The Zone's hazards make this a fit for players drawn to a threatening survival setting. Steam lists single-player and multiplayer, with several interface languages available. The offer costs $14.25 from Eneba. Weigh that against your budget and whether you want to explore the Zone now; if timing matters more, you could instead consider the next announced Steam sale window without assuming the game will be included.At $19.99 on Steam, you can compare the price from Eneba.
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94%Steam Reviews38K reviews82Metacritic/100
Released: Mar 19, 2007
Atmospheric · Post-apocalyptic · Open World · FPS · Survival
EnebaS.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Steam Key GLOBAL·Platform:Steam·-29%from~ $14.25Save $5.74 vs SteamBuy now
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Price History
Past 36 months · Updated daily
Historical Low~ $0.002026-08Current Low Across Stores~ $14.25Eneba
Prices cover Steam and 39 authorized stores; only legitimate offers are counted. The chart shows weekly market-wide lows and Steam's official price across the past 36 months.
01About S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Survival in the Zone means facing radiation, anomalies and deadly creatures, as well as other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s pursuing their own goals.The Steam PC version has a positive rating of 94% from 38,031 reviews.It was released on March 19, 2007.
$0.002026-08-12 · ZZapagamesBase game · same records as the chart above; USD history, not a regional Steam low.
Language support
Language
Interface
Subtitles
Audio
Traditional Chinese
Yes
—
—
English
Yes
—
Yes
French
Yes
—
Yes
Show 6 more languages
Language
Interface
Subtitles
Audio
Italian
Yes
—
Yes
Spanish
Yes
—
Yes
German
Yes
—
Yes
Russian
Yes
—
Yes
Ukrainian
Yes
—
Yes
Polish
Yes
—
Yes
Steam PC edition data · 2026-10-20
02Before you buy
Languages
Steam PC lists English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Russian and Japanese interface languages, as well as Simplified Chinese. Full audio is listed for these languages.
Play modes
The Steam version lists both single-player and multiplayer. Controller support is not specified.
03Frequently asked questions
What is the game about?
You try to survive in the Zone, threatened by radiation, anomalies, deadly creatures and other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s with their own aims.
Does it have multiplayer?
Yes. The Steam version lists both single-player and multiplayer.
Which interface languages are listed?
The listed interface languages are English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.
Popular Steam reviews
Native-language selection · 10 reviews
Selected helpful reviews in this language show both recommendations and criticisms. This selection does not represent the overall positive rating; opinions reflect the version reviewed.
RecommendedSteam player
one time i masturbated while i had this game open because it wouldn't let me alt tab and i didnt want to close it and now i cannot maintain an erection unless the threat of inevitable death from radiation sickness looms over meShow moreShow less
24.8 hours at review1,687 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Whoever made the last level of the game is evilShow moreShow less
23 hours at review416 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
It's fallout for men.Show moreShow less
30.7 hours at review632 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
So I gave this game a try because I had heard so many people talk very positively about it and after about an hour I didn't get it. The AI was janky at best and the shooting felt off. I couldn't tell if it was an accuracy issue or if the guns just didn't feel strong enough. Started looking through reviews and finally got to a few that basically said guns don't do much damage outside of headshots and there's very little indication that you actually hit the target. So my shots were likely landing, I just couldnt tell that they were. I could only tell when they would actually flinch from a shot, which they wouldn't always do. There are mods to fix these issues I just didn't feel the game did enough for me to invest the time to implement them. Atmosphere felt cool and the story may be interesting but if the core gameplay doesn't work properly then there's no real point in trying to play it
You shouldn't have to mod a game to make it playable, this might be an amazing game with those mods but you still shouldn't have to implement them in the first place. I do wish that Steam had a middle of the road review option because I'm mostly writing this so people know what they may be getting into when buying this. I didn't see enough in what I played that warrants taking the time to mod. Just wanted to give a bit of a heads up
EDIT: Felt some of the terminology was harsher than the game deserved and edited portions to indicate that my issues with the shooting mechanics weren't with the accuracy but more with the indication of shots landing which made me question accuracy.Show moreShow less
1.3 hours at review95 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
You were a good stalker Vladimir Yezhov, one of the best in fact.
Rest In Peace.Show moreShow less
0.9 hours at review597 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
I played this game for hours before I finally realized that I hated it more than I liked it. It has so many things I like. It's sordid, post-apocalyptic and there are russians. What's there not to like. But it's the way the game tries to fool me that get me so mad. First, it makes me believe I'm in an open world until I see the first "move to the next level?" which makes me painfully realize that I'm not really, then it's the way the game tries to be realistic in terms of combat, but I can shoot a guy in the head three times and he's still alive and kicking. And finally, it's that feeling that everything is without purpose. I go fetch some ducuments in some old camp or factory. There are soldiers, bandits, mutants, anomalies. I spend hours getting rid of them because my weapons hardly do any damage. I played this game for almost 20 hours until I realized that I just get frustrated because there's hardly any sense of achievement or progression. I run around and suddenly, when I reach a certain point, I advance to some next level where the story continues. It's a shame because there is so much potential in this game but it just feels unfinished. All I do is go to some place, avoid obstacles, shoot ennemies and go back to cash in some reward. It's not the worst game but after some time, it just gets boring as hell.Show moreShow less
17 hours at review73 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
Fallout for real men.
