Why You Should Wait for Reviews Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (and Other Games)

[Puicey_Enthusiast]

Why You Should Wait for Reviews Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (and Other Games)

In the past few years, we've seen a troubling trend in the gaming industry: a pattern of triple-A titles being released in subpar, poorly optimized states—often relying too heavily on marketing promises and AI-driven technologies like DLSS, FSR, and Frame Generation to mask underlying issues. As players, we need to be cautious and hold companies accountable before spending our hard-earned money on games that may not even run well on our systems.

A History of Poor Optimization at Launch

We've all experienced the frustration of buying a highly anticipated game only to find it riddled with performance issues. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Battlefield 2042, Redfall, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor all had disastrous launches due to poor optimization. Despite massive marketing budgets and high expectations, these games launched with stuttering, low FPS, and other performance problems—often requiring high-end PCs to run smoothly at medium settings. Even ray-tracing and AI enhancements like DLSS couldn’t cover up the underlying technical issues.

Cyberpunk 2077, for example, was hailed as a technological marvel but launched with disastrous performance on PC, forcing many to wait months for patches to fix basic issues. Battlefield 2042 saw high-end systems struggle to maintain decent FPS, despite promises of cutting-edge performance. The list goes on, with many other recent titles delivering lackluster experiences despite claims of advanced technology.

The Over-Reliance on AI Tech and Its Pitfalls

Many of these games over-rely on DLSS, FSR, Frame Generation, and other AI-enhanced features to boost performance—but this often feels like a Band-Aid solution to deeper optimization issues. While these technologies can improve performance, they are not magic fixes for games that are poorly optimized from the ground up. Too often, developers focus on flashy features and cutting-edge visual effects, only to release a product that can't run smoothly on a wide range of systems. The result? Players are left frustrated and stuck with games that require constant patches to even be playable.

The reliance on these technologies has become a crutch for developers. Instead of properly optimizing the core game, some studios just assume these AI solutions will make up for technical flaws. But it’s clear: these technologies are not enough to salvage a game that’s launched in a poor state.

Why You Should Wait Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

With the lessons of the past five years in mind, we have to ask ourselves: Do we really want to trust pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? We've seen too many games—despite their promises—release with serious issues that take months to address. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is highly anticipated, yes, but after the history of recent launches, we should be cautious.

Instead of pre-ordering, wait for the reviews and gameplay footage to drop. Here’s why:

1. Performance Matters: Let’s be honest, all the fancy tech in the world doesn’t matter if the game doesn’t run well. Wait for reviews to assess whether S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 runs smoothly on a variety of systems. If the game suffers from stuttering, low FPS, or crashes at launch—like many recent big releases—your money and time will be better saved.


2. Avoiding a Disastrous Launch: Many developers these days are pushing out games before they’re truly ready, knowing they can fix them later. You shouldn’t have to deal with a game that’s broken at launch, only to receive promises of patches “coming soon.” Waiting for reviews gives you the insight you need to avoid this.


3. Accountability for Developers: When we pre-order, we’re essentially giving companies money upfront for a product they haven’t delivered yet. This practice encourages bad habits and leads to rushed, unfinished products. Let’s stand together and push for more accountability in the gaming industry by holding off on pre-orders until the game is in a state worth buying.



The Bottom Line: Wait, Watch, and Decide

In this age of rapid patches and AI-assisted technologies, performance often takes a backseat to marketing. Instead of falling into the cycle of pre-ordering and hoping for the best, we should wait for solid reviews and gameplay footage to confirm that a game delivers as promised. After all, your time and money are valuable.

Let’s take a stand against the current state of early access, broken launches, and unoptimized games. If S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 runs well and the reviews are positive, buy it—but if it doesn’t, save yourself the trouble and wait for the fixes to come. Don’t fall for the hype; let the reviews and the community’s feedback be your guide.

Here’s the combined list of games that released with poor performance over the past several years:
1. Cyberpunk 2077
2. Battlefield 2042
3. Watch Dogs: Legion
4. Redfall
5. A Plague Tale: Requiem
6. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
7. Forspoken
8. The Callisto Protocol
9. Diablo IV
10. Hogwarts Legacy
11. Tactics Ogre: Reborn
12. Marvel’s Avengers
13. Cyber Hunter
14. The Outer Worlds
15. Ghost Recon Breakpoint
16. Control (initial launch)
17. Madden NFL 21
18. Fallout 76
19. Anthem
20. World War 3 (Early Access)
21. Destruction AllStars

This list includes high-profile releases across different genres, all of which suffered from significant optimization issues at launch, making them cautionary examples for players considering pre-orders.

