GAME · released

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

GSC Game World

Quick read

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a hostile Zone: factions, anomalies, a gun that jams. A sandbox that can ignore your main quest while you loot a corpse.

What kind of game is it?

Systemic FPS survival. The world is mean. You stalk, you trade, you bleed out because a mutant heard you. The Zone has errands that are not yours.

Who is it for?

For players who crave a zone they stalk, a rifle, and a stash they might not reach.

How it plays

Loop: Exploring a map
Sessions: Long sessions
Progression: Campaign
Players: Single-player
Structure: Sandbox
Tone: Tense · Brutal

Game DNA

What playing it feels like, out of 100. Our reading, separate from Steam reviews.

Progression80
Estimate
Story58
Estimate
Social18
Estimate

Key Steam facts

Steam store figures, checked 17 Aug 2026.

Release

released

2007-03-20

Review score

95%

Checked 17 Aug 2026.

Steam positive percent.

Review count

48,086

Checked 17 Aug 2026.

Store price

€19.99

Checked 17 Aug 2026.

Languages

Demo

Early Access

Players

Single-player

How many people play S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl?

Estimates from public Steam data, not figures from the studio. Ranges, not exact numbers.

Estimated copies

1.2M – 2.6M

Steam reviews × 25 to 55. For a free game: players, not sales.

All-time peak players

3,719

Most people playing at the same moment, per SteamCharts.

Average players, Aug 2026

151

Peak that month: 316.

Median playtime

18.8 h

Half of 300 recent reviewers played 9.6–33.7 h. 6% under 2 h.

Players over time

Sept 2023Aug 2026

Where the players are

Languages of the last 300 Steam reviews. A proxy for regions, not a country split.

Russian41%
English32%
Ukrainian9%
Portuguese (Brazil)4%
Spanish (Spain)3%
Polish3%

Steam data checked 4 Oct 2026

What makes it different?

A sandbox that can ignore your main quest.

Core mechanics

Crafting

Similar games

Full games-like page →

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Nearby games. Not always a direct substitute.

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Genre / subgenre

Steam genre: Survival.

Related rankings

Sources

Store price checked 17 Aug 2026.

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