Metro 2039 Extended Preview—The Most Authentic Metro Experience Imaginable

Metro 2039 isn’t coming out until next February, but I’ve had an extended experience that allowed me to play a whopping ten hours of the game, and I came away cemented in the knowledge that this will be something truly special. I’ve been a die-hard Metro fan since Metro 2033 came out in 2010, and in 2039, everything is being taken to the next level.

Believe me when I tell you that this is the most authentic representation of everything Dmitry Glukhovsky ever intended Metro to be when he penned the original books. It’s a chilling, harrowing, realistic replication of the end of the world in Moscow, and it’s quite simply everything I ever wanted from a Metro game.

Read on to check out my full Metro 2039 extended preview and to learn why this is now my most anticipated game of 2027.

Metro 2039 Delivers On Every Inch of the Apocalypse

Metro 2039 is the culmination of years of work from 4A Games. It’s the long-awaited fourth iteration in the series, emerging a full eight years after Metro Exodus, the semi-open-world, post-apocalyptic shooter that expanded the franