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

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Developer(s)	GSC Game World
Publisher(s)	WW: THQ UKR: GSC World Publishing
Director(s)	Andrii Prokhorov Anton Bolshakov
Producer(s)	Anton Bolshakov
Designer(s)	Oleksii Sytianov
Programmer(s)	Oles Shyshkovtsov Oleksandr Maksymchuk Dmytro Iasieniev Andrii Kolomiiets
Artist(s)	Andrii Prokhorov
Writer(s)	Oleksii Sytianov
Composer(s)	Vladimir "MoozE" Frey
Series	S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Engine	X-Ray Engine
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X/S
Release	Microsoft Windows NA: 20 March 2007 AU: 22 March 2007 EU: 23 March 2007 PS4, Xbox One WW: 6 March 2024 Nintendo Switch WW: 31 October 2024 PS5, Xbox Series X/S WW: 20 May 2025
Genre(s)	First-person shooter, survival horror
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (titled S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl on consoles) is a first-person shooter survival horror video game developed by GSC Game World and published by THQ in 2007 following a long development. It is the first game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, set in an alternate reality where a second disaster of mysterious origin occurred at the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, which further contaminated the surrounding area with radiation, and caused strange otherworldly changes in local fauna, flora, and the laws of physics. The background and some of the terminology of the game are borrowed from the 1971 novella Roadside Picnic and its 1979 film adaptation Stalker.

The game features a non-linear storyline with 7 different endings and includes role-playing gameplay elements such as trading and two-way communication with non-player characters. In the game, the player assumes the identity of the Marked One, an amnesiac man trying to find and kill the mysterious Strelok within the Zone, a forbidden territory surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

The game was met with acclaim, with praise for the atmosphere, style and depth, as well as the level design, but was criticized for numerous bugs. It was also a commercial success, selling over 2 million copies by September of 2008. A prequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, was released in 2008. A sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, followed in 2010. A second sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, was released in 2024. There are also multiple fan remakes trying to restore the cut content from the original version of the game.