There's a merc suit hidden in one of the roofs in the Rookie village, good hunting S.T.A.L.K.E.R.Show moreShow less
12.2 hours at review559 people found this helpful
Received for free
Not recommendedSteam player
A glorious and abysmal masterpiece of both visionary narrative and an abortive failure of execution, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. SoC" is a remarkable example of truly great storytelling and immersive atmosphere saddled with a god-awful combination of everything else in the alphabet from 'Aim' to 'Zone'. I have never felt so polarized in a gaming experience or wanted it to be better than it was so much, but to quote Melisandre from 'Clash of Kings' "If half an onion is black with rot, it is a rotten onion."
I want to start with the the feature that is really carrying "STALKER" which is the story and atmosphere. I won't repeat it in full here, but will say that I found it just as compelling and immersive as the most adoring fan of the series. The Ukrainian Zone of Chernobyl is the perfect dichotomy of despair and opportunity, artfully crafted and fully alive. The original story in the game melds perfectly with the environment, although the plot becomes a little too eccentric and quirky by the late game.
When the protagonist, named the Marked One, first sets out on early missions in the world it feels just like the moment in "The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion" when the Hero leaves the Imperial Prison to realize they are inhabiting a fully open world in a beautiful and atmospheric meadow. It's a limitless space filled with opportunity and wonder. There are artifacts for collecting, factions for joining and betraying, causes to either support or curtail, and guns...lots of guns.
This euphoric moment is the start of a long trend downward that begins immediately and doesn't end until the player finishes the game. First, you start to meet meet the NPC characters which differ from the environment in that they are pixelated and grainy creatures with odd gestures and only a rudimentary dialog tree (for reference, TES3: Morrowind released 2002, TES4: Oblivion in 2006, STALKER SoC in 2007.) Nearly every character in the game is just filler with useless dialog who are co-located with the few characters of some significance. For example, I learned from dozens of these NPC's that a noted STALKER named Otter had died several days ago. I expected some quest or additional lore about Otter to materialize, but it's just chatter that had become repetitive, like the popular meme "Have you heard about the High Elves." Nearly all dialog, both important and trivial, are delivered through lengthy and tedious text boxes that should have been retired by this year in game development.
Let's also take a moment to discuss the game's other real opponent - the inventory system. Without mods, the game allows the player to carry up to 60.0Kg of inventory or 70.0Kg with a fatigue penalty in extreme instances (i.e. the whole game.) Guns, ammo, artifacts, medkits, food, and even Vodka all add to carry weight, and it is extremely hard to do the weight/reward math in the field, especially when standing on an enemy spawn point (more on this later.) The loyalists to the STALKER brand will tell you that this makes the game more realistic, but I disagree. My job in the Accounting department is realistic, but I don't do it everyday for the authenticity.
There is also a perfect lesson here on Soviet money, which is that money isn't important. Nearly all goods that are sold (like guns and armor) are often found on enemy corpses and in stashes throughout the game, so you don't actually need the rubles to buy the best inventory in the game - what you need is the inventory space to carry it back, which brings us back to the original point. Long story short, money doesn't matter very much.
A text-based inventory system (a la Fallout 3) would probably have worked better than the grid-based system. Many guns look similar and I sold a valuable unique gun twice thinking that it was a more common variant. Also, the grid can reach further than the end the screen and keeps snapping back upwards, and moving multiple inventories is a chore. You can't move 'all' of one-type of ammo for example, so have to keep double-clicking to individually move 1,000 rounds of shotgun shells in 10 unit boxes. This could have been significantly improved with a little effort.
There are a number of places where the game is not shy about dropping you into an enemy spawn point, so the Marked One is in immediate mortal risk of pop-in bandits. In fact, instant death is around every corner so be sure to Quicksave often (but not too often because Quicksaving at a spawn point can also ruin your save in the worst way). There are actually some places on the map (like the Train Depot at Garbage) that function as a virtual Valhalla, in neverending conflict with spawning enemies for all time - don't use these locations to stockpile valuables.
