S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope Trailer Shows Iron Forest and Chornobyl NPP
The trailer is the first extended look at the expansion's two new areas, confirming that the Iron Forest and Chornobyl NPP will be explorable with distinct gameplay elements, which sets expectations for the August 20 release.
Key Facts
- Sega released the "Chornobyl NPP & Iron Forest Exploration" gameplay trailer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope on August 7, 2026.
- The trailer runs approximately eight minutes and shows exploration, combat, and new locations in the Iron Forest and Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope is scheduled for release on August 20, 2026, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
- The expansion adds two new areas, each with unique hubs, quests, and activities, and offers dozens of hours of gameplay.
- The Iron Forest introduces a new anomaly called "Gaze," and the nuclear power plant area features battles against zombified stalkers.
Reporting from 3 sources: 4Gamer.net, ASCII.jp, Game Spark.
Sega released a new gameplay trailer for the large downloadable content "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope" on August 7, 2026. The approximately eight-minute video, titled "Chornobyl NPP & Iron Forest Exploration," introduces exploration, combat, and new locations set in the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Iron Forest. The expansion is scheduled for release on August 20 for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The main game is a survival horror shooter set in an open-world Zone rendered with Unreal Engine 5. Cost of Hope offers dozens of hours of gameplay and adds two new areas, each with unique hubs, quests, and activities. The story depicts hope in a collapsed world. In the Iron Forest, the player climbs a transmission tower while encountering a new anomaly called "Gaze." In the nuclear power plant area, battles against zombified stalkers take place within complex buildings. The expansion is distributed by GSC Game World.
The trailer, released by Sega on August 7, runs about eight minutes and focuses on the two new areas added in the expansion. The Iron Forest features a transmission tower climb and the new anomaly called "Gaze," while the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant area includes battles against zombified stalkers inside complex buildings. The expansion is described as a large story DLC offering dozens of hours of gameplay, with each of the two new areas having its own hubs, quests, and activities.
The main game, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, is a survival horror FPS set in the Zone, developed by GSC Game World. It is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG.com, and Windows, as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The expansion is scheduled for release on August 20 local time. The trailer is available on YouTube, and the official website for the game provides further details.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.