In a nutshell: Stalker 2 was one of several exciting games revealed at E3 that look gorgeous, but those stunning graphics mean a pretty beefy rig is required to get the most out of the game---even the minimum specs are quite demanding compared to some modern titles---and you may need to clear space from your SSD.

We've been waiting for a new Stalker game since 2009's Call of Pripyat. At E3, it was revealed that the next entry in the franchise---Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl---is one of several that Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play on the day of release; in this case, April 28, 2022.

Those who can't wait to get back to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone can pre-purchase Stalker 2 right now on Steam, where the system requirements are listed. The minimum specs ask for a Ryzen 5 1600X / Core i5-7600K and Radeon RX 580 8GB / GeForce GTX 1060 6GB. That's more demanding than Cyberpunk 2077, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and Watch Dogs Legion. Plus, players require an SSD with 150GB of free space.

Stalker 2 Minimum requirements

  • OS: Windows 10
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
  • RAM: 8GB
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB
  • Storage: 150GB
  • Additional notes: SSD

Moving onto the recommended specs, the CPU requirement is upped to a Core i7-9700K or Ryzen 7 3700X, and you'll need at least a Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB / GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB / GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB.

Stalker 2 recommended specifications

  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | Intel Core i7-9700K
  • Memory: 16GB RAM
  • Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB
  • Storage: 150GB
  • Additional notes: SSD

Many modern AAA games require a huge chunk of storage space, such as CoD: Modern Warfare's 200GB, and several, including Assassin's Creed Valhalla, recommend an SSD, though few ask for a solid-state drive as a minimum requirement; World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is one that comes to mind. You can play that game on HDD, but performance may be heavily impacted.

Unlike many other titles, no targeted frame rates/resolutions were included in the PC requirements, but they could be added before Stalker 2 arrives next year.