[DOOM THE PRIME EVIL]

i have played stalker way back when i was a teen i am in my 30s now and nothing will ever make me regret buying this game as even if there are bugs there not there just a normal part of stalker games

[Silwercastle]

Maybe you should just chill out en let people decide for themselves how we want to spend our money. Refunds do exist you know. I have not yet ordered as i am cash strapped other wise i would be a pre-ordering to.

[GlowWorm]

Steam refund is a thing, which pretty much erases arguments against preorder - preorder does not present any financial risk.

Now, if you want to argue, "Never buy at launch, always wait xxx weeks until after launch i.e. after multiple patches have come out." then I think there are supporting arguments for that. I think it's an unrealistic thing to ask people to do, but at least you could make logical arguments in favor of that.

[Cody]

You can refund games under two hours, the problems you listed aren't due to pre-ordering, it's due to people being too incompetent to start a refund if major issues are apparent.

[LuKi]

OP post encouraged me to pre-order STALKER 2 twice, on Steam and GOG - because why not?

Do not tell people what they should do with their own money.
Also....
NEVER. TRUST. REVIEWS.
Trust only yourself and you'll never get disappointed.

"Journalists" reviews are in majority paid or silly, totally unreliable.

Players reviews for at least several weeks post launch of ANY game are in majority just emotional, pointless, drama fueling reactions and complains over absolutely everything except actual content available in the game.

Leave reviews for domestic appliances because they are worthless for video games. Player X can enjoy game X but not Y. Player Y can enjoy game Y but not X. You won't know how the game really is until you actually try it yourself. One will hate it, another one will love it. 2 hours offered by Steam are more than enough for first impression, either positive or negative.

[BUSS DRIVER]

If you eventually will buy the game why won't you preorder?
Guess what, people are going to play the game even if it's not ideal on release like they played cyberpunk or bf.

[the supreme gentleman]

Pre ordered on steam, will just cancel if its a hot mess

[Sleynish]

Originally posted by Cody:

You can refund games under two hours, the problems you listed aren't due to pre-ordering, it's due to people being too incompetent to start a refund if major issues are apparent.

Okay, so people who don't refund are problem but giving money for promises instead of finished game isn't. I don't have more questions xD

[Cheyenesku]

"11. Tactics Ogre: Reborn" - high profile game? :D

[Panther]

This point, that is made repeatedly is too general. The sentiment is fair, but you have to acknowledge the format, the liberal refund policy on this specific platform, the specific product and peoples history with it.

If you don't acknowledge the reality of the consumer, they aren't gonna feel like it applies to them, maybe because it doesn't.

[the Mad Arab, Abdul al-Hazred]

The irony of using AI to write this volume.

[Blue]

Originally posted by Puicey_Enthusiast:

Why You Should Wait for Reviews Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (and Other Games)

In the past few years, we've seen a troubling trend in the gaming industry: a pattern of triple-A titles being released in subpar, poorly optimized states—often relying too heavily on marketing promises and AI-driven technologies like DLSS, FSR, and Frame Generation to mask underlying issues. As players, we need to be cautious and hold companies accountable before spending our hard-earned money on games that may not even run well on our systems.

A History of Poor Optimization at Launch

We've all experienced the frustration of buying a highly anticipated game only to find it riddled with performance issues. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Battlefield 2042, Redfall, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor all had disastrous launches due to poor optimization. Despite massive marketing budgets and high expectations, these games launched with stuttering, low FPS, and other performance problems—often requiring high-end PCs to run smoothly at medium settings. Even ray-tracing and AI enhancements like DLSS couldn’t cover up the underlying technical issues.

Cyberpunk 2077, for example, was hailed as a technological marvel but launched with disastrous performance on PC, forcing many to wait months for patches to fix basic issues. Battlefield 2042 saw high-end systems struggle to maintain decent FPS, despite promises of cutting-edge performance. The list goes on, with many other recent titles delivering lackluster experiences despite claims of advanced technology.

