In an unprecedented move, GSC Game World has released an early build of STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl – which was released back in 2007 – for free, offering fans a peek at cut levels and unfinished features.

The build – dated October 18, 2004 – is called the “xrCore build 1935″ and can be downloaded from this GSC forum thread. As expected, this build is full of bugs but offers a look at the game midway through its development. It offers several unused levels from the final game, including Dead City, Swamp and Generators.

STALKER was first announced in 2001 and was expected out in 2003, but got delayed over the years until its final release in 2007.