20 November 2025

Heart of Chornobyl Releases Important New Update for November 2025

By newsgame

Paired alongside the launch of its PlayStation 5 version, GSC Game World releases Update 1.7 for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which fixes a host of issues and makes tons of quality of life improvements. It’s a big day for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl fans as the experience has now finally arrived on the PlayStation 5, opening the gate for a new wave of players.

After a tumultuous development cycle, one that included multiple delays, a financial crisis at the studio, and even a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia back in 2022. The developer was able to not only overcome all of these difficult situations, but find major success as well. STALKER 2 achieved huge sales milestones, while also finding a massive audience of players as well. What may be more impressive is all of this was done through Xbox and PC, and with the PS5 console now part of this ecosystem, the studio could be finding itself in front of another wave of success.

All Unique Weapons In Stalker 2 (& Locations)

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has several weapons for players to use, but some of them are special and a cut above the rest.

Update 1.7 is a major new update for STALKER 2, fixes over 90 crashes, further optimizes the game, and adds in a host of quality of life improvements. Specifically, GSC highlighted some of the bigger features, including improved enemy AI which sees different factions fighting over territory, opening up new tactical opportunities for players. Stealth has also been improved thanks to foliage and vegetation hiding players better.

In terms of game improvements, the UI and inventory system have been reworked, including a new radiation bar, 5 quality tiers for artifacts and consumables, as well as a completely redesigned interface. There’s a new Master difficulty level for the ultimate challenge that also disables manual saves, autosaves, and uses a checkpoint system only when leaving hubs or during major story moments. It’s worth noting that GSC does warn that this patch could disrupt the use of mods in STALKER 2, with the studio recommending disabling them if performance issues arise.

However, where this patch becomes more important is for the new PlayStation 5 version of STALKER 2. Following the expiration of its year of exclusivity on the Xbox platform, PlayStation 5 players now have access to the game, and reports indicate that this version of the game greatly benefits from Update 1.7. Without it, players have been reporting a variety of technical problems that seem to heavily impact the experience. Update 1.7 also serves as a Day One patch for the PS5 version, fixing a long list of potential crashes, bugged elements, and just stabilizing the game overall.

With a new platform now added, it’s clear that the future is bright for STALKER 2. As GSC confirms in a recent letter to the community, STALKER 2 is in a much better place now than it was a year ago thanks to a ton of updates, optimizations, and fixes that have come to the game. While the studio confirms that all future updates and content will arrive across each platform at the same time, it also highlighted some of the unique features of the PS5 version of STALKER 2, including haptic feedback, gyro aiming, as well as global illumination and weather effects for PS5 Pro users.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Update 1.7 Patch Notes

AI and Combat System

Now, NPCs and even mutants fight for control of points of interest, checkpoints, and locations (except for hubs). They also fiercely defend their lairs and territories from particularly annoying neighbors – stalkers. Should you rush into the thick of the battle or stay out of it? It’s up to you!
With update 1.7, it has become harder for enemies to spot you in tall grass or reeds and to aim through bushes. Shootouts in swamps will finally be fair! Now you can use the vegetation to its fullest, but be careful: the closer you get to the enemies, the higher the risk of being spotted.
Fixed some issues with incorrect NPC locations.
Improved AI response to player hostile actions.
Optimization of NPC behavior during ejection.
Fixed an issue where A-Life NPCs would sometimes move to the side after detecting an enemy.
Fixed an issue where A-Life NPCs would not move after loading a save made on the way to the shelter.
Fixed an issue where NPCs could take damage from explosions while behind multiple walls.
Fixed an issue where some boars appeared as human NPCs near Malachite, causing the game to crash.
Fixed an issue where the controller could attack zombified NPCs under control.
Fixed an issue where NPCs would not react to Gauss Cannon shots hitting near them.
Adjusted the combat behavior of bandits in the prologue.
Fixed mutant death animations in some specific cases.
Fixed an issue where NPCs would not return to their destination point after a sudden battle.
Fixed an issue where random neutral stalkers would become enemies of the player character.
Fixed an issue where NPCs would get stuck in a loop when drawing weapons.
Fixed an issue where NPCs could not shoot at a player after they crawled too close while crouching.
Fixed an issue where mutants could change position while jumping in mid-air.
Fixed an issue where some NPCs were not hiding from the ejection and were dying in the Zalissia location.

BUGFIXES, CRASHES, AND OPTIMIZATIONS

Fixed an issue where the player could die instantly after fast moving
Fixed visual issues with anomalies.
Fixed an issue where the player could not mount the x8 scope on the Mark I EMR.
Fixed an issue where upgrades for the M860 were not displayed.
Fixed an issue with mutants having a delayed reaction when killed.
Fixed an issue where the game could freeze at the beginning of a release.
Fixed an issue where the game would freeze if Skiff was knocked over by mutants while sitting by a campfire.
Fixed an issue where backup files were sorted randomly after reopening the backup menu.
Fixed an issue where the cursor would become uncontrollable after placing a custom marker with a gamepad.
Fixed an issue where notifications about receiving records would remain on the screen indefinitely.
Fixed an issue where if Numpad 5 and 2 were assigned to move forward/backward, camera rotation up/down would also be activated.
Fixed an issue where some steel shells on the ground appeared completely black.
Fixed an issue where some metal objects would change color when approached.
Fixed an issue where the modified buttons for using the PNB did not work during dialogues.
Fixed an issue where aim assist would turn off after opening the pause menu.
Fixed an issue where the player could not activate the NVG using the mouse wheel while climbing a ladder.
Fixed an issue where the psi effect remained after leaving the danger zone for some users.
Fixed an issue where some players could become immortal after a certain mission.
Fixed an issue where a very loud water sound effect could be heard around NDICHAZ and around swamps.
Reduced resource consumption before cutscenes begin.
Optimization of performance when the projectile hits the surface.
Optimization of pomegranate productivity.
Fixed an issue that caused performance issues for objects inside anomalies.
Fixed an issue where a lantern would appear above the head of a PNB NPC.
Fixed infinite loading on saves made in the bar.
Fixed the inability to make two saves in a row after overwriting or deleting the previous one.
Fixed an infinite loading screen on saves made on the Noon base.
Fixed an issue where aim assist would not work after loading a save.
Over 90 crashes fixed.

