Existing saves work; DLC-progress saves create a one-way entitlement dependency that players should understand first.
Existing STALKER 2 saves work with Cost of Hope and Update 2.0; a new game is not required. However, after a save has been played with the expansion, GSC says that save cannot be loaded without the DLC.
Protect a clean restore point
Before entering Cost of Hope, create a manual save and keep it separate from later expansion autosaves. If possible, also verify the platform's cloud-sync state. This gives you a known pre-DLC point if you later change editions, reinstall, troubleshoot entitlement, or test a mod setup.
What disabling the DLC means
Removing or disabling Cost of Hope is not a safe way to convert an expansion-progress save back into a base-only save. Reinstall the owned DLC to regain access, or return to the manual save made before expansion content entered the file.
Update 2.0 itself remains the free base-game update. The dependency described here concerns save data that has used paid DLC content, not every save merely opened after updating the game.
For official entry choices, see how to start Cost of Hope. For mod-related startup problems, use the 2.0 mod compatibility page.
Sources
QUICK ANSWERS
Questions players ask next
Do existing STALKER 2 saves work with Cost of Hope?
Yes. GSC says existing saves are compatible and a new game is not required.
Can I remove the DLC and keep using a DLC-progress save?
No. GSC warns that a save played with the DLC cannot be loaded without the DLC installed.
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Send the exact game problem, platform, and version. Corrections are reviewed before expansion requests.