S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

Scariest new vegas, spent more time modding than playing.

Did a full playthrough unmodded for about 65 hours, only had one game-breaking bug which was easily fixed by a mod. (The starting trader's door got stuck closed.) "Only one game-breaking bug" doesn't sound like a endorsement, but given what's accomplished here in 2007 and how much people meme on this game for bugs, it is genuinely impressive. As long as you are okay with some jank, this is a deeply interesting experience.

I especially recommend this game for those who enjoy Fallout 4 on Survival Mode, although it is worth keeping in mind this game isn't "Fallout but Russian" in tone or setting. Basically, if you like difficult games with realistic restrictions, this is the game for you.

General tips:
* AI is significantly more advanced than what you might be used to in more modern titles. Enemies will take cover and may attempt to flank you.
* Neutral entities that bark at you when you approach them with a weapon are saying "put your weapon away" in Russian/Ukrainian. This is the only untranslated line that might cause confusion to a player; all other lines are either translated or unimportant from a gameplay perspective.
* Mission markers (the green target symbol) sometimes don't go away on your PDA. This is a visual only bug, but it can be fixed by installing the ZRP mod if it really bugs you.
* You will not be able to carry a massive arsenal around all at once. Be selective about what you're carrying, and keep in mind ammo has weight too.

Still an immersive and unique experience after all these years. Expect some jank!

Having never played the stalker Series. Playing through the first games, then will play Stalker 2. However, i am blown away by how advanced this game was for its time! With a few easy to download mods that improve game play and texture packs, you can make this old game look next GEN, graphics aside even playing Vanilla is a must as the atmosphere, ambience and story alone is enough to keep you hooked. really good main story campaign and plenty of side missions to keep you from getting bored in the zone. Almost perfect entry to the series, play this and you wont be disappointed. Now get out their stalker!

Very immersive, amazing world, interesting rpg

Great game. Buggy though.
10/10 do buy!

Drunk with blurry vision both in real-life and in-game at night as dudes speak to me in Russian initiating insane missions in the radioactive open world with me having no idea what's going on.

10/10 would do it again every single time.

I'm finally finishing this game. After waiting for Stalker when it was announced more than 20 years ago, when it came out I never played it for more than a few hours, scared of the bugs and difficulty. Now, I'm playing it on maximum difficulty and it's great! Clumsy and unstable "like an isotope", but great! Slava Ukraine!

I remember attempting this game years ago when I was younger, getting frustrated, and then uninstalling it, never to be played again. Fast forward to 2024, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is coming out. At this point, I tell myself that I should play the old games before trying the new one. Many people seem to recommend that these games be played with mods exclusively due to their perceived age and jank, but after completing Shadow of Chernobyl, I think that this is an unfair assessment.

I almost immediately fell in love with this game. Despite wearing its age on its sleeve, its atmosphere, world building, exploration, and mechanics all drew me in. I honestly don't know why it took me so long to get around to playing this game.

My recommendation; play this game vanilla before adding any mods to enhance or change the experience which the developers at GSC originally created and published back in 2007, and then go back with a modded play-through later on. Who knows, you may just love Shadow of Chernobyl as it is.

Very fun, catching up to play #2

It's easily in the top handful of games that have most immersed me in the worlds they've created. It does have A LOT of minor technical issues, but most of these can be largely overlooked (especially since there are mods that even out the experience gameplay-wise) At it's best, this game takes all of the horrifying aspects a nuclear fallout can bring and amplifies them in ways comparable titles couldn't.

Atmosphere and story is rich and amazing! The AI is smart and will use it's every wit to fight against you and still holds up today! The only flaw is damage and the "myth" on difficulty. However playing on novice or stalker is preferred for a "normal" experience.

Stalker complete 1.5 is recommended!

