The Stalker 2 developers reassure players that A-Life 2.0 will be in the game. No, it is not working correctly, but yes, there are fixes on the way.

GSC Game World confirmed that the "A-Life" simulator system is still present in Stalker 2 Heart of Chornobyl. They also confirmed that there are some issues with it, but they are working to fix them.

A-Life, for those who are new to Stalker's world, is the simulation system that governs NPCs' and monsters' behavior and interactions. In an interview with AIGameDev in 2008, Dmitriy iassenev, OG Stalker's programmer, explained that A-Life means characters in the game have their own lives. They exist at all times and not just when they are visible to the player.

A-Life is ambitious, powerful, and--surprise!--janky as hell. It's also central for the Stalker experience. For as weird and glitchy they get, Stalker game universes feel alive to my in a way no other game can match. It's not uncommon for something to happen that was clearly not supposed to. However, it is also clear that couldhave occurred in the Exclusion Zone's mucky stew. The fact that this happened, however, brings me a strange sort of joy.

Many posts on the Stalker2 subreddit continue to be confused about whether A-Life is back in Stalker Heart of Chornobyl. The good news is it's still in the game; the less-good but not surprising news is that there is work to be done.

Mol1t, GSC Game World's community manager, wrote on the Stalker Discord that "we are aware of several known issues and are working to fix/improve them." "We understand that this system is crucial to the Zone's immersive atmosphere and will do our best fix the known issues."

GSC Game World reiterated that point in a post earlier today on X.

One Reddit thread that caused a lot of controversy noted the removal from the Stalker 2 Steam Page of a reference A-Life 2.0. GSC Game World did not address the removal directly, but I believe the most likely explanation, as many redditor pointed out, is that Stalker fan know what A Life is, but nobody else knows. Having it in there would more likely cause confusion than be helpful.

Joshua Wolens review of Stalker 2 and a pack feral dogs confirmed for me the presence of A-Life in Stalker 2. The stars were aligned so that these dogs on their journey happened to walk into the checkpoint where I needed to pass. They ravaged every troop, and took heavy casualties as the panicked soldiers unleashed a hail of gunfire, turning night into day. After 15 seconds my problems were a dim memory. I put down the last few pups and continued.

This is A-Life. It doesn't get more Stalker-like than that.