carries Xbox’s assurance. That ought to count for something, right?
What next? Probably more trailers to showcase the game. Perhaps a different form of gameplay deep dive. Or, knowing GSC, they’ll send out an obscure teaser that sends fans into an even deeper lore spiral. Either way, the Zone calls-and sounds like it’s almost coming with heavy accolades.
For now, hats off to the team! Fans-keep those gas masks handy, because the real wait has just begun.