Overall grade: B- (vanilla)

Enjoyable? Yes
Recommended? To classic FPS fans and those interested in survival-ish/horror-ish/post-apocalyptic themed games
Replayability: low-medium
Total Hrs played: ~40hrs (online+offline play)

+intense, intricate and engaging gameplay/combat
+large, open map with tons of exploration/scavenging opportunities
+atmosphere: gloomy, desolate, perilous
+inventory management and item intricacies eg weapons and armor degrade with use/when taking damage, and vary in stats; find and store food—eat it when you’re hungry; bandages stop wounds from bleeding while first-aid kits replenish health; carry weight limit; etc.
+environment design/variety and weapon/gear, enemy, difficulty progression

+/-brutal and unforgiving, even on the lowest difficulty — one enemy can significantly drain your health or flat out kill you. And, you can die from radiation poisoning pretty quickly if you’re not careful/prepared, though this wasn’t really an issue for me—remain vigilant and save often!!
+/-not suitable for all occasions: you have to be ready for its intensity, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I found that my interest fluctuated because of this—there were times where I dedicated 1+hrs of gameplay per session and others where I would put it down only after a few minutes of play
+/-decent story but had a below-average delivery

-I loved strategizing vs gun wielding enemies but disliked indoor, CQC vs mutants (specifically in lab 18, lab 16). Since these aggressive mutants immediately charge towards you at first sight, the general tactical approach was stripped away
-side quests are recurring, repetitive, and the “kill [target]” and “eliminate/destroy mutants” missions were unintuitive
-almost all side quests are unimportant ie no lore. You would mainly complete these for rewards but there are plenty of supplies awarded/found while pursuing the main story line—I eventually avoided them all together
-once you complete a mission, you have to sprint all the way back to the person that gave you the task so there’s a ton of back and forth ie no fast travel
-dialogue is mostly flat, though you can find some good details in there
-clunk, jank and bugs. Not too bad if you’re forgiving

Steam Deck compatibility: ✅
Offline playable ✔️
~7hrs at max settings (60fps)
Widescreen ✔️
Runs smooth, no stutters or crashes (only one crash in 40hrs)
In-game video setting do not save, so you have to set them up EVERYTIME you launch
Button prompts show as mouse and keyboard buttons
Sorely requires buttons to be remapped imo

my first stalker game in the franchise and im in love!, old and janky but somehow perfect

The game is not new, but it is still interesting. Today, it is harder to play, and for many things, they have come up with more convenient controls, but even 20 years later, the game brings pleasure.

[ENG] S.T.A.L.K.E.R S.o.C

Ever since I was a scrawny little kid, I've wanted to play this game. I remember watching gameplays, clips, and my favorite YouTubers playing it back then, and I remember how in love I was with the dark and disturbing aesthetic of the Zone. On the last summer sale, I remembered this fragment of my childhood when i saw the game on my feed and decided to give this game a chance, blinded by nostalgia.
...And well, I'm disappointed. Be minded, I played the entire game in Vanilla, so as not to alter the original experience, but they can improve YOUR experience, and I recommend that you download the most essential QoL ones, unlike me.
Despite this, I can point out some positive points: The graphics are not bad, and the overall aesthetics of the game are incredible. I love how dark, rusty and hopeless everything inside the Zone looks, the immersion is incredible.
... Incredible until you come across the negative points.
Where do I start?

• The gameplay is generic, it's basically an open-world FPS with a few survival elements. Speaking of, the open world is mostly empty. Seriously, at most you'll find a few artifacts here and there, other than that, NOTHING, and there's no incentive to explore.
  
  
• The side missions are bad and repetitive, and the rewards aren't worth the amount of time and resources you waste. You'll almost always LOSE more than you gain.
  
  
• There's practically no progression, even if you get better equipment, you never feel stronger. And while this favors the atmosphere, since you always feel powerless against the dangers of the Zone, it ends up hurting the gameplay cycle, which becomes repetitive and drags after a while.
  
  
• Many, many bugs and illogical moments. Enemy weapons can go through walls and hit you, the movement of humans and mutants is equally strange and clanky, and their behavior is random and unpredictable. The list goes on.
  
  
• The plot is poorly structured. Not necessarily bad, but poorly executed. The story is all over the place, and it's very likely that you'll finish the game without a clue on what just happened if you don't pay REAL close attention.
  
