Ukrainian Game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Surpasses 6 Million Players

The new legend of Ukrainian game development, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, has hit a major milestone — 6 million players. The company shared the news in an official statement.

“The Zone has never been this loud! Around campfires, stalkers sing in unison to the sound of guitars, and laughter echoes across the land — from the bar in Zalissya to Wild Island, and beyond! For a moment, even the Quiet’s Camp became a full-fledged hub with real lines and traffic jams,” wrote the game’s creators on the official X account of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.

“Today we’re celebrating 6 million stalkers who’ve entered the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Six million! It’s a number that’s hard to grasp, but it became a reality thanks to all of you. We are incredibly grateful and proud that each of you left your mark on the Zone.”

The long-awaited Ukrainian shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was officially released on November 20, 2024 — after 14 years of anticipation from fans around the world. In just its first two days, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 sold one million copies.

As later revealed by Serhiy Hryhorovych, founder of GSC Game World (the developer of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2), the game fully recouped its development costs on the very first day of release.

According to expert estimates, to generate $100 million in revenue, the game would need to sell between 3-4 million copies. Anton Bolshakov, former project lead of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, believes that “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be the first game conceived and created by Ukrainians to generate over $1 billion globally.”