S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise was born in the Ukrainian studios of GSC Game World, with a first installment - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl - released in 2007 after years of chaotic development and a wait that became legendary within the PC community. The game takes place in a fictional version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, blending survival, FPS and RPG elements in a hostile open world, directly inspired by the novel Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers and the film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky.

Two sequels complete the original trilogy: Clear Sky (2008), a prequel to the events of the first game, then Call of Pripyat (2009), considered the most accomplished installment of this first generation. The saga established itself as a reference in open-world survival games, with a unique post-apocalyptic atmosphere, dangerous anomalies, artifacts to collect and a faction system that gave real life to the Zone.

After more than a decade of silence - and a canceled installment along the way - GSC Game World revived the franchise with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, released on PC and Xbox Series X|S in November 2024, then on PS5 a year later. The title has surpassed 6 million players, confirming the intact appetite for this one-of-a-kind universe. The saga continues today with its first major narrative DLC planned for August 2026.