STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl just got substantially bigger. GSC Game World released the Stories Untold content update on December 16, 2025, adding eight robust quests, seven new locations, six fresh characters, a unique weapon, and several hours of additional story content completely free to all players. This marks the first major story expansion since the post-apocalyptic shooter launched in November 2024, delivering on the Ukrainian studio’s promise to support the game with meaningful content throughout 2025 despite the harrowing circumstances surrounding its development.
The Mysterious Transmission
Strange phenomena plague the western part of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone near the Malachite. Research groups sent by scientists reported a signal interfering with standard PDA communications. After listening to it, stalkers suffered headaches, nosebleeds, and hallucinations. Professor Midulin witnessed everything firsthand but lacked expertise about the radio signal and what needed to be done to understand what was happening. For months, the Zone’s radio has become no less dangerous than any of its manifestations. Tune in too long, hesitate for a second, and you may never come back the same.
Only a small group is risking everything to learn more about the Transmission. Now they stand just steps away from answers, whatever their price may be. GSC Game World teases that players should pay close attention to the Red Forest region on the map, using intuition and rationality to see how deep this particular irradiated rabbit hole goes. Points of interest include the Fairy Tale Pioneer Camp and the Old Mine, both promising rewards for those brave or foolish enough to investigate.
What The Update Includes
Stories Untold packs substantial content for a free update. The eight quests offer over five hours of new gameplay across seven distinct locations scattered throughout the western territories. Six new characters bring their own backgrounds and stories, deepening the Zone’s lore and providing fresh perspectives on survival in humanity’s most dangerous playground. The GP37V2 rifle joins your arsenal as a unique weapon rewarding skilled operators with precision and power, though GSC warns the cost of failure is higher with this particular firearm.
Perhaps most significantly, players gain the chance to develop and sustain a new hub in the Burnt Forest area. Unlike temporary safe houses, this hub features NPCs, item stashing capabilities, and permanence shaped by your decisions. GSC also confirmed that existing locations will be re-inhabited with other stalkers, making the Zone feel more alive and populated beyond the main story encounters. This addresses one common criticism about STALKER 2 feeling empty in certain regions after completing primary objectives.
How To Access The New Content
Starting the Stories Untold questline requires picking up an emergency transmission that triggers once you’re in the appropriate area. GSC hasn’t specified exact prerequisites, but players should head toward the western part of the map near the Red Forest region. The content scales for experienced stalkers who’ve already explored substantial portions of the Zone, so new players might want to progress the main story before diving into this expansion to avoid getting overwhelmed by difficulty spikes.
The GP37V2 Assault Rifle
The new weapon deserves special attention. The GP37V2 represents an evolution of STALKER’s iconic firearms, offering precision and power for operators who master its handling characteristics. GSC’s warning about higher failure costs suggests this rifle might have steeper recoil, slower rate of fire, or other trade-offs that punish sloppy shooting while rewarding accuracy. In a game where ammunition scarcity and weapon degradation matter, adding a high-skill weapon creates interesting choices about whether to use precious resources maintaining this new tool or sticking with familiar standbys.
Weapon variety significantly impacts STALKER 2’s gameplay since different firearms suit different combat scenarios. Close-quarters mutant encounters demand different tools than long-range stalker confrontations or artifact recovery under anomaly fields. The GP37V2’s emphasis on precision suggests it excels at medium-to-long range engagements where controlled fire matters more than spray-and-pray suppression. Time will tell whether it becomes a community favorite or niche weapon for specific builds.
Free Content In The DLC Era
Stories Untold arriving completely free deserves recognition in an industry increasingly focused on paid season passes and premium battle passes. GSC Game World committed to supporting STALKER 2 with meaningful updates throughout 2025 as part of their development roadmap, and they’re delivering despite circumstances that would give most studios excuses to cut support. This free expansion includes content many publishers would package as $15-20 DLC without hesitation.
The goodwill this generates matters enormously for STALKER 2’s community and long-term success. The game launched in rough technical condition with numerous bugs and performance issues that drew criticism despite the title’s ambition and the studio’s extraordinary development circumstances. GSC has steadily addressed those problems through patches, with a March update bringing over 1,200 changes touching nearly every aspect from combat to performance. Free story content shows continued commitment to making STALKER 2 the experience fans deserve.
