Readying up for the release of Stalker 2? Here’s how you can jump into the action straight after the premiere. All it takes is pre-loading the game to be ready for November 20, 2024.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl takes up around 150 GB, which is pretty massive, so installing the game will certainly take a while. Why wait when all you want to do is play straight away? Fortunately, Xbox users can pre-download Stalker 2 right now.

All you need to do is:

  1. Either purchase the game via Microsoft Store or Xbox Store or get an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
  2. Once that’s done, search for Stalker 2 on the Xbox home page.
  3. Click on Pre-install.

And done! Once the game is downloaded, you will be able to launch in on the release day within seconds.

Please note, however, that this option is only available on Xbox. PC users cannot pre-download Stalker 2, even if the Windows version of the Xbox app seemingly lets you do that. But if you click the Pre-Install button, it gives you an error message. So yeah, it’s just a bug.