More than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion delayed its release and upended its developers’ lives, Ukraine’s "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2" — one of the most anticipated video games of the year — was released on Nov. 20.
Employees of GSC Game World, the Ukrainian company
This new stalker game re-introduces characters and story for people who don’t know them from before, and from what I’ve heard foes a pretty good job doing it too. So no, you don’t need to play the previous games.