In the year 1986, the world's most terrible and horrific nuclear disaster occurred at the Chernobyl power station. The Soviet authorities established a 30km 'Exclusion Zone' around the nuclear wasteland, but in 2006 there was a second powerful explosion that rocked the stricken reactor, obliterating all living things in the vicinity and causing the Zone's boundaries to ripple outwards.

From this epicenter crawled out waves of mutated creatures, deadly radiation, and an unknown, anomalous form of energy. The Zone was closed off by the military, which would directly shoot anyone on first sight, so perhaps being foolish enough or that brave is deserving of the horrors that await you within the Zone.

It is now the year 2012 – The Zone has been ventured further and further into and reports of strange 'artifacts' imbued with anomalous energy have attracted the attention of many.

Mercenaries and bounty hunters compete to secure and recover these artifacts, which reach hefty prices on the black market. Others are more interested in finding out the truth behind the accidents that took place in the Zone, and then there are some who just flourish and revel in the desolate lawlessness of the place.

Whatever the motivation, over time these individuals - Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers and Robbers – have all become known as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s.

The game starts with you awakening in the Zone, being one such S.T.A.L.K.E.R., fighting for your own survival in this man-made Hell, while trying to uncover the truth behind Chernobyl's sinister past and possibly doomed future.

• An immersive storyline seamlessly blended with a living, breathing, non-linear open-world environment governed by the revolutionary 'A-Life' system.
• The scenery includes accurately depicted and 3D modeled real-world buildings and iconic locations from deep inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
• The unique 'Survival FPS' gameplay structure combines action, stealth, survival-horror and RPG elements that merge elegantly and create an incomparable experience.
• Another great feature is the Enemy Threat Evaluation AI system - NPC characters react dynamically to environments and situations. The patterns of foes change and they do not act the same twice.
• Brutally realistic combat mechanics - weapons display accurate ballistic properties and can be modified with silencers and telescopic scopes. The game relies heavily on real-world conditions and reflects the situations outside the usual sterile and perfect aiming. Your guns might defect, get damaged or become useless if you are not careful enough.
• The dynamic day/night cycle and weather system directly impact the game play.
• Advanced physics and dynamic lighting effects powered by the proprietary 'X-Ray Engine'.
• Intense multiplayer action, supporting up to 32 players.

To activate the game, you need a Steam Account

• Login or register at the official
  Steam Website and download Steam client
• Install and start application, login with your Account name and Password
• Click the Games Menu.
• Choose Activate a Product on Steam...
• Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process
• After the successful code verification, go to the "MY GAMES" tab and start downloading.