Spirit of the PC 2024: Stalker 2

Stalker 2 captured the Sprit of the PC this year—its vibrancy, inventiveness (and, yes, occasional jank). For more awards, visit our Game of the Year 2024 hub.

Joshua Wolens, News Writer: This might sound odd, but what I most love about Stalker 2 is how Stalker it is: how far it goes—even in dolled-up 2024 form—to preserve all the systemic strangeness and seemingly bizarre design priorities that made the original games great. Even with the A-Life system apparently busted, the world still feels to me like it lives...