Metro 2039 Is A Return To Franchise's Roots, Fallout Meets The Last of Us

Metro 2039 arrives this year, and it looks to be a treat for Fallout and The Last of Us fans.

It’s been seven years since we’ve been treated to a new entry in the 4A Games' Metro series, the last being Metro Exodus in 2019. However, while this game had solid gameplay and was a visual showcase with its free new-gen update, it lost much of its horror spark, an ever-present tone from the first two games.

Thankfully, after watching a hands-off preview and hearing what the developers had to say about Metro 2039, it looks like it's ditching the open-sandbox formula of Metro Exodus, taking us back to the dark, claustrophobic, mutant-filled location of Russia’s underground metro stations.

Once again, inspired by Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novels, Metro 2039 stars a new protagonist known as “The Stranger”, who’s forced to revisit the metro tunnels, a place that he swore never to return.

The metro tunnels are ruled by a new Führer, who has united all factions under one banner, the Novoreich, manipulated by propaganda, fear and a false promise of a better life on the surface. However, with the threat of a new enemy, believe it or not, the Führer might be the least concern of the post-apocalyptic nuclear war survivors.

Metro 2039 Will Focus on Claustrophobic and Psychological Horror

The developers made it clear in the presentation that Metro 2039 is going back to what brought the series to the dance, and for those who have been with it since the beginning, it will likely be fantastic news.

“Experience the most shocking Metro adventure yet in a powerful single-player story that weaves exploration, survival, combat and stealth across a hauntingly beautiful but deadly world with unparalleled immersion,” the developers say.

The gameplay that I saw looked stunning. The lighting, environmental textures, character animation, and the monsters were wonderfully grotesque, and the first-person shooter gameplay looked super-smooth. If Metro 2039 plays and looks as good as it does in the presentation, we could have a late 2026 Game of the Year contender.

Aside from the obvious main story beats, the developers will also use the environment to tell additional stories, such as a dead body holding a gun with bullet shells everywhere, indicating that there was a fight for their lives before being killed. Playing cards and spilt cups of tea imply that a family had to suddenly run for their lives. 4A Games refer to these as “Frozen Stories”

The Devs Tell the Struggle of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Metro 2039, Deep Silver

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with countless lives lost, homes ruined, and towns destroyed. That war still proceeds today with no sign of it ending anytime soon.

4A Games emotionally spoke of the struggles of the Russian invasion, yet, incredibly, with studios based in Ukraine and Malta, that never stopped them from developing Metro 2039.

“Through power outages, reliance on generators, and disruptions from missile and drone attacks, development has continued – driven by resilience, shared support, and a commitment to the work,” said the resilient developers. “Family always comes first, but the strength of the whole 4A team has kept progress moving.”

The ongoing struggles of the war have even helped shape the story and locations of Metro 2039, which depicts its own version of a war that has become very close to home. The Ukrainian spirit has not been deterred, somehow turning tragedy into a positive.

When Is the Metro 2039 Release Date?

At the time of writing, Metro 2039 does not have a concrete release date, other than being scheduled to arrive sometime towards the end of this year. That’s assuming it suffers no delay.

Metro 2039 will be released on PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It will also be a day one release for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.