Stalker 2 Cost of Hope PC requirements are something you should check before jumping in. This expansion runs on Unreal Engine 5.5.4 and it asks more from your machine than the original launch did. The good news is the game supports upscaling, so even mid-range hardware can manage decent performance with the right settings.
Below you will find everything — minimum specs, recommended specs, ultra 4K specs, storage needs, and tips to get the best performance out of your setup.
TL;DR – Quick Summary
- Cost of Hope launched on August 20, 2026 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
- You need S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl to play — it is not standalone.
- Minimum spec targets 1080p at 30 FPS on Low settings with a GTX 1060 or RX 580.
- Recommended spec targets 1440p at 60 FPS with an RTX 3070 Ti or RX 6800 XT.
- You need at least 160 GB of SSD space — a hard drive will not work.
- The free Update 2.0 engine upgrade (UE5.5.4) brought over 30% performance gains in demanding areas.
- The game supports DLSS, FSR, XeSS, and TSR upscaling — use them.
What Is Stalker 2 Cost of Hope?
Cost of Hope is the first paid story expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. It was developed by GSC Game World and released on August 20, 2026. The expansion adds new areas — including the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the Iron Forest — and drops you into a conflict between the Duty and Freedom factions. You play as Skif again, chasing a mysterious PDA signal into parts of the Zone that were not accessible in the base game.
It came bundled with the free Update 2.0, which moved the game from Unreal Engine 5.1 to 5.5.4. That engine jump made a real difference for PC players — more on that below.
Stalker 2 Cost of Hope Minimum PC Requirements
The minimum spec is what you need to run the game at 1080p, Low graphics settings, targeting 30 FPS. These numbers assume you are using upscaling technologies like TSR or FSR rather than rendering at native resolution.
- OS: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64-bit)
- CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
- RAM: 16 GB Dual Channel
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / Intel Arc A750
- Storage: 160 GB SSD (mandatory — hard drives are not supported)
- Target: 1080p / Low Preset / 30 FPS
If you are sitting right at minimum spec, expect a playable but rough experience. The game is heavy on both CPU and GPU, especially in dense settlements and new expansion areas. Using FSR or TSR in Performance mode is strongly recommended at this tier.
Stalker 2 Cost of Hope Recommended PC Requirements
The recommended spec targets 1440p at 60 FPS on High settings. This is where most PC players will want to land. The specs were tested using TSR, DLSS, FSR, and XeSS — so again, upscaling is baked into these numbers.
- OS: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64-bit)
- CPU: Intel Core i7-11700 / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- RAM: 32 GB Dual Channel
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti / RTX 4070 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
- Storage: 160 GB SSD (mandatory)
- Target: 1440p / High Preset / 60 FPS
At this level the game looks and plays well. You will get solid frame rates in open areas and remain playable in the heavier new zones. If you have an NVIDIA card, DLSS Quality mode is the go-to option here. AMD users should run FSR 3 Quality for best results.
Stalker 2 Cost of Hope Ultra / 4K PC Requirements
Want to push it to 4K at 60+ FPS? You will need serious hardware. The ultra tier is for flagship builds running native or near-native resolution.
- OS: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (64-bit)
- CPU: Intel Core i7-13700KF / AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
- RAM: 32 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 16GB / AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB
- Storage: 160 GB SSD
- Target: 4K / Epic Preset / 60+ FPS
For truly maxed-out 4K with all ray tracing enabled, an RTX 4070 Ti Super, RX 9070, or better is what third-party benchmarks point to. Real-world testing shows RAM usage regularly hitting 15–18 GB in Epic mode, so 32 GB is not optional at this tier — it is a hard requirement to avoid stuttering.
Storage and SSD Requirement Explained
You need 160 GB of SSD space for the full installation. That covers the base game plus the Cost of Hope expansion. On Steam, the expansion itself is roughly 20 GB. However, because Update 2.0 is a major engine overhaul, some players effectively re-downloaded large chunks of the base game as part of the patch.
A hard drive (HDD) is not supported. The game’s open-world streaming system demands fast read speeds to avoid loading hitches. If you are still on a spinning drive, you will need to upgrade before playing. An NVMe SSD is ideal, but any modern SATA SSD is sufficient for the minimum spec.
