As many expected, GSC Game World announced an expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl at the Xbox Partner Preview event today. Dubbed Cost of Hope, the studio gave the first details of this story expansion today, which is releasing later this year.
The studio is saying the expansion will be pretty massive, taking "dozens of hours" to complete the storyline, which will take place across brand-new regions. It promises more engaging quests and characters and deeper answers to age-old lore questions.
"Cost of Hope will allow you to explore two long-awaited regions that have been cut off for years and that every stalker in the Zone has dreamt of reaching: Iron Forest and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant," describes the studio. "A region isn’t just a single location. It’s a large territory, each with its own hub, along with dozens of smaller locations to discover — all filled with quests and activities."
Check out the brand-new gameplay trailer showcasing the story expansion above.
The studio also revealed that it is planning a trilogy surrounding S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, much like the original Legends of the Zone Trilogy. The Cost of Hope expansion is described as being the middle chapter of this “second trilogy," with another expansion also in the works to expand the story.
"The protagonist of the expansion is Skif, and the events unfold in parallel with the story of Heart of Chornobyl," adds GSC GameWorld. "After installing the DLC, during your playthrough of the main campaign you’ll receive a signal on your PDA that will start the expansion’s storyline."
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope expansion is releasing in the summer of 2026 across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. Both the base game and the DLC will be Xbox Play Anywhere supported.