S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is a first-person shooter role-playing game created by GSC Game World. The game is based on the cult work of the Strugatsky brothers "Picnic on the sidelines", from which the idea of the Zone, artefacts and stalkers who extract them is taken. The protagonist, nicknamed The Swordman, wakes up on the Cordon of the Zone, who does not remember anything. Swordsman has to learn the mystery of his past, as well as solve the riddle of the Arrow - the mysterious stalker, which the Swordsman must kill, according to the mark in his PDA.
Gameplay is a first-person shooter in which players explore the vast open area of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, scouring the anomalies for arcane artifacts and selling them for hefty prices. As they progress, players acquire new weapons, armour and artefacts that allow them to make their way to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where the answers to all of Swordsman's questions lie.