The Over-Reliance on AI Tech and Its Pitfalls

Many of these games over-rely on DLSS, FSR, Frame Generation, and other AI-enhanced features to boost performance—but this often feels like a Band-Aid solution to deeper optimization issues. While these technologies can improve performance, they are not magic fixes for games that are poorly optimized from the ground up. Too often, developers focus on flashy features and cutting-edge visual effects, only to release a product that can't run smoothly on a wide range of systems. The result? Players are left frustrated and stuck with games that require constant patches to even be playable.

The reliance on these technologies has become a crutch for developers. Instead of properly optimizing the core game, some studios just assume these AI solutions will make up for technical flaws. But it’s clear: these technologies are not enough to salvage a game that’s launched in a poor state.

Why You Should Wait Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

With the lessons of the past five years in mind, we have to ask ourselves: Do we really want to trust pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? We've seen too many games—despite their promises—release with serious issues that take months to address. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is highly anticipated, yes, but after the history of recent launches, we should be cautious.

Instead of pre-ordering, wait for the reviews and gameplay footage to drop. Here’s why:

1. Performance Matters: Let’s be honest, all the fancy tech in the world doesn’t matter if the game doesn’t run well. Wait for reviews to assess whether S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 runs smoothly on a variety of systems. If the game suffers from stuttering, low FPS, or crashes at launch—like many recent big releases—your money and time will be better saved.


2. Avoiding a Disastrous Launch: Many developers these days are pushing out games before they’re truly ready, knowing they can fix them later. You shouldn’t have to deal with a game that’s broken at launch, only to receive promises of patches “coming soon.” Waiting for reviews gives you the insight you need to avoid this.


3. Accountability for Developers: When we pre-order, we’re essentially giving companies money upfront for a product they haven’t delivered yet. This practice encourages bad habits and leads to rushed, unfinished products. Let’s stand together and push for more accountability in the gaming industry by holding off on pre-orders until the game is in a state worth buying.



The Bottom Line: Wait, Watch, and Decide

In this age of rapid patches and AI-assisted technologies, performance often takes a backseat to marketing. Instead of falling into the cycle of pre-ordering and hoping for the best, we should wait for solid reviews and gameplay footage to confirm that a game delivers as promised. After all, your time and money are valuable.

Let’s take a stand against the current state of early access, broken launches, and unoptimized games. If S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 runs well and the reviews are positive, buy it—but if it doesn’t, save yourself the trouble and wait for the fixes to come. Don’t fall for the hype; let the reviews and the community’s feedback be your guide.

Here’s the combined list of games that released with poor performance over the past several years:
1. Cyberpunk 2077
2. Battlefield 2042
3. Watch Dogs: Legion
4. Redfall
5. A Plague Tale: Requiem
6. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
7. Forspoken
8. The Callisto Protocol
9. Diablo IV
10. Hogwarts Legacy
11. Tactics Ogre: Reborn
12. Marvel’s Avengers
13. Cyber Hunter
14. The Outer Worlds
15. Ghost Recon Breakpoint
16. Control (initial launch)
17. Madden NFL 21
18. Fallout 76
19. Anthem
20. World War 3 (Early Access)
21. Destruction AllStars

This list includes high-profile releases across different genres, all of which suffered from significant optimization issues at launch, making them cautionary examples for players considering pre-orders.

If the game is broken and i notice within 2 hours, i can refund the game. Go away.

[Balthasar☆]

Originally posted by Puicey_Enthusiast:

Why You Should Wait for Reviews Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (and Other Games)

In the past few years, we've seen a troubling trend in the gaming industry: a pattern of triple-A titles being released in subpar, poorly optimized states—often relying too heavily on marketing promises and AI-driven technologies like DLSS, FSR, and Frame Generation to mask underlying issues. As players, we need to be cautious and hold companies accountable before spending our hard-earned money on games that may not even run well on our systems.

A History of Poor Optimization at Launch

We've all experienced the frustration of buying a highly anticipated game only to find it riddled with performance issues. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Battlefield 2042, Redfall, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor all had disastrous launches due to poor optimization. Despite massive marketing budgets and high expectations, these games launched with stuttering, low FPS, and other performance problems—often requiring high-end PCs to run smoothly at medium settings. Even ray-tracing and AI enhancements like DLSS couldn’t cover up the underlying technical issues.

Cyberpunk 2077, for example, was hailed as a technological marvel but launched with disastrous performance on PC, forcing many to wait months for patches to fix basic issues. Battlefield 2042 saw high-end systems struggle to maintain decent FPS, despite promises of cutting-edge performance. The list goes on, with many other recent titles delivering lackluster experiences despite claims of advanced technology.

