Ian is a video game journalist and blogger with over 15 years of experience. He’s worked previously as a staff writer at Kotaku and editor-in-chief of the (sadly, now-defunct) fighting game hub Shoryuken, with additional bylines at Aftermath, Vice, Paste, and Game Developer. Ian loves exploring niche communities and researching the development of classic video games.
Xbox Game Pass is kicking off the holiday season a little early this year by adding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl to its ever-expanding lineup on Nov. 20.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the long-awaited sequel to 2007’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl, which was a surprise hit from what was a largely under-the-radar Ukrainian studio called GSC Game World. The original game combined immersive first-person shooting with survival horror and roleplaying elements. Set against the backdrop of a second Chernobyl disaster, the unforgiving debut and its spin-offs, Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, were heavily inspired by the tone of Andrei Tarkovsky’s classic 1979 sci-fi film Stalker and the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
Polygon’s preview of the game describes S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 as “a merciless trip down memory lane” that modernizes the series while keeping its spirit intact. Unfortunately, subscribers to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass can’t preload the game before launch, so look forward to waiting for that massive 150 GB download to finish before you can play.
Also coming to Xbox Game Pass in November is Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and unlike S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, it’s available now.
But of course, when Phil Spencer giveth, he also taketh away. Here’s a list of games leaving Xbox Game Pass this month:
Conan Exiles (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Coral Island (PC)
Hello Neighbor 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Remnant: From The Ashes (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Rollerdrome (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Soccer Story (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Spirit of the North (Cloud, Console, and PC)
The Walking Dead: The Final Season (PC)
While the Iron’s Hot (Cloud, Console, and PC)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 headlines big month for Xbox Game Pass