There is no XP or leveling in the title, but the protagonist does grow stronger with added weapons and armor during the earlier levels. It is refreshing to take down those challenging bandits with ease, but there is an upper limit to this and almost no preparation will make the late game easier. This is where "STALKER SoC" becomes unforgivably difficult - the final stages nearest to the Chernobyl Reactor are what flipped my review from a soft positive to a sharp negative. The Monolith elites from the last few stages are not humans - they're bulletsponges built atop aimbots. The Marked One can only approach the final objective across a field of hyper-accurate snipers and rocket-launching helicopters who always know where the player is. There is no strategy to accomplish this, only lucky breaks that sometimes occur in 1 out of 100 attempts where a path opens in the field of fire, rewarding the player with even more corridors of elite bruisers who can shoot through walls and don't feel pain or lose accuracy even after a shotgun bolt through the nose. I was never nearer to throwing my keyboard through the wall than near the end of the title when the challenge rose to 500% and the drops became sparse. Here's the math: If every opponent costs 3/4 of player's health and 40 rounds of ammo, but only drops 10-15 rounds of ammo or a medkit 10% of the time, how do you keep playing? Only by hoping for perfect accuracy, hit detection and satisfactory drops from every body.
To fully compound this grueling and unsatisfying experience, I eventually survived to see the end of the game after hours of work from Pripyat. I actually did not pre-plan my ending to experience it without spoilers, and of course received the worst of several endings. All the sidequests I performed, factions I supported, and justice I had meted across the Zone mattered less than the fact that I had too many useless rubles in my pocket. It was a disappointing end to an experience that had been disappointing since after the Cordon.
There are mods out there to fix these and other issues, but purists will tell you that the mods are cheating and that a 'raw' vanilla experience is the way to play the game. These people are lying to you and not your friends - the game is unplayable without mods. I played with the 'Complete 2009' mod, but in retrospect I should have used more for just about every facet of the title.
I may actually come back to "STALKER SoC" with the right combination of mods that make the game tolerable because the story and world are just that appealing. But the gameplay and mechanics fail completely and I wouldn't wish the end-game on someone I especially despise, it's just too cruel. My opinion is in the minority of course because the title is 'Overwhelmingly Positive' in many review aggregators. I wish I could share in this general enthusiasm, but I physically feel years older after trying and failing at the ending chapters, only to eventually make it to the final objective and then learn that my real failure was starting in the first place. What the Marked One should have done from Sidorovich's bunker is immediately leave the zone, go to University, study tractors, and have children like Father always wanted.Show moreShow less
54.2 hours at review70 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
Many moons ago in 2003 I stumbled upon a trailer for a game called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Oblivion Lost. After watching said trailer, I quickly became obsessed with the game. I wanted to learn everything I could about it. I searched high and low across the internet for every bit of information I could uncover. Eventually I found the developers forums (GSC) and that became my second home while I awaited its release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqQt-C6KB_8&list=PLAl2CYaVBm6BBV1PbLqoVTbqchC9tHiaz&index=15&t=67s
I remember at the time I was playing Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, With it I fell in love with non-linear open world 1st/3rd person games with RPG elements and how much I could get immersed in virtual worlds. I am all for fantasy settings don't get me wrong, but there is nothing more terrifying than reality. (With a spin of fiction of course, alternate reality if you will) The abandoned urban/industrial locations in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. were more my cup of tea. That in itself made me very excited to play it. I couldn't wait to get lost in its world.
While I waited though I researched about the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in April 1986, it was mixed emotions for me. I was sad/amazed/intrigued. Sad for all of those people who lost their lives because of this. Nothing but respect for the liquidators and anyone involved in the initial cleanup. Those people are heroes and deserve nothing less. Amazed that this game had some real history in its background story. Even if it is incredibly embellished (mutants, anomalies, artifacts etc etc.), you have to admit it makes for an interesting premise to a story. Finally, Intrigued on what these game developers had in store for the players to experience, without making a mockery of those who had lost their lives in this tragedy. The game also borrows elements from "Roadside Picnic" by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky and the 1979 Andrei Tarkovsky film "Stalker". If you haven't heard or checked them out yet, they are most definitely worth it. Masterpieces in their own right.
Well turns out it was a long wait lol, game finally arrived in March 2007. It was no longer Oblivion Lost, it was now called Shadow of Chernobyl. Which was a welcomed change imo, what was not a welcomed change was the amount of content/features that were removed from the game. Vehicles, locations/maps made smaller and simpler, monsters/mutants, superior lighting from old alpha builds among many other things had been removed it was rather disappointing to say the least. The survival aspect of the game took a huge hit, leaving many in the community confused as to what happened during development. GSC Game World regardless of all the missing features still delivered a good game and it was well received by critics as well.
The game at release had performance issues and bugs that required some official patches + plus community fixes. Once that happened it was clear that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chernobyl was a game ahead of its time. In a league all its own and a true gem in the PC gaming world. The atmosphere takes front row seat in this game it is almost like another character in the game. Such believable atmosphere it is downright amazing, it keeps you on the edge of your chair as you play.
Pros:
- Incredible atmosphere!
