CRAP Game

[DatsiK.]

As a long-time and devoted STALKER fan, it pains me to say this — but I simply cannot recommend this game in its current state.

The performance is abysmal. Constant stuttering, frame drops, and severe stability issues make the experience frustrating at best. On average, the game crashes every 20 minutes, which completely breaks immersion and ruins any sense of progress or engagement.

Content-wise, it's equally disappointing. The loot system feels unrewarding and uninspired, with most finds being either generic or just plain useless. Dialogue is another weak point — repetitive and shallow, it quickly becomes tedious and strips the world of the depth and atmosphere that made previous titles so compelling.

Progression feels sluggish and unsatisfying. There’s a lack of meaningful rewards or motivating milestones that make the player feel like they’re truly advancing. Instead, you're left with a disjointed and underwhelming sense of growth.

Radiation, which should add tension and danger, is so overused and poorly implemented that it becomes a constant annoyance rather than a strategic challenge. It’s everywhere, seemingly random, and ultimately detracts from the gameplay rather than enhancing it.

I had high hopes, especially given the legacy of the STALKER franchise, but what we’ve received feels rushed, unpolished, and deeply unbalanced.

Bottom line: This game is a major letdown. Not because the core concept is bad — it’s not — but because the execution fails on almost every level. A missed opportunity, and a bitter pill for fans of the series.

5070ti
7800x3d
32gb ram 6000mhz

no thank you

[Fnar]

In contrast, I haven't had a crash in over 100 hours of play, I have no instability or stuttering, and the game improves with every patch.

I really enjoy the gameplay and I'm looking forward to more improvements and DLC/Mods in the future.

I've played for over 400 hours and I highly recommend the game to people who enjoy this genre.

5080
9800X3D
64GB

Yes please!

[Combined]

This Stalker game is bad. I hope modders will fix it.

[BigCunggus]

Originally posted by Vulture:

This Stalker game is bad. I hope modders will fix it.

you really think modder can fix UE5 engine?

[BigCunggus]

Originally posted by Fnar:

In contrast, I haven't had a crash in over 100 hours of play, I have no instability or stuttering, and the game improves with every patch.

I really enjoy the gameplay and I'm looking forward to more improvements and DLC/Mods in the future.

I've played for over 400 hours and I highly recommend the game to people who enjoy this genre.

5080
9800X3D
64GB

Yes please!

not everyone can afford 9800X3D

[Fnar]

Originally posted by BigCunggus:

/quote]
not everyone can afford 9800X3D

I started playing the game with a 3950X and a 2080ti. Nearly 300 of my 410 hours are with that hardware, using either a combination of FSR 3.1 and DLSS or just FSR 3.1 depending which patch.

I still loved every minute of it.

[Dr. Peppermill]

Originally posted by Vulture:

This Stalker game is bad. I hope modders will fix it.

Most of the mods at Nexus are abandoned and not updated for recent patches. Modders have lost interest obviously.
And they can’t fix Stutter Engine 5.1, but developers can upgrade it to 5.5, which may improve CPU utilization/threading.

[Wally_c64]

Originally posted by DatsiK.:

A missed opportunity, and a bitter pill for fans of the series.

No disappointment here. I think the game has improved with each patch and performs very well at my end. I'm a happy chappy.

Ryzen 7 7800X3D
RTX 4070 Super 12 GB at 1440p
64 GB DDR 5 6000

[ods3bodkins]

The UE5 engine seems to work just fine on some systems, but not so well on others. Will it work for you, today? Maybe that depends on the current alignment of the stars? I shudder when I hear that UE5 is the wave of the future that so many developers are rushing to embrace.

[Sgt. Flaw]

Originally posted by Fnar:

Originally posted by BigCunggus:

/quote]
not everyone can afford 9800X3D

I started playing the game with a 3950X and a 2080ti. Nearly 300 of my 410 hours are with that hardware, using either a combination of FSR 3.1 and DLSS or just FSR 3.1 depending which patch.

I still loved every minute of it.

Started with a 3600 3060 ti...Frames dropped in settlements but thats about it...have 5070 ti 9600x and even with this imbalanced system the games smooth with or without FG.....

I don't know what some of you are doing with you're P.C.s but OP crashing every 20 minutes takes the blame off the game in this particular post. Thats just insane. I've had 2 crashes in all builds over 140 hours.

[HiggsLP]

Can not agree on most of the points in OP besides radiation- UI is too much white from the crackling.

[DopeDawg]

Unfinished product just as dozens of other releases nowadays. Devs are not to blame, the customers (gamers) have normalized this behaviour.

[DatsiK.]

Originally posted by DopeDawg:

Unfinished product just as dozens of other releases nowadays. Devs are not to blame, the customers (gamers) have normalized this behaviour.

Your response makes a strong point. It's true that many games are released in an unfinished state, and it’s become so common that it’s almost expected now. The developers might not be entirely at fault, since there’s a demand for early access or games that aren't fully ready, but the gamers also play a significant role in normalizing this trend by supporting such releases.

By opting for Game Pass, you’re making a smart choice. It allows you to enjoy the game without financially supporting a product that isn’t fully polished yet. It’s a way to avoid backing early access games and gives you the flexibility to enjoy titles that are more complete, while still being part of the gaming community. Does this approach work better for you compared to buying games outright?

[DopeDawg]

Originally posted by DatsiK.:

Originally posted by DopeDawg:

Unfinished product just as dozens of other releases nowadays. Devs are not to blame, the customers (gamers) have normalized this behaviour.

Your response makes a strong point. It's true that many games are released in an unfinished state, and it’s become so common that it’s almost expected now. The developers might not be entirely at fault, since there’s a demand for early access or games that aren't fully ready, but the gamers also play a significant role in normalizing this trend by supporting such releases.

By opting for Game Pass, you’re making a smart choice. It allows you to enjoy the game without financially supporting a product that isn’t fully polished yet. It’s a way to avoid backing early access games and gives you the flexibility to enjoy titles that are more complete, while still being part of the gaming community. Does this approach work better for you compared to buying games outright?

I think early access is a scam and shouldn't exist at all but hey who am I just a random voice in a vast nowhere. Or at least early access needs a much bigger refund window, like 2 weeks or so.
But stalker 2 isn't even early access! That's what matters. They actually think it is a finished product so they didn't even put an early access tag on it.

Just checked nexus, and what a joke, modders figured out how to restore entire cut questlines and add NVGs. Random people who are not even getting paid for what they do.

[Road Runner]

Originally posted by Fnar:

In contrast, I haven't had a crash in over 100 hours of play, I have no instability or stuttering, and the game improves with every patch.

I really enjoy the gameplay and I'm looking forward to more improvements and DLC/Mods in the future.

I've played for over 400 hours and I highly recommend the game to people who enjoy this genre.

5080
9800X3D
64GB

Yes please!

Some people just have higher standards than you.

[Jouchebag]

Originally posted by Road Runner:

Originally posted by Fnar:

In contrast, I haven't had a crash in over 100 hours of play, I have no instability or stuttering, and the game improves with every patch.

I really enjoy the gameplay and I'm looking forward to more improvements and DLC/Mods in the future.

I've played for over 400 hours and I highly recommend the game to people who enjoy this genre.

5080
9800X3D
64GB

Yes please!

Some people just have higher standards than you.

There's a reasonable gray area between "CRAP game" and "400 hours, highly recommended"

The game is a solid meh. Stalker 2 is majorly... mediocre. It's awesomely... average.