No matter how you flip it, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a pretty darn substantial game. Not only does it feature all the maps from all the previous games and then some, but they are all also positively loaded with content to begin with. If you were hoping to clear the game in 10ish hours (which was very possible in ye olden STALKER titles), we're happy to report that you'll be extremely hard-pressed to do so.

Partially due to the sheer ridiculous size of the game, but also due to its self-imposed gameplay limitations, STALKER 2 is a very long and content-heavy game even if you don't participate in its open-world goodness and its wildly varied side-content.

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How Long is STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl?

Even as a STALKER franchise veteran, I was taken aback by the sheer size of STALKER 2. No, really: it's going to take you between 35 and 40 hours' worth of playtime just to finish the main quest alone! There's 36 main quest missions in total, each with its own scripted cutscenes, set-pieces, and world-changing events, and the odds are pretty darn solid you're going to explore some side-content along the way, too.

Realistically, then, we expect it to take about 50-60 hours for most players to wrap the game up, though STALKER 2 realistically plays host to at least 90-100 hours of unique, non-repeat content if we're being honest.

Missions are all well and good, of course, but we'd be remiss not to point out that travel and survival play a huge role in the game's longevity. The fact of the matter is that fast travel is extremely limited and fairly expensive in STALKER 2, so you'll probably want to get places at your own pace, and on your own dime.

This accounts for a non-insignificant chunk of the numbers mentioned above, but that really is STALKER for you, and we'd have it no other way. With that out of the way, there are some other bits and bobs we need to discuss here.

Does STALKER 2 have New Game+?

Nope, there's no New Game+ in STALKER 2. This means that, if you want to begin playing the game anew, you'll need to finish the prologue and get the whole journey kickstarted all over again. Since there's no stat progression to speak of in STALKER, however, we don't think this is a huge deal. Guns and gear are your progression in this game, and you can find those really early when you know where to look.

Can you play STALKER 2 after finishing the main campaign?

In much the same way as Cyberpunk 2077 lets you, yes. Notably, the mission Down Below is a functional point-of-no-return for STALKER 2, and if you want to continue playing after finishing the main quest, you need to make a manual save right here and roll back to it after you're done with the three remaining main quests.

The reason why this is the case is that all of STALKER 2's endings redefine the Zone in a very important way, depending on your choices. Returning back to it is simply not an option from that point onwards, and so there's no way to have Skif go about his merry way afterwards.

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