  
• Inconsistencies. MANY. in the difficulty, which fluctuates all the time, in the subtitles, which sometimes work and most of the time don't exist at all, in combat... in short, the overall quality of the game. Sometimes it feels like a masterpiece, and sometimes it feels like a shitty Oblivion total conversion mod.
  
  

I get it, it's very old... and it's imaginable that I, spoiled by the extremely high standards of the current industry, wouldn't be able to enjoy a game at enlistment age.
But.. If you have a potato pc, i guess it doesn't hurt to give it a chance. But download mods, the Vanilla experience is just what I said.
Thanks for reading!

[PT-BR] S.T.A.L.K.E.R S.o.C

Desde muleque, eu tinha muita vontade de jogar esse jogo. Me lembro de ver gameplays, clipes, e meus youtubers favoritos jogando na época, e me lembro do quão apaixonado eu fiquei pela estética sombria e perturbadora. Recentemente, ao ver o jogo na promoção, eu me lembrei desse fragmento de infância e decidi dar uma chance a esse jogo, cegado pela nostalgia.
...E bem, eu estou decepcionado. Deixando claro, eu joguei todo no Vanilla, sem mods, pra não alterar a experiência original, mas eu reconheço que eles podem melhorar a SUA experiência, e recomendo que você baixe os mais essenciais de qualidade de vida, diferente de mim. Não tem tradução oficial, então recomendo baixar uma na internet.
Apesar disso eu consigo sim apontar alguns pontos positivos: Os gráficos não são ruins, e a estética geral do jogo é incrível. Eu adoro o quão sombrio, enferrujado e desesperançoso tudo dentro da zona parece, a imersão é incrível.
... Incrível até você se deparar com os pontos negativos.
Por onde eu começo?

• A gameplay é genérica, é basicamente um FPS de mundo aberto com alguns poucos elementos de sobrevivência. Mundo aberto esse que é na maioria das vezes vazio. sério, você no máximo acha alguns artefatos aqui e ali, fora isso, NADA, e não tem nenhum incentivo à exploração.
  
  
• As missões secundárias são ruins e repetitivas, e as recompensas não valem a pena pelo tanto de tempo e recursos que você perder pra conseguir elas. Você quase sempre vai PERDER mais do que ganhar.
  
  
• Praticamente não existe progressão, mesmo conseguindo equipamentos melhores, você nunca se sente mais forte. E enquanto isso favorece a atmosfera, já que você sempre se sente impotente aos perigos da Zona, acaba machucando o ciclo de gameplay, que se torna repetitivo e maçante depois de um tempo.
  
  
• Muitos, mas muitos bugs e momentos sem lógica. As armas dos inimigos conseguem atravessar as paredes e acertar você, a movimentação dos humanos e mutantes é igualmente estranha e travada, e seus comportamentos são aleatórios e imprevisíveis. A lista continua.
  
  
• O enredo é mal estruturado. Não necessariamente ruim, mas mal executado. A história é jogada pra todo lado, e é muito provável que você termine o jogo sem nem saber o que aconteceu se você não prestar MUITA atenção.
  
  
[*]Inconsistências. MUITAS. Inconsistências na dificuldade, que oscila toda hora, nas legendas, que as vezes funcionam e na maior parte do tempo não existem, no combate, enfim, na qualidade geral do jogo. As vezes parece uma obra-prima, e as vezes parece um mod de conversão total do Oblivion mal feito.

Eu entendo que é muito antigo... e é de se imaginar que eu, tendo sido mimado pelos altíssimos padrões da indústria atual, não conseguiria desfrutar de um jogo em idade de alistamento.
Se você tem um PC fraco, não dói dar uma chance, mas baixe mods. A experiência Vanilla é isso aí que eu falei.
Obrigado por ler!

Stalker is a cult classic for a reason. While janky, it crafts a truly unique world, factions, and story. Just make sure to play on Master difficulty.

Man do I hate any level that contains the Monolith. Fighting against them inside the nuclear plant is literally rage inducing. Besides that, I highly recommend the game. 10/10

I was unable to finish my playthrough of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl due to instability issues. These issues could not be fixed through mods, through careful planning, through drivers, or through any other means.