- Impressive use of lighting and shadows,
- Cloud shadows that shift as day/night cycles progress.
- None stylized (photo based) textures (realism), Replicating the rust and decay feel.
- Great cut-scenes that hold up even by today's standards.
- Plenty of side quests
- Exploring is encouraged to find secret stashes scattered throughout the world to find loot, weapons, ammo, suits and artifacts. Artifacts can be placed on your belt to grant the player abilities like resistance to radiation, increase weight limit etc. Some interesting combinations that can be made with the multitude of artifacts available in the game.
- The games AI can be quite challenging because they adapt/react/flank/take cover depending on your approach. This adds to the games replayability immensely, if its one thing I have learned playing this game is that when it comes to killing the AI is that no playthrough is ever the same. Never. They are very unpredictable lets put it that way.
- Trading system with merchants and other friendly AI characters
- "The Zone" is alive even when you are not in the same vicinity, AI will be fighting mutants and/or other factions (Bandits, Duty, Freedom, Loners, Military, Mercs, Ecologists & Monolith) All fight among themselves.
Besides all the bells and whistles the story is incredibly engaging and keeps you interested throughout. Without too many spoilers (I am sure most people reading this have already played this but still) You play as "Marked One" an amnesiac trying to retrace his steps, he is then set on a mission to the heart of "The Zone" (term used to refer to the 30 kilometer Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, established after the accident.) to find a target and their whereabouts. Game also has multiple endings depending on the choices made by the player, 7 in total.
Cons:
- Lots of "fetch" side quests (Surprise? lol)
- AI that can sometimes see you from "miles" away (vanilla)
- Some quest giving characters can die. (vanilla)
Just a heads up. Nothing game breaking but worth noting. Just like all games, it's not perfect.
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Mods: (Updated 9/18/2022)
The modding scene for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games is very much alive.
- ZRP (Zone Reclamation Project) (community fixes keeps vanilla intact) ZRP
ZRP goes perfect in a first playthrough to have the best bug-free experience with the game. Once your done with your first playthrough consider modding the game. Shadow of Chernobyl has some incredible mods worth installing. Especially, if you are looking for cut content like mutants & vehicles, a new storyline, better visuals (Texture packs, Reshade, ENBs etc), more weapons & attachments, new side quests, improved enemy AI, realistic weapon damage & accuracy, free roam & ironman modes, new areas to explore & all 3 games (Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky & Call of Pripyat) maps together in one & survival elements in the form of crafting, animated consumables, item repairing, cooking & base building.
Some of the mods I can recommend are:
[SoC Mods] [Classics]
- Oblivion Lost
- Priboi Story
- L.U.R.K.
- OGSE (Old Good Stalker Evolution)
- AMK v1.4
- ABC Inferno
- STALKER Soup
- Narodnaya Soljanka DMX 1.3.2 dkz02
- Autumn Aurora 2 (Overall favorite SoC mod)
[Standalone] [Modern]
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lost Alpha DCE
- Radiophobia 3
- Dead Air: Revolution
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Anomaly (Monolith 64-bit engine + hundreds of addons)
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: G.A.M.M.A. (Curated Anomaly Modpack 329 addons)
The list goes on really, just my humble recommendations on the ones I have tried.
Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat are awesome games as well, worth checking out at least once. They also have great mods which I will not mention in this review. Worth noting is that many of the improvements seen in modern day STALKER mods couldn't have been possible without these two games. But I will say that there is something about Shadow of Chernobyl's allure and atmosphere that didn't carry over as well to the other two games. Out of all three games, Shadow of Chernobyl is by far still my favorite.
I don't claim to know everything about these games, because honestly I don't. I still discover new things about them every time I play them and new mods coming out all the time. They are gifts that just keep on giving. Thank goodness for Eastern European game developers & the passionate modding community for keeping this game alive!Show moreShow less
584.9 hours at review524 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
OG series got unlisted by GSC, and despite being the games from 2007-2010, the price was increased to be the same as the recently released "enhanced" edition, and that makes no sense.
Additionally, while the "enhanced" versions got the sale, the OG versions did not.
If you hate the old games because they include elements that go against your political views, GSC, then why not just remove these games from the sale? You're already making a clown of yourself by publishing "enhanced" versions upfront, unlisting great games that work perfectly fine on modern systems and not providing seasonal discounts for them.
You're the biggest disappointment, GSC Game World.
To you player, just pirate it, or buy an old CD.Show moreShow less
115.6 hours at review59 people found this helpful
Source: original Steam user reviews. Helpful votes are an archived snapshot, not live data. Last collected: 08/15/2026.
Eneba. Weigh that against your budget and whether you want to explore the Zone now; if timing matters more, you could instead consider the next announced Steam sale window without assuming the game will be included. At $19.99 on Steam, you can compare the price from 
