Atomic Heart

Atomic Heart is a single-player first-person shooter with role-playing elements, set in an alternate Soviet Union of 1955. Agent P-3 investigates Research Facility 3826 after robots and experiments have gone out of control.

The game combines combat with firearms and melee weapons, abilities from a technological glove, exploration and puzzles. Resources and upgrades change your own arsenal.

The main game was released on Feb 21, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Four story expansions followed: Annihilation Instinct on Aug 2, 2023, Trapped in Limbo on Feb 6, 2024, Enchantment Under the Sea on Jan 28, 2025, and Blood on Crystal on Apr 16, 2026.

The fourth DLC completed the planned Atomic Pass. In April 2026, the Ultimate Edition also came out as a package of the main game, story DLCs and extras.

Atomic Heart was released natively for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The console generations are separate platform versions, not merely the respective backward compatibility mode.

The main game is built as a single-player campaign. The four expansions add to this story; pure cosmetic packs and bundled editions are not new base releases.

In combat, firearms, melee and polymer abilities alternate. Machines and mutants react differently. P-3 is meant to use the environment, collect resources and upgrade weapons, rather than tackling every encounter with the same equipment.

Between battles you explore the research facility, solve puzzles and open up new paths. Three difficulty levels allow a more history-focused or more demanding playthrough.

The Atomic Pass includes four major expansions. Annihilation Instinct leads into the Mendeleev Complex and adds weapons and the time ability Techno-Stasis. Trapped in Limbo picks up from a different ending variant and uses surreal obstacle and collection mechanics.

Enchantment Under the Sea opens up the underwater center Neptune and adds the glove abilities Blaze and Whip. Blood on Crystal concludes the DLC story in the Wave Platform and Crystal Complex areas. The expansions have different settings and their own mechanical focuses.

According to Steam, the Windows version requires at least Windows 10 (64-bit), 8 GB RAM, a Ryzen 3 1200 or Core i5-2500, and a Radeon R9 380 or GeForce GTX 960 with 4 GB VRAM. DirectX 12 and 90 GB of storage space are also needed.

Recommended: 16 GB RAM, a Ryzen 5 2600X or Core i7-7700K, and a Radeon RX 6700 XT or GeForce RTX 2070 with 8 GB VRAM. An SSD is recommended. These figures do not apply to consoles.

Atomic Heart is set in a fictional version of the USSR whose science has far outpaced the development actually known. Automated helpers, new materials and research complexes are meant to make for an ideal everyday life. At Facility 3826, this technical order falls out of balance.

Agent P-3 investigates the background. Soviet architecture, future technology and the consequences of secret experiments collide. The setting is science fiction, not a historically accurate depiction of the 1950s.

Since June 2023, Atomic Heart has a New Game+ mode. A further playthrough lets you use equipment and abilities you have already unlocked, but pits you against stronger enemies with special resistances and attacks. This mode adds to the usual three difficulty levels.

A photo mode was also added. Both features are permanent parts of the game and not time-limited events.

The Standard Edition includes the main game. The originally offered Gold Edition adds the Atomic Pass, while Premium also includes a digital artbook and cosmetic extras. The Ultimate Edition, released in 2026, bundles the main game, all four story DLCs and additional extras.

Pure weapon skin packs are cosmetic add-ons. A bundled edition is likewise not a new platform for the base game. The included expansions should therefore be checked explicitly when comparing editions.