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Everything you need to know about how long it takes to beat Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, average completion time, and more.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, despite its linear main story, is quite a lengthy game. While the original Stalker titles weren’t particularly long, with their campaigns mostly lasting for 20-25 hours, that isn’t the case with the latest entry. With Stalker 2, developer GSC Game World increased the scope of the series to make it a full open-world experience, akin to Far Cry titles or Metro Exodus. As such, Stalker 2 takes considerably longer to finish, regardless of whether you’re going for a completionist playthrough or not. Furthermore, as is the case with any open-world game, Stalker 2 offers plenty of side quests to delve into, which can further add to the game’s length.
Here’s everything you need to know about Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s completion time, missions, replayability, and more.
How Long Is Stalker 2
If you’re planning to do a normal playthrough, going mostly through the main story quests with some side quests sprinkled in, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl takes roughly 40 hours to complete. The playtime of Stalker 2 is essentially double that of the original Stalker trilogy of games. Furthermore, the 40-hour runtime doesn’t take into account some of the lengthier optional quests. For a completionist playthrough, going over all optional quests and main story quests will take roughly 70-80 hours. Furthermore, this doesn’t take into account the game’s various choices, quests, and endings that require a second playthrough, adding 30-40 hours more.
If you plan on unlocking all the achievements and completing everything the game has to offer, it will easily take you more than 100 hours. Stalker 2’s runtime is naturally on par with some of the longest open-world games, such as Far Cry 4, Cyberpunk 2077, etc. Stalker 2 is also highly replayable thanks to the myriad of choices (and consequences) it has to offer throughout its campaign.
The main reason for Stalker 2’s longer runtime is its reliance on open-world traversal. While there is a fast travel system, it’s not only cumbersome to use, but it also costs 1500 Coupons each round trip. Given how limited Coupons are in-game, fast traveling isn’t as viable an option in Stalker 2 as in any other open-world title. Furthermore, some of the late-game quests require you to walk several (in-game) kilometers from one objective to another. Add to that the constant threat of anomalies as well as rival Stalkers, and walking through the Zone itself can often feel like a grueling and time-consuming process.
All Main Story Missions in Stalker 2
Once you complete the prologue section of the game, you’re immediately given access to the full open world, akin to the recent The Legend of Zelda games. While you can complete optional quests in any order, you do have to follow a linear progression for the main story missions. Here’s a list of all main story quests in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl:
- There and Back Again
- A Tough Awakening
- A Needle in a Haystack
- A Race Against Death and other Emission-related occurrences
- Answers Come at a Price
- The Price Goes Up
- Deal with the Devil
- Back to Slag Heap
- King of the Hill
- Hot on the Trail
- Chasing Ghosts
- Dead Frequency
- In Search of a Guide
- Ad Astra Per Aspera
- Extreme Simplicity
- A Long Overdue Visit
- In Search of a Miracle
- The Forge of Progress
- Wishful Thinking
- To the Last Drop of Blood
- Just Like the Good Old Days
- An Invisible Threat
- The Hornets’ Nest
- Dawn of a New Day
- The Assault on the Duga Part 1
- The Assault on the Duga Part 2
- A Minor Incident
- In Search of Past Glory
- Happiness for Everyone
- Visions of Truth
- Dark Times
- An Act of Mercy
- Legends of the Zone
- Subtle Matter
- Busting Myths
- Dangerous Liaisons
- Escape from the Cage
- The Boundary
- The Road to the Foundation
- Down Below (Point of no return)
- The Last Wish
- Let No One Leave Unsatisfied
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