Unfortunately, I simply cannot finish and adequately judge the quality of this video game as an experience. I can only warn you that it is essentially uncompletable for those with AMD GPUs.

This is a real life Ukraine Simulator with stunning resemblence to real life. Being Ukrainian myself (I lied) i can confirm that to go to my school I have to bring enough my weapons and antirad to not succomb to the beautiful wildlife of the Zone.
7.5/10 game would play again

Interesting story, annoying but well made npcs for that time, game pretty challenging even for stalker difficulty. Made fell in love even more with s.t.a.l.k.e.r . 9/10

It was Perfect... perfect everything down to the last minute details.

There's a reason why it is a classic. Play it and find out.

This is probably the most bugged game I've ever played (and I'm a veteran at Bethesda games). Even the credits didn't line up correctly. The final mission kept respawning enemies. Half the time I wasn't even allowed to finish quests because of some bug. I didn't get to join a faction, because it was bugged and I wanted to try Freedom first and not just the first faction that came along.
I played it on hard. The gun mechanics aren't terrible, but most of the rest of the game is.
Let me list some of the reasons why you probably won't enjoy this game now (as opposed to like...2008):
1. The graphics are bad even for 2008
2. The bugs (multiple, game-breaking bugs)
3. There are no obvious stashes (but there are -- look for blue boxes)
4. Very bad inventory management
5. There is no fast travel (and there really, really needed to be in this game)
6. The game mechanics are either not explained or explained poorly.

Apparently, there are a lot of mods, because when I was looking for solutions to continue the game I ran into so many posts about them. So, I would consider just playing the game modded if you're really interested in trying this game.

For 2007, this game definitely scratched the FPS itch; Far Cry meets Metro 2033. Pretty janky, would recommend downloading some mods to smooth out the experience (unlike what I did beating my head against the wall while the game crashed for the 3rd time in one night). Overall though, fun shooter with a decent story! Two words: Save. Constantly.

I really tried to like this game, but i don't see why people praise the stalker games so much.

The world is dead, yeah yeah post nuclear zone, but even the small human settlements have very little life to them with the NPCs not doing anything and just sitting there.

The voice over, or lack of it for anything that is not the snooze fest of a 'main quest line' is amazing. I doubt the voice actors got payed millions of dollars for the boring lines in the 'main quest line' so i don't know why didn't more of the dialogue was voiced.

The missions and the bad joke of a main quest line are just fetch quests. Go to point A, kill something or retrieve something and come back to me for your reward. I wouldn't mind just quests if i got to face some monsters that actually had diversity not 50+ mutated dogs and a battalion of bandits or military bad guys.

Even for 2007 this game feels like it should have been released prior to 2002, but who am i judge since i didn't play it when it released. I don't recommend this any at % sale.

Nice game ! Dont forget to save every minute....this game needs autosave...

The best S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game in the series. When the game came out people could not belive how good the old crumbled buildings look, the bricks the lightning and the sound design that completed the immersion. They do not make games like this anymore.

10/10

Great atmosphere and a pretty good story with multiple endings. Bullet sponge enemies and inaccurate guns can be annoying.

i shoot gun. gun stops i die. spend an hour getting back becuse my dum ah forgor to save. die to a meth addict with grenades. repeat. 10/10 game

It was a very good game, but I didn’t understand the ending. The main character said, “I want to rule the world,” and then he was taken away at the end. If you want to watch the game, it will be on my channel soon. Despite its age, I thought the game was quite impressive. If anyone knows the ending, please let me know, as I would love to understand it before I play the other games. Thanks!

Now this isn't the kinda game I would immediatley leap at, as although I love the whole post apocalyptic setting, I'd heard the STALKER games were pretty formidable. Well I was very happy to stick the game on novice mode and just tackle this game as a shooter with some light survival mechanics, as I very much enjoyed this game by the end.

The most impressive aspects would have to be the world design/atmosphere and the AI. It almost feels like an online multiplayer game at times with how smart the AI is, even on a lower difficulty. The guns all feel unique enough to use, with the common thread between them being they fire bullets left right and centre sometimes when I was pretty sure was aiming fairly straight.

