How to Bypass Shader Compilation and Intro Videos in Stalker 2

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, powered by Unreal Engine 5, showcases impressive visual graphics but is not without its technical challenges. A common hurdle faced by players is the game’s shader compilation, which occurs during each startup rather than just once at launch. This repetitive process can lead to frustrating wait times depending on your CPU. If you’d like to streamline your gaming experience by skipping this shader compilation as well as the introductory videos, follow the steps outlined below.

How to Skip Shader Compilation in Stalker 2

To bypass the shader compilation process, you need to create a configuration file called “Engine.ini” and modify a few settings. Here’s how to do it:

Ensure that Stalker 2 is completely closed.
Navigate to the corresponding installation directory based on your platform:

For Steam users:

C:\Users\[YOUR WINDOWS USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Stalker2\Saved\Config\Windows

For Xbox Game Pass (Windows App) users:

C:\Users\[YOUR WINDOWS USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Stalker2\Saved\Config\WinGDK

Create a text file named “Engine.ini” and ensure the file extension is set to .ini rather than .txt.
Open this new file with a text editor such as Notepad or Notepad++.
Insert the following line of code:

[SystemSettings]r.PSOWarmup.WarmupMaterials=0

Skip Shader Compilation — Image courtesy of Prima Games

After adding the line, save the changes (Ctrl + S) and close the text editor.
Restart Stalker 2; the game should now bypass the shader compilation step.

While this tweak significantly improves your launch experience, it is advisable to re-enable shader compilation after:

Installing game updates.
Updating your GPU drivers.

In other games, shader compilation typically auto-initiates in these scenarios. If you have made changes to your “Engine.ini” file, be sure to either remove the added lines or set the r.PSOWarmup.WarmupMaterials value back to 1.

Bypassing Intro Videos in Stalker 2

You can also save additional time by skipping the introductory videos and logo displays that appear at the game’s launch. For this, utilize the STALKER2Tweak tool developed by Lyall.

Visit the GitHub repository to download the latest version of STALKER2Tweak.
Select either the Steam or Xbox zip file from the “Assets” section.
After downloading, extract the zip file within your Stalker 2 installation folder:

steamapps\common\S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Heart of Chornobyl

After this setup, the next time you launch Stalker 2, you should skip the intro videos directly. Beyond just this feature, STALKER2Tweak offers various enhancements:

Enable developer console access.
Turn off mouse smoothing and correct any X/Y sensitivity discrepancies.
Adjust the view model field of view (FOV).
Remove pillarboxing/letterboxing during cutscenes.
Correct vertical FOV on ultrawide monitors.

All customizations can be modified through the STALKER2Tweak.ini file.

Special thanks to Lyall for his work in creating and testing this useful tool.

For those looking to refine their gaming experience in Stalker 2, consider additional optimizations such as disabling mouse smoothing and adjusting vignette effects, or even modifying the FOV limits within the game.

Source & Images