The highly anticipated fourth installment of the post-apocalyptic shooter series, Metro 2039, has been officially revealed by developer 4A Games, based on the renowned book franchise.
The game plunges players back into the oppressive, subterranean labyrinth of Russia’s metro tunnels. 4A Games, a studio based in Ukraine, has been transparent about how the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has profoundly shaped both the studio’s existence and the development of Metro 2039.
During a pre-briefing, 4A Games shared insights into the thematic core of the new entry. The Metro series has consistently addressed challenging and relevant issues, and this tradition continues. As the developers stated, “The meaning [of our games] has always been about preventing war, but now, war is our reality, and our message has shifted to be about the consequences.” They further explained, “Everything we had planned for the next chapter of Metro changed in 2020, and more significantly in 2022.”
While previous titles centered on the character Artyom, Metro 2039 introduces a new protagonist known simply as The Stranger. A notable departure from prior games, The Stranger will be fully voiced. This change is a deliberate choice aimed at enhancing player immersion within the series’ signature atmospheric storytelling.
The official synopsis reads:
“The year is 2039. For a quarter century, the last survivors of nuclear war have been locked in bitter conflict deep in the Metro tunnels beneath the poisoned city of Moscow. Now, finally, they have been united by a single leader, a fanatical Spartan known as Hunter. But this is no peace: Hunter’s Novoreich regime rules through propaganda and fear, subjugating the population in the name of a new war for the surface against a dark and terrifying enemy. In the wilderness beyond the city, the reclusive Stranger is haunted by violent waking nightmares. When the ghosts of his past force him out of exile, he must undertake a harrowing journey into the shattered ruins of Moscow, to the one place he swore he’d never go. The Metro.”
Metro 2039 is scheduled for release in Winter 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.