Stalker 2 Team Shares 'Atmospheric Teaser' Ahead Of Major Unreal Engine Upgrade In 2026

It's been a busy year for the team at GSC Game World, with Stalker 2 not only receiving a whole bunch of updates and patches over the past twelve months, but also getting released on PS5 in November.

Looking ahead to 2026, they've just shared a special New Year's Message hinting at what's to come, including a "major upgrade to a newer version of Unreal Engine 5 to make the zone even more stable and gorgeous".

This was first mentioned back in August as a 2025 feature, but it ended up getting delayed.

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The video up above may give us a first glimpse at this Unreal Engine 5 upgrade, although it doesn't specifically state as such. It might just be a sneak peek at Stalker 2's first story DLC, which is said to be "coming along nicely" — it seems the CNPP (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant) could be added as part of this DLC, or perhaps just as a free update instead.

Of course, Stalker 2 is no longer part of Xbox Game Pass since November, but you can still pick it up as part of the Xbox Countdown Sale 2025 right now — multiple versions are discounted by 40% on the Xbox Store until January 7th.

We'll leave the full New Year's Message from the Stalker 2 team down below:

Are you still playing Stalker 2 on Xbox Series X or S? Tell us in the comments section.