OPTIMIZATION

The list below is just the tip of the iceberg. A lot of work has been done “under the hood” to improve performance across all platforms, settings, and graphics presets.

Optimized foliage meshes (performance changes may be especially noticeable in the Red Forest).
Optimized leaf materials.
Optimized Rostock buildings (architecture polygons and collision improvements).
Optimized buildings in the Arc region (architecture polygons and collision improvements).
Streaming optimization in the most intensive locations (Zalisya, Rostock, Terikon).
Optimized lighting in Terikon, Zalissy, NDICHAZ, Rostock.
Optimized NPC skeletal meshes.
Optimized grooms.
Optimized and adjusted skeletal meshes.
Optimized refresh rate of simulated components.
Optimized updating of elements used in contextual actions.
Optimized clothing simulation.
Optimized animation update.

MAIN STORYLINE, SIDE MISSIONS AND OPEN WORLD

Fixed an issue where Skew’s body would become inaccessible to the player if he was killed without initiating dialogue during the mission Needle in the Haystack
Fixed an issue where the player could access the first floor of the Chemical Plant from the roof and could not exit during the Cage Escape mission .
Many immersion fixes for the School of Life mission .
Fixed an issue where Scar was missing from the X17 lab during the mission Images of Absolute Truth .
Fixed an issue where all dialogue with Varan would be blocked if the player lost reputation after accepting the mission Deal with the Devil .
Fixed an issue where the player could receive a higher reward after completing a quest from Molfar.
Fixed an issue where the quest to kill a bloodsucker remained active after being killed during the Nightingale Hunt mission .
Fixed an issue where the player could not continue the mission The Treasured Desire .
Optimized resource consumption for the cutscene with Dalin and Korshunov in room D2 during the mission The Desired Desire .
Fixed an issue where the quest would not complete after receiving the basement coordinates during the Poppy Field mission .
Fixed an issue where the player could not receive a cash reward from the Nightingale after giving him a dog collar during the Dog Facility mission .
Fixed an issue where a Guard squad could die from ejection during the Answers Are Expensive mission .
Fixed an issue where the weather would not change after a certain stage in the game.
Design improvements for many locations.
Fixed an issue where Zhuzha and Gonta could not start a fight in a scene if the last Snork was killed close to Gonta.
Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented Richter from initiating dialogue during the War Mole mission .
Fixed an issue that caused Agatha to disappear after dialogue during the mission The Treasured Desire .
Fixed an issue that prevented the quest from being completed during the mission Final Preparations .
Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented the completion of the Happiness for All mission .
Fixed an issue that prevented dialogue from starting during the Valley of the Shadow of Death mission .
Fixed an issue that prevented Scar from initiating dialogue during the Eternal Shine mission .
Fixed an issue that prevented Degtyarev from initiating dialogue during the War Mole mission .
Fixed an issue that prevented dialogue from starting during the Legends of the Zone mission .
Fixed an issue where Richter would not move during the mission A Hard Awakening .
Fixed an issue where Dalin could be absent during the Guardians of Order mission .
Fixed an issue where Scar was missing from the Depot during the Invisible Threat mission .
Fixed an issue where the player’s camera would permanently lock after one of the encounters in the Zone.
Fixed an issue where the Signal of Hope mission would not cancel after starting the Good Old Days mission .
Fixed an issue with the inability to start a new stage during the Dead Frequency mission .
Fixed an issue that prevented the cutscene from starting during the Return to Terrikon mission .
Fixed an issue that caused the player to get stuck in dialogue with Gonta.
Fixed an issue that prevented bandits from spawning during the Fatty Scum mission .

SUPPORT FOR MODIFICATIONS

Support for detecting and notifying mod conflicts: in-game pop-up window with a list of conflicting mods
Detailed conflict dump (with information about exact conflicting CFG nodes) in AppData – Mod conflicts.csv
Selective download (Zone Kit is divided into several parts: The Lesser Zone Kit, Zone Kit Editor, Cutscenes, World Map)

Make the Zone the way you want it to be with the Zone Kit! Unleash your creativity and modify existing content or create something new – animations, weapons, mechanics and even the wonders of the Zone. Official mod support is now available, so it’s time to create your own content and use mods made by other stalkers. You can access mods on Steam Workshop and Mod.io, and if you want to try creating your own, you can download the Zone Kit at the link: store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/stalker-2-zone-kit

OTHER UPDATES

The detector size in the inventory has been changed to 1×1.
Fixed an issue where the NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency option could be disabled after restarting the game.
The visual effects of artifacts and items have been slightly reworked.
Fixed 3D audio with Dolby Atmos for headphones and other spatial plug-ins for Windows.
Added an option to mute headshot sound.
Improved voice clarity near NPCs.
Added icons for partially hidden caches on the map.
A few more weapon attachments have been placed throughout the Zone.
Improved font readability for Japanese, Chinese, and Korean languages.
Some tutorials have been improved.