S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky

Catalogue entry · not reviewed · store data read 30 August 2026

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is the prequel chapter of the Legends of the Zone Trilogy. With the ability to directly influence the balance of power through Faction Wars, step into the boots of Scar — a seasoned mercenary, able to somehow survive deadly Emissions.

First-Person Shooter Role-Playing

Player score

5.6/10

3,429 reviews

Released: 2008
Developer: GSC Game World
Platforms: 1 systems
Critics: Not scored
Steam Deck: verified
Download: 8 GB

We have not written a full review of this game.This is a catalogue entry: everything below comes from a source we can link, checked on a stated date. There is no score and no verdict here, because we only publish those after a reviewer has played the game and written it up properly. Our team may well have played this one. Until someone writes the review, we are not going to imply a verdict we have not put our name to.

What is S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky?

Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.

The record

Catalogue facts
First released	22 August 2008
Developer	GSC Game World
Publisher	GSC Game World, Deep Silver
Platforms	PC
Genres	First-Person Shooter, Role-Playing
Languages	13 supported

Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q756558, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.

How was S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky received?

Players56%positive of 3,429 · Mixed

Achievements43on Steam

Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.

Accessibility

4 declared features

Method. Features the publisher declared on its own store page. A declaration is a floor, not a review.

What does it support?

Technical support
Capability	Support
Controller	full support
Cloud saves	Yes
Cross-platform play	No
Mod support	Steam Workshop
Online play	Single-player only
In-game purchases	No
Steam Deck	verified
Download size	8 GB
Add-on content	None listed
Age gate	None

Content descriptors

Frequent violence or gore
General mature content

Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.

What does it cost?

$13.39$19.99 list

Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.

Problems players report

We read the 300 most recent negative Steam reviews of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.

Crashes and freezes41 of 300 (14%)
Throwing an item from corpse/container inventory in CS makes the icon remain, and doing it again crashes the game.
Steam review, 5 June 2025 · 28 hours played · 91 readers marked it helpful
Too many crashes are preventing me from continuing the game, even though I really want to finish it.
Steam review, 30 October 2025 · 31 hours played · 56 readers marked it helpful
Softlocks and broken quests15 of 300 (5%)
If you accidentally stumble into some bad luck—or just decide to explore the damn map—and interact with that one guy living under the bridge, boom, congrats, you’re softlocked for some freaking reason.
Steam review, 26 May 2025 · 47 hours played · 34 readers marked it helpful
They basically broke the game, quests are broken, guns suck, jam constantly even when brand new and it seems always to jam when you are in a precarious situation.
Steam review, 1 August 2025 · 17 hours played · 19 readers marked it helpful
Performance and stutter11 of 300 (4%)
Constant stutters, FPS drops and no gameplay or QoL improvements, VERY lazy "enhanced edition" UPD: The old softlock with the mercenary Hog happened, completely blocking story progression.
Steam review, 16 March 2026 · 24 hours played · 18 readers marked it helpful
Yeah somehow the engine even tho its xray, managed to tank fps so hard it runs on a 4090 barely over 40, and steamdeck struggles at 15 fps.
Steam review, 25 May 2025 · 0 hours played · 7 readers marked it helpful

A further 52 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.

Games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky

24 games overlap with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4.

All 24 games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky

Common questions about S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky

What platforms is S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky on?

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is available on PC. It first released in 2008.

How much does S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky cost?

$13.39 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.

Do players recommend S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky?

56% of 3,429 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Mixed. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.

Does S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky work on Steam Deck?

Valve rates S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky as verified on the Steam Deck, from its own testing. That means it works out of the box with no configuration.

How big is the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky download?

8 GB on PC, from the storage requirement on its Steam listing. Console versions differ.

Who made S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky?

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky was developed by GSC Game World and published by GSC Game World, Deep Silver.