The exclusion zone has officially expanded to new hardware. After a year on the market, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is live on PlayStation 5. GSC Game World hasn't just ported the code; they have integrated platform-specific features that fundamentally change how you interact with the Chornobyl Anomalous Zone.
DualSense Integration and Gyro Aiming
If you have played a survival shooter on a controller, you know the difficulty of precision aiming against a Bloodsucker rushing your position. The PS5 version addresses this with full gyro aiming support at launch. This allows for fine-tune adjustments via motion control, bridging the gap between stick aiming and mouse precision—a critical feature for a game where ammo scarcity demands accuracy.
Haptic feedback has also been tuned for the Zone. Anomalies are often invisible until they trigger; the DualSense implementation aims to provide tactile warnings through the controller before you step into a gravity pocket. Feeling the tension in the trigger when your weapon jams or the distinct rumble of an emission adds a necessary sensory layer to the survival mechanics.
PS5 Pro and Optimization
For players on the PS5 Pro, the developers have pushed the engine's global illumination and weather systems further. The Zone's atmosphere relies heavily on lighting—from the pitch-black underground labs to the harsh sunlight hitting the rusting radar arrays. The Pro enhancements target these volumetric effects specifically.
Game Director Ievgen Grygorovych confirmed that this release benefits from a year of optimization work across all platforms. The technical struggles that affected the initial 2024 launch on other platforms have largely been addressed, offering a more stable framerate for console players.
Is the Story Different on PS5?
The narrative remains identical, but PS5 players get the benefit of a complete content package. You step into the boots of Skif, a veteran smuggling a mysterious 'Scanner' into the Zone. The political landscape you'll navigate—balancing relations between the authoritarian Ward faction and the anarchistic Spark led by Scar—is fully intact. However, with all post-launch patches included, the progression through these faction questlines is significantly smoother than it was a year ago.