The Game Pass hit STALKER 2 just got a huge Xbox award, and I can't think of a game more deserving

One of the biggest games on Xbox Game Pass recently — as well as one of the biggest new games in general — was STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, a sequel to the original open-world survival shooter trilogy from the late 2000s. First announced back in 2010, the game went through countless delays, revamps, and even a cancellation over the years, ultimately resurfacing back in 2018 with developer GSC Game World reopening its doors a few years before that.

To say that STALKER 2's development cycle was tumultuous would be a huge understatement — and that's before taking Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine into account. GSC planned to launch the game in 2022, but the start of the invasion severely impacted the Kyiv-based Ukrainian studio. The short film "War Game: The Making of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2" chronicles the immeasurable adversity faced by the developers, with the company and families of its staff forced to evacuate to the Czech Republic while many employees either chose to remain in Ukraine to fight for their homeland and aid their communities or simply were not able to safely retreat out of the country.

In spite of the unfathomable difficulties and dangers, however, GSC continued working diligently — slowly but surely finishing STALKER 2, and eventually releasing it to critical acclaim in November last year. Instantly, it became one of 2024's biggest new titles, with the game skyrocketing up the Steam charts and giving Game Pass subscribers a colossal and immersive 100+ survival-horror shooter to get lost in.

Put simply, STALKER 2's success was born of an incredible display of perseverance and resilience from the team at GSC. And because of that, I can't think of a developer more deserving of the Xbox Excellence Award it received from Microsoft on Tuesday morning.

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"S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl has received the Xbox Excellence Award 2025. We are thrilled to share this news with you! Each year, the Xbox team selects the best games, and this time our adventures in the Zone are among them," wrote GSC in a social media post that also includes a picture of the award itself. "We are extremely grateful to Xbox and the entire gaming community for recognizing and supporting S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl."

"Your support and interest have been incredible from day one, and this award became possible thanks to you — the players who ventured into the search for Heart of Chornobyl," continued the studio. "Thank you for being with us."

Again, the story of STALKER 2's creation is extremely harrowing, but also unbelievably inspiring, and if there's one studio I truly believe does deserve the Xbox Excellence Award, it's GSC Game World. It's also worth noting that it's a story Microsoft and Xbox have helped tell, both by supporting the creation of the aforementioned documentary film and by allowing the developer to give players a look at its challenges during a 2022 Xbox showcase; with Team Green backing GSC every step of the way, it just feels right for STALKER 2 and the people behind it to get this recognition. Congratulations, GSC Game World.

The studio's work didn't stop with STALKER 2's release, either. It's been actively and attentively updating the open-world shooter constantly ever since its November launch, with each new patch (such as the latest one, Patch 1.3) featuring well over 1,000 bugfixes and tweaks to various aspects of the game's balance. On top of that, GSC recently shared an ambitious roadmap for updates coming to STALKER 2 in Summer 2025, with plans for major additions like PvP multiplayer and Xbox mod support further down the line.

Ultimately, STALKER 2 is one of the best Xbox games and best PC games out right now, and it's poised to get even better with time. It has an MSRP of $59.99, but you can get it for just $37.49 at CDKeys thanks to a huge deal. Of course, you also have the option of playing through Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Was: $59.99
Now: $37.49 at CDKeys (Steam, PC)

Despite a few issues with gameplay balance, STALKER 2 stands tall as a triumph for GSC Game World. It's one of the most captivating open-world shooters I've ever played, and is a must-play if you have Xbox Game Pass. It was already fantastic at launch, but since then, it's gotten even better with lots of helpful patches.

Xbox: Amazon (Physical)
PC: GOG (Digital) | Game Legends (Physical)