Old STALKER 2 Screenshots Resurface With Tweaked UI As Hype Around Game Builds

STALKER 2 is back in the news with what many assumed are new screenshots for one of Xbox Game Pass’ highly anticipated day one releases. The screenshots are actually old (first seen in this Wired article last year), but they do showcase some subtle changes to the UI. Here’s how STALKER 2’s UI looked as of January 2023.

And here’s the updated version seen today on the Epic Games Store.

The compass in the top center sees some changes in how nearby enemies and quest markers are displayed. The bottom left has been reshuffled slightly. 

The latest info on STALKER 2’s release date is sometime in early 2024. Fans hoped to see more of the game at the Xbox Developer Direct event this week, but it looks like it is reserved for first-party games only. STALKER 2 is a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass and a console exclusive, but Xbox does not own the developer. 

Here’s a short look at some gameplay we saw during last year’s Gamescom.

If STALKER 2 plans to keep its release date of early 2024, sometime in March is probably the most likely release. 

STALKER 2 will launch as a single-player experience only, but the devs have said a multiplayer mode will be “added soon after release as a free update.” STALKER’s post-apocalyptic open-world Chornobyl setting would be fantastic with a co-op mode. We’ll have to wait and see what the folks at GSC Game World come up with for their take on a multiplayer mode. I’m sure many Battle Royale or Extraction mode fans would also love to see the game take on those genres.