You're constantly balancing your health, hunger and radioactive levels which makes the later sections of the game pretty damn tough, but in a believable way. The UI hasn't aged so well and had me frustrated at time, like the map, but it never took away from just how damn immersive and intense the game is.

Really glad I gave this a shot.

best game ever made, the storyline is op and the gameplay for 2007 game is awesome, i didn't get the best ending but i really enjoyed it.

Walking around the zone with nothing but a bandage covered body and the ability to constantly eat bread as if i have a bottomless stomach, while i shoot random bandits, loot them for their weapons and ammo and sell them for a measly profit while i run infinitely by shoving a bunch of glowing blue rocks in my pockets that may or may not be radioactive

I would love to give this game a positive rating, but the stability issues on modern hardware have made my save unplayable.

Very good game, gun gameplay is good. Environment fits with the name, interesting oddities/artefacts created by the radiation!!

This game is and always will be the zamboni for my soul since 2007, when I picked a random CD ROM up in a game store. There's something meditative about walking through the barren wastes of The Zone, even if the occasional tangle with mutants, bandits, radioactive hazards, and supernatural anomalies are somewhat stressful.

/RU/
Если у Вас появится желание разобраться с группой О-сознание, то запаситесь терпением, броней и патронами. Броней не обязательно. Сталкер изменится на CS. Легендарная игра

/EN/
If you ever feel the urge to deal with the O-consciousness group, make sure to stock up on patience, armor, and ammo. The armor is optional. Stalker will change to CS. A legendary game.

There's something special about skedaddling around the zone doing Sidorovich's dirtywork for 10 roubles a piece. Overall the story is gripping and the game is super fun to play, I think the graphics look beautiful to this day and SoC will hold up as one of the best games ever made.
Some mods might be worth considering if you really want your boys to survive the inevitable lethal campfire/barrel spawn, but it is pretty funny (RIP Fox & Wolf).

10/10 game for its time. A must play for any gamer along with the Metro series.

great classic story-shooter easy to run for older computers, great mod support, you could have much fun playing this game

game is cool its literally game of my childhood I when I was little my father played and I was sitting on his shoulders. also there is any coop modes for bad pc's?

Real solid. The gunplay is tighter than something really tight.

Buggy, unplayable, crashy, A loved game which I can't play.. jesus christ..

The base game visual feels very dated, the gameplay is ok, story is also ok. even with outdated visual you can still feel the atmosphere of the zone. That being said I still highly recommend installing the "Starter Pack" mod. you can find it on moddb. it changes the visual without changing the gameplay element.

love this game its old, buggy, and charming! play the trio

My all time desert island game. Perfect combination of dynamic open world and claustrophobic survival horror.

Intricate gameplay systems which each require mastery to advance. 10/10 for atmosphere and replayability.

If you want to get into STALKER - start with Radiophobia. It's this game (Shadow of Chernobyl), upgraded in every way with the same original story.

https://www.moddb.com/mods/radiophobia/

Please buy this game or STALKER 2 to support the talented folks out at GSC!

Just as beautiful as the day I left it.
Literally, I played this game more than 10 years ago, and despite its age, it still offers a very unique atmosphere and immersive gameplay.

I was very pleasantly surprised how good this game holds up. Controls are missing a few newer QoL features and graphics are of course outdated but that never bothers me if I can still get immersed in a game. And holy shit did I get immersed! Highly recommended.

Surprisingly, this game does not feel that old in 2025. I didn't play it when it originally came out, but after hearing a lot of positive things about stalker 2 I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did, because for sure I was not disappointed. The exploration of the underground facilities allows the player to feel a particularly heavy and dreadful atmosphere. Furthermore, piecing the things together after the main protagonist woke up was a one-of-a-kind experience, because once you know the story the initial confusion cannot be relieved. Another memorable moment was when I tested the trick to repair armor with artifacts, it allowed me to save a lot of money. The combat part was also very enjoyable. It was quite balanced and felt fluid enough, although there were not enough hot keys to use some items from inventory.
Also, I wish that there were more opportunities to explore the city itself. However, this desire would be later fulfilled in the call of pripyat sequel.