The Over-Reliance on AI Tech and Its Pitfalls

Many of these games over-rely on DLSS, FSR, Frame Generation, and other AI-enhanced features to boost performance—but this often feels like a Band-Aid solution to deeper optimization issues. While these technologies can improve performance, they are not magic fixes for games that are poorly optimized from the ground up. Too often, developers focus on flashy features and cutting-edge visual effects, only to release a product that can't run smoothly on a wide range of systems. The result? Players are left frustrated and stuck with games that require constant patches to even be playable.

The reliance on these technologies has become a crutch for developers. Instead of properly optimizing the core game, some studios just assume these AI solutions will make up for technical flaws. But it’s clear: these technologies are not enough to salvage a game that’s launched in a poor state.

Why You Should Wait Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

With the lessons of the past five years in mind, we have to ask ourselves: Do we really want to trust pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? We've seen too many games—despite their promises—release with serious issues that take months to address. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is highly anticipated, yes, but after the history of recent launches, we should be cautious.

Instead of pre-ordering, wait for the reviews and gameplay footage to drop. Here’s why:

1. Performance Matters: Let’s be honest, all the fancy tech in the world doesn’t matter if the game doesn’t run well. Wait for reviews to assess whether S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 runs smoothly on a variety of systems. If the game suffers from stuttering, low FPS, or crashes at launch—like many recent big releases—your money and time will be better saved.


2. Avoiding a Disastrous Launch: Many developers these days are pushing out games before they’re truly ready, knowing they can fix them later. You shouldn’t have to deal with a game that’s broken at launch, only to receive promises of patches “coming soon.” Waiting for reviews gives you the insight you need to avoid this.


3. Accountability for Developers: When we pre-order, we’re essentially giving companies money upfront for a product they haven’t delivered yet. This practice encourages bad habits and leads to rushed, unfinished products. Let’s stand together and push for more accountability in the gaming industry by holding off on pre-orders until the game is in a state worth buying.



The Bottom Line: Wait, Watch, and Decide

In this age of rapid patches and AI-assisted technologies, performance often takes a backseat to marketing. Instead of falling into the cycle of pre-ordering and hoping for the best, we should wait for solid reviews and gameplay footage to confirm that a game delivers as promised. After all, your time and money are valuable.

Let’s take a stand against the current state of early access, broken launches, and unoptimized games. If S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 runs well and the reviews are positive, buy it—but if it doesn’t, save yourself the trouble and wait for the fixes to come. Don’t fall for the hype; let the reviews and the community’s feedback be your guide.

Here’s the combined list of games that released with poor performance over the past several years:
1. Cyberpunk 2077
2. Battlefield 2042
3. Watch Dogs: Legion
4. Redfall
5. A Plague Tale: Requiem
6. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
7. Forspoken
8. The Callisto Protocol
9. Diablo IV
10. Hogwarts Legacy
11. Tactics Ogre: Reborn
12. Marvel’s Avengers
13. Cyber Hunter
14. The Outer Worlds
15. Ghost Recon Breakpoint
16. Control (initial launch)
17. Madden NFL 21
18. Fallout 76
19. Anthem
20. World War 3 (Early Access)
21. Destruction AllStars

This list includes high-profile releases across different genres, all of which suffered from significant optimization issues at launch, making them cautionary examples for players considering pre-orders.

You can type as many Words you like but "suggesting" others to wait for reviews of some randos and not pre-ordering Games is an absolute no go. I form my own fckin opinion about anything rather than depending on "reviews" of others that doesn't mean jack sh1t at the end so, get lost.

[Tam]

2 hours isn't really enough time to properly evaluate a game's performance and find settings that give you the framerate you want.

When games have performance problems, it can be with specific things happening. For example, weather effects might greatly impact framerate, but you don't see them in your 2 hour refund window. Or, you might have performance problems in a certain area of the open world.

Personally, I wouldn't have pre-ordered STALKER 2 if I wasn't a huge fanboy. But I am, so I did

[Napoleon Solo]

Originally posted by Puicey_Enthusiast:

Why You Should Wait for Reviews Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (and Other Games)

In the past few years, we've seen a troubling trend in the gaming industry: a pattern of triple-A titles being released in subpar, poorly optimized states—often relying too heavily on marketing promises and AI-driven technologies like DLSS, FSR, and Frame Generation to mask underlying issues. As players, we need to be cautious and hold companies accountable before spending our hard-earned money on games that may not even run well on our systems.

