Metro 2039 is set to launch in February 2027, and it will mark the first new mainline series in the franchise since 2019. The game takes place three years after its predecessor, Metro Exodus, and what little has been shown of the game is already promising a bleak and harrowing post-apocalyptic story. Metro 2039 looks terrifying, and the game’s sense of claustrophobia is only going to enhance the intensity.
Developer 4A Games has revealed sneak peeks via trailers that reveal a taste of what to expect from Metro 2039‘s gameplay, but much of the game is still quite mysterious. The one thing that is absolutely certain, though, is that this Metro entry aims to be the most immersive chapter the series has ever seen. There are a lot of great games under the post-apocalyptic umbrella, but Metro 2039 has the potential to be the genre’s very own version of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, if 4A Games delivers on its promises.
Metro 2039 Adopting a Kingdom Come: Deliverance Level of Immersion Could Make It the Next Big Post-Apocalyptic Hit
On the surface, Metro 2039 and the Kingdom Come: Deliverance games don’t really share much in common. Post-apocalyptic survival stories and medieval role-playing don’t really ever cross paths, but the two have the same goal of bringing immersion front and center. The main way that these games immerse their players is through the use of first-person perspective, but that’s simply the first step.
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance has become well-known for its accuracy and immersing players even further through the environment, and this seems to be something that Metro 2039 is also focusing heavily on. Moscow’s dark and treacherous subway system has been at the center of past Metro games, but Metro 2039 is taking this setting to a completely new level. Metro 2039 is darker than its predecessors in practically every way, and the hopelessness of its world is shown through the game’s world design.
Metro 2039’s Tunnels Turn Moscow Into a Highly Detailed Journey Through Hell
Survivors have been forced to live in the metro tunnels for over 25 years following a nuclear bomb attack on Moscow, but this past conflict is the least of people’s worries now. The nuclear war gave rise to far more terrifying circumstances. Mutated monsters lurk around corners, and this time around, a dangerous authoritarian regime is rising to power within the tunnels. Metro‘s atmosphere is one of the main reasons why the series is seen as some of the best post-apocalyptic games, and Metro 2039 is making sure that every environment feels alive and believable.
Other ways 4A Games plans on making Metro 2039 more immersive is through its survival mechanics. Managing scarce resources, crafting important items like ammunition, using stealth to stay hidden from enemies, and avoiding environmental hazards like radioactive waste and ash are going to make players feel like they are truly fighting for survival.
From the trailers alone, the attention to detail in Metro 2039‘s world design is mind-blowing. Whether it’s a stairwell or a snow-covered alley, 4A Games has clearly put a lot of work into crafting a realistic world ravaged by nuclear conflict. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2‘s Bohemia is beaming with life, and Metro 2039‘s tunnel-dwelling society is promising something just as convincing.
Metro 2039 was intended to be an open-world post-apocalyptic game during its early development, but 4A Game pivoted to a linear story in order to tell a deeper, more tight-knit narrative. The Kingdom Come series boasts a massive open world, but Metro 2039 can look to the medieval series’ other strong qualities to create the illusion of a world that stretches far beyond the in-game barriers.
Metro 2039’s Novoreich Is Going to Breath Deeper Life Into the Tunnels
- Hunter, a Spartan who is featured in Metro 2033, has taken over the metro.
- His regime is known as the Novoreich.
- The group uses fear-based propaganda to maintain control.
- The Novoreich is trying to lead a war for control of the surface world.
In the Metro 2039 trailers, a glimpse of Hunter and the Novoreich group has been teased, and this is going to be a huge component to making the titular setting feel even more oppressive than the level design already does. Post-apocalyptic stories and authoritarian regimes go hand in hand. Hunter’s army is already spine-chilling, and seeing propaganda posters and followers throughout the narrow tunnels will serve as a reminder that mutants and radiation are far from the only things that players should fear.
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Players take on the role of a protagonist known only as the Stranger. His story isn’t quite clear yet, but the trailers have hinted that he has a dark and traumatic past. He is also fully aware of who Hunter is and is determined to stop his rise to power and free the people of the metro.
It’s this kind of attention to detail, well-crafted characters, and deep lore that have the potential to make Metro 2039 the post-apocalyptic genre’s answer to Kingdom Come. The Metro story so far has been compelling in its own right, but Metro 2039 feels like a turning point for the series. 4A Games is going far deeper with its subject matter this time around, and it makes the promise of Metro 2039 incredibly intriguing.
There is a liar in these tunnels…
There are a lot of great games coming out in 2027, but Metro 2039 might be a title that surprises a lot of people in a similar way that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 did in early 2025. Early Metro 2039 footage has been so impressive so far that you can almost smell the musty tunnels and feel the unforgiving cold.
The features, combined with a story centered on an authoritarian uprising, have all the makings for a game that pulls players in from the very start. Metro 2039‘s launch will be the ultimate test of whether it succeeds at making its world convenient or not, but from what I’ve seen so far, I’m sold.
- Released
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February, 2027
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood, Language
