Flip Through - The Art of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

The Artbook Collector
9 hours ago
2 min read

December 12th 2025

Continuing the run of new release previews, The Artbook Collector YouTube channel has added another book that was published this month, The Art of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl from Dark Horse!

The book is one of three of the video game artbook releases from Dark Horse Books on December 2nd 2025, this time made in partnership with the game's developer GSC Game World. It comes as a hardcover with 224 pages of artwork and insights and arrives just after the PlayStation 5 release of the survival-shooter.

Inside you will find artwork for the locations within the Zone, the characters, enemies, anomalies, weapons, and mutants of the game, alongside in-game details and some artists insights too. The art for the environments captures the eeriness of the game, especially with the realistic art style, and the exploration of the anomalies collects unique shapes and designs for their look. 3D models are also used throughout alongside the 2D artwork.

In my review of the book I highlight that while some of the chapters are strong, others are underserved, with the book in general lacking the early sketches you can find in other releases. You can read my full review here - Book Review - The Art of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl launched in 2024 on Xbox and PC and is a first-person shooter with survival and horror elements. It's the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game to be released in 15 years from GSC Game World, the Ukrainian based developer, and the fourth in the series. It is again set in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and is explored as an open-world filled with deadly anomalies, violent mutants, and enemy humans, all of which add to the danger of the post-apocalyptic world of the game. It features mechanics like hunger, sleep, and weapon degradation, making it a challenging game as you progress through its non-linear story. It has since launched on PlayStation 5 a year later on November 20th 2025.

If you liked the preview, you can order The Art of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl here;