A History of Poor Optimization at Launch

We've all experienced the frustration of buying a highly anticipated game only to find it riddled with performance issues. Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Battlefield 2042, Redfall, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor all had disastrous launches due to poor optimization. Despite massive marketing budgets and high expectations, these games launched with stuttering, low FPS, and other performance problems—often requiring high-end PCs to run smoothly at medium settings. Even ray-tracing and AI enhancements like DLSS couldn’t cover up the underlying technical issues.

Cyberpunk 2077, for example, was hailed as a technological marvel but launched with disastrous performance on PC, forcing many to wait months for patches to fix basic issues. Battlefield 2042 saw high-end systems struggle to maintain decent FPS, despite promises of cutting-edge performance. The list goes on, with many other recent titles delivering lackluster experiences despite claims of advanced technology.

The Over-Reliance on AI Tech and Its Pitfalls

Many of these games over-rely on DLSS, FSR, Frame Generation, and other AI-enhanced features to boost performance—but this often feels like a Band-Aid solution to deeper optimization issues. While these technologies can improve performance, they are not magic fixes for games that are poorly optimized from the ground up. Too often, developers focus on flashy features and cutting-edge visual effects, only to release a product that can't run smoothly on a wide range of systems. The result? Players are left frustrated and stuck with games that require constant patches to even be playable.

The reliance on these technologies has become a crutch for developers. Instead of properly optimizing the core game, some studios just assume these AI solutions will make up for technical flaws. But it’s clear: these technologies are not enough to salvage a game that’s launched in a poor state.

Why You Should Wait Before Pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

With the lessons of the past five years in mind, we have to ask ourselves: Do we really want to trust pre-ordering S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2? We've seen too many games—despite their promises—release with serious issues that take months to address. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is highly anticipated, yes, but after the history of recent launches, we should be cautious.

Instead of pre-ordering, wait for the reviews and gameplay footage to drop. Here’s why:

1. Performance Matters: Let’s be honest, all the fancy tech in the world doesn’t matter if the game doesn’t run well. Wait for reviews to assess whether S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 runs smoothly on a variety of systems. If the game suffers from stuttering, low FPS, or crashes at launch—like many recent big releases—your money and time will be better saved.


2. Avoiding a Disastrous Launch: Many developers these days are pushing out games before they’re truly ready, knowing they can fix them later. You shouldn’t have to deal with a game that’s broken at launch, only to receive promises of patches “coming soon.” Waiting for reviews gives you the insight you need to avoid this.


3. Accountability for Developers: When we pre-order, we’re essentially giving companies money upfront for a product they haven’t delivered yet. This practice encourages bad habits and leads to rushed, unfinished products. Let’s stand together and push for more accountability in the gaming industry by holding off on pre-orders until the game is in a state worth buying.



The Bottom Line: Wait, Watch, and Decide

In this age of rapid patches and AI-assisted technologies, performance often takes a backseat to marketing. Instead of falling into the cycle of pre-ordering and hoping for the best, we should wait for solid reviews and gameplay footage to confirm that a game delivers as promised. After all, your time and money are valuable.

Let’s take a stand against the current state of early access, broken launches, and unoptimized games. If S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 runs well and the reviews are positive, buy it—but if it doesn’t, save yourself the trouble and wait for the fixes to come. Don’t fall for the hype; let the reviews and the community’s feedback be your guide.

Here’s the combined list of games that released with poor performance over the past several years:
1. Cyberpunk 2077
2. Battlefield 2042
3. Watch Dogs: Legion
4. Redfall
5. A Plague Tale: Requiem
6. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
7. Forspoken
8. The Callisto Protocol
9. Diablo IV
10. Hogwarts Legacy
11. Tactics Ogre: Reborn
12. Marvel’s Avengers
13. Cyber Hunter
14. The Outer Worlds
15. Ghost Recon Breakpoint
16. Control (initial launch)
17. Madden NFL 21
18. Fallout 76
19. Anthem
20. World War 3 (Early Access)
21. Destruction AllStars

This list includes high-profile releases across different genres, all of which suffered from significant optimization issues at launch, making them cautionary examples for players considering pre-orders.

No)
I decide my self what to do with my money