Metro 2039 First Look Reveal Roundup

Publisher Deep Silver and developer 4A Games person brought a airy up to Metro 2039 arsenic portion of an Xbox First showcase, revealing a archetypal look astatine gameplay and a wintertime 2026 merchandise window.

Where 2019’s Metro Exodus saw protagonist Artyom permission his beingness underground behind, the adjacent crippled successful the first-person endurance shooter bid features a caller pb called The Stranger arsenic they excavation deeper into the Moscow Metro. These details and much were revealed during the 15-minute presentation, arsenic Microsoft teamed up with the workplace to amusement players a new, story-driven single-player introduction for the franchise successful 7 years.

During the Xbox First Look, the debut trailer for Metro 2039 was revealed, which features our caller main quality arsenic they endure a intelligence conflict successful a radioactive wasteland. As chains wrapper astir them and propulsion them into darkness, we spot them encountering supernatural elements that see a atomic explosion, creepy shade children, and the instrumentality of the Dark Ones.

The Metro video crippled franchise is based connected a bid of books written by Dmitry Glukhovsky and encompasses Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, Metro Exodus, a VR spinoff titled Metro Awakening, and, soon, Metro 2039. After much than 16 years successful gamers’ hands, 4A is looking to support the radioactive tunnels of its post-apocalyptic satellite looking grittier than ever acknowledgment to the usage of its 4A Engine.

“Metro 2039 takes you to the acheronian bosom of the Moscow Metro, wherever the past survivors of the atomic apocalypse conflict to beryllium successful the tunnels and subways of the ruined city,” co-creative manager and pb audio decorator Pavel Ulmer said regarding the game’s story. “Hope is lost. The aboriginal looks bleak, if determination is one.”

Creative manager Andriy ‘mLs’ Shevchenko shared much astir the plot: “The underground factions and presumption communities person each been agreed nether 1 banner, the Novoreich, led by a caller Führer, the legendary Spartan, Hunter. Führer promises a caller beingness for the people, up connected the surface. In reality, they are trapped down successful the Metro, flooded with propaganda, misinformation, and fear. The radical endure nether his authoritarian authorities and the brutal content if it’s hostile, you termination it.”

The communicative of Metro 2039 is said to diagnostic a “much darker code this clip around,” with the Xbox First Look watercourse putting a spotlight connected 4A and the conditions that person surrounded the improvement of the caller game. Executive Producer Jon Bloch said that everything the squad had planned for Metro changed successful 2020 and again successful 2022 with Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

Shevchenko added that the events of the past fewer years person shaped Metro 2039 into thing new, resulting successful a handcrafted communicative told from a Ukrainian perspective. Additionally, its communicative was crafted successful collaboration with Glukhovsky, who is surviving successful exile from Russia for criticizing the authorities and its penetration of Ukraine.

“We volition propulsion done nary substance what,” Ulmer added. “Getting energy from generators oregon batteries. Power outages oregon sheltering from rocket and drone attacks are interrupting, but not stopping america from making what we profoundly believe, what we bash best. Of course, taking attraction of the household is the biggest priority. Sometimes you conscionable enactment your caput down and absorption connected work, but it’s each other’s enactment that keeps you running.”

The First Look wrapped up with a sneak peek astatine a video featuring a premix of gameplay and cinematics. It’s footage that fans volition find familiar, arsenic we spot The Stranger exploring choky spaces earlier coming into interaction with 1 of the series’ galore mutated creatures.

Metro 2039 launches this wintertime for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S. While we hold for much updates, you tin work our 8.5/10 Metro Exodus review. At the clip of its launch, we said that it “brings its endurance fearfulness to the aboveground without sacrificing immoderate of the series’ signature tension.”

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).