After a seven-year hiatus since the Ukrainian studio 4A Games was last heard from, the developer is finally ready to unveil its next major title, Metro 2039. This comes after a period where a splinter group formed Reburn, releasing the critically panned “La Quimera,” and GSC Game World, the origin of 4A Games’ founders, successfully revived the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series.
Metro 2039, officially revealed during an in-depth Xbox First Look presentation, is set three years after the events of Metro Exodus. The game appears to be a deliberate move back towards the series’ roots, abandoning the more open-world exploration and freedom of Metro Exodus for a more intense, claustrophobic solo experience within the subway tunnels.
Developed using the studio’s proprietary 4A Engine, Metro 2039 promises visually stunning environments. Early gameplay glimpses and developer insights suggest a visually rich experience with a strong emphasis on immersion. This is further enhanced by the concept of “frozen stories,” allowing players to witness detailed snapshots of life before the catastrophe and uncover narratives embedded within the environments themselves, often without the need for dialogue.
Players will not reprise the role of the series’ usual protagonist, Artyom. Instead, you will step into the shoes of “The Stranger,” a character forced back into the Moscow metro system after spending time on the surface. This return is partly driven by the unification of all previous factions under a single, totalitarian, Nazi-inspired regime known as the Novoreich. Led by the enigmatic Führer Hunter, this regime exhibits clear parallels to real-world dictatorships through its persecution of dissenting voices, pervasive propaganda, misinformation, and indoctrination.
The game adopts a darker, more horror-tinged atmosphere, focusing on pure survival within the tunnels. 4A Games attributes this shift in tone to the real-world events that have transpired since Metro Exodus’s 2019 release. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2020, and the studio, despite relocating much of its operations to Malta, being “predominantly Ukrainian,” the game’s development has been shaped by the ongoing conflict. As the developers stated during the presentation, “War is now a reality,” and Metro’s message has evolved from a warning against the horrors of war to an exploration of its consequences.
The brief gameplay preview showcased The Stranger navigating a highly detailed area before being attacked by a Lurker, a recurring rat-like mutant. The character is then rescued by a team that narrowly seals off a safer section of the metro before the creatures can breach. Metro 2039 is slated for release this winter on Xbox Series X/S, PC, Steam, the Epic Games Store, and PlayStation 5. This suggests a December release, likely avoiding a direct clash with the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI.
While Metro Exodus was successful, many felt it strayed too far from the series’ claustrophobic origins. Metro 2039 aims to address this, presenting a dark, brutal, and kinetic experience that feels more organically connected to the earlier Metro titles. Players have much to anticipate.