The Development Context
Understanding STALKER 2’s development makes the Stories Untold update even more remarkable. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 forced most of GSC Game World to flee Kyiv for Prague, completing the game in exile while some team members stayed behind to fight. An office fire threw additional wrenches into plans. The documentary War Game: The Making of STALKER 2 chronicles this harrowing journey, showing the human cost behind every line of code and texture asset.
Despite everything, STALKER 2 sold 1 million copies shortly after launch despite also arriving as a day-one Game Pass title. It became one of GameSpot’s 10 best games of 2024. The PlayStation 5 version launched on November 20, 2025, optimized for PS5 Pro. Now GSC delivers substantial free story content just weeks after the PS5 debut, demonstrating their dedication to all players regardless of platform. This Ukrainian studio’s resilience and commitment to their craft deserves recognition beyond just appreciating the update itself.
What’s Next For STALKER 2
Stories Untold represents the first major content drop, but GSC’s 2025 roadmap promises more. Additional quests, gameplay features, and technical upgrades remain in development including a move to the latest version of Unreal Engine that should improve performance and visual quality. The studio hasn’t detailed specific future content, but the quality and scope of Stories Untold suggests subsequent updates will continue expanding the Zone with meaningful additions rather than cosmetic fluff.
The new hub in the Burnt Forest hints at potential directions for future content. If players can develop and sustain this location, perhaps subsequent updates will add more buildable hubs or expand existing ones with additional facilities and NPCs. The re-population of existing locations with more stalkers also suggests GSC is addressing the game’s empty feeling in certain areas, potentially leading to more dynamic encounters and emergent gameplay scenarios as factions compete for territory.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did STALKER 2 Stories Untold release?
December 16, 2025, on PC, Xbox Series X and S, and PlayStation 5 simultaneously. The update is available now for all players who own the game.
Is Stories Untold free or paid DLC?
Completely free for all STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl owners. No additional purchase required regardless of platform or whether you bought the game or accessed it through Game Pass.
How much content does Stories Untold add?
Eight quests offering over five hours of gameplay, seven new locations, six new characters, one unique weapon (GP37V2), and a developable hub in the Burnt Forest.
How do I start the new content?
Head to the western part of the map near the Red Forest region and pick up an emergency transmission that triggers the questline. Specific prerequisites haven’t been detailed.
Do I need to finish the main story first?
Not required, but recommended. The content appears scaled for experienced players who’ve explored substantial portions of the Zone, so early-game players might struggle with difficulty.
What is the GP37V2 weapon?
A precision assault rifle that rewards skilled shooting with power and accuracy but punishes mistakes with higher failure costs. Details about specific stats and handling remain undisclosed.
Will there be more STALKER 2 content updates?
Yes. GSC Game World’s 2025 roadmap includes additional quests, gameplay features, and technical upgrades including a move to the latest Unreal Engine version.
Is STALKER 2 on Game Pass?
Yes. STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl launched day-one on Xbox Game Pass and remains available for subscribers on Xbox Series X and S and PC.
Worth Returning To The Zone
Stories Untold gives players compelling reasons to return to the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone whether they finished the main story months ago or bounced off the game at launch due to technical issues. The new questline with mysterious transmissions causing hallucinations perfectly captures STALKER’s blend of science fiction horror and survival tension. Seven new locations expand an already massive map without feeling tacked on. Six new characters add depth to the Zone’s desperate communities. The focus on the Red Forest region, one of STALKER’s most iconic and dangerous areas, promises memorable encounters and discoveries. For players who never started STALKER 2 because they were waiting for patches and content, now represents an ideal entry point. The game is more stable, more feature-complete, and substantially larger than at launch. For veterans who exhausted the base game, Stories Untold offers fresh mysteries to unravel and new corners of the Zone to explore without costing a penny. GSC Game World continues proving that Ukrainian game developers can deliver world-class experiences even while their country fights for survival. STALKER 2 stands as both entertainment product and act of cultural resistance, a defiant middle finger to those who would erase Ukraine from the map. Every update, every bug fix, every new quest represents triumph over circumstances designed to crush creativity. Stories Untold reminds us that great games come from developers who care deeply about their craft and their players. That’s worth supporting whether you play on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation.