It has been more than seven years since the launch of Metro Exodus, but 4A Games has finally returned with an all-new mainline entry: Metro 2039. Once again developed in partnership with author Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro 2039 promises to be even darker than its predecessors, if such a thing is possible, and it’s coming this winter.
As with the majority of previous Metro games, Metro 2039 will take place in the Moscow metro system, above which there has been massive nuclear devastation. It has become something of a graveyard for its inhabitants, who have little option but to survive underground.
“It appears that the devastation we brought upon ourselves was complete: Heaven, hell, and purgatory were atomized as well,” we hear in a trailer. “So, when a soul leaves the body, it has nowhere to go, and must remain here, in the metro.”
You play as a voiced character known as The Stranger in Metro 2039, which seemingly makes it the first main entry in the series to not star longtime protagonist Artyom. The Stranger has an apparent connection to the Dark Ones–the shadowy, mysterious beings first seen in 2033–and they appear to have some sort of control over him. We’ve seen this connection with Artyom in the past, and have seen some of its dire consequences. 2039 appears to be leaning even more into psychological horror than its predecessors, and the advancements to the 4A Engine, especially its lighting, should make its scariest moments even more terrifying.
4A Games, which was founded and retains a presence in Ukraine, said the ongoing Russian invasion of the country forced the studio to rewrite and change its planned narrative. The result will be a “handcrafted” story made in collaboration with Glukhovsky, who himself has been in exile from Russia due to his anti-war stance.
Metro 2039 releases this winter for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC, as well as Xbox cloud support.