What Update 2.0 and the Unreal Engine 5.5.4 Upgrade Changed
The free Update 2.0 that launched alongside Cost of Hope moved the game from Unreal Engine 5.1 — the version it shipped with in November 2024 — all the way to Unreal Engine 5.5.4. That is a big jump, and the results showed up in benchmarks.
Testing showed performance improvements of over 30% in demanding areas like Rostok, plus around 8% in areas like Zalissya. Hardware ray tracing performance for Lumen — the game’s lighting system — roughly doubled. The engine upgrade also improved vegetation rendering, the A-Life AI system, and general stability.
The practical result is that if you played the game at launch and struggled, the same hardware will perform noticeably better now. This also means the PC requirements listed here are based on the updated engine, not the original launch version.
Upscaling: DLSS, FSR, XeSS, and TSR
The game supports all four major upscaling options. These are not optional extras — the official system requirements were measured using upscaling. Turning them off will require much more powerful hardware to hit the same frame rates.
- DLSS (NVIDIA RTX cards): Best visual quality upscaling option. DLSS Quality mode at 1440p is the sweet spot for RTX 30 and 40 series cards. Handles foliage rendering especially well, which matters in a game full of dense forests.
- FSR (AMD and all GPUs): Works on any card. FSR 3 Quality mode is the right choice for AMD GPU owners. Slightly behind DLSS in image quality but still very good.
- XeSS (Intel Arc): Best choice for Arc GPU owners. Quality mode is recommended.
- TSR (built-in): Unreal Engine’s native temporal upscaler. A solid fallback if you do not have access to DLSS or FSR.
Frame Generation is available on supported cards. It adds frames between rendered frames, which feels great for Stalker 2’s slower, atmospheric playstyle. Just know it adds a small amount of input latency, so it is not ideal if you prefer very responsive controls.
RAM: Is 16 GB Enough?
16 GB gets you to the minimum and medium spec targets. But in Epic mode, the game’s actual RAM usage regularly exceeds 15–18 GB. If you are running 16 GB with Windows and background apps active, you may hit stutters in late-game areas and the new expansion locations where asset streaming is at its heaviest. 32 GB Dual Channel RAM is strongly recommended if you plan to play on High or Epic settings. It removes the most common source of mid-game stuttering.
Where to Buy Stalker 2 Cost of Hope
You can get the expansion on PC through several official storefronts. Remember, you need the base game first.
- Official Stalker 2 Website — links to all platforms
- Steam – STALKER 2: Cost of Hope
- Xbox – STALKER 2: Cost of Hope
- Epic Games Store – STALKER 2: Cost of Hope
Quick Tips to Improve Performance
- Always use upscaling. DLSS, FSR, or TSR Quality mode will give you a much better experience than running native resolution at lower quality settings.
- Install on an NVMe SSD. Faster storage means smoother open-world streaming and fewer stutters when loading new chunks of the Zone.
- Use 32 GB RAM in Dual Channel. It removes the most common cause of stuttering in heavy areas.
- Lower shadow quality first. Shadows are one of the most expensive settings in this game. Dropping them from Epic to High gives a noticeable FPS boost with minimal visual impact.
- Update your GPU drivers. Both NVIDIA and AMD released driver updates around the 2.0 patch that include specific optimizations for this game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stalker 2 Cost of Hope require the base game?
Yes. Cost of Hope is a story expansion, not a standalone game. You must own S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl to play it. The expansion picks up during the base game’s campaign, so you also need to be near the end of the main story before the DLC content unlocks.
Can I run Stalker 2 Cost of Hope on a GTX 1060 or RX 580?
Technically yes — these cards are listed as the official minimum GPU. You will be playing at 1080p, Low settings, targeting 30 FPS with upscaling enabled. The experience will be functional but not smooth. If your card has less than 6 GB of VRAM, you will likely run into issues in the new expansion areas.
Is an SSD required for Stalker 2 Cost of Hope on PC?
Yes, an SSD is mandatory. The game explicitly does not support installation on a mechanical hard drive. This is because the open-world streaming system needs fast read speeds to load new areas without hitching. The full installation requires at least 160 GB of SSD space.
Will the free Update 2.0 improve performance on my existing PC?
Most likely yes. The engine upgrade from Unreal Engine 5.1 to 5.5.4 delivered meaningful performance gains across the board — over 30% in some demanding areas. Hardware ray tracing performance also roughly doubled. If you played at launch and struggled, the same machine will perform better now without any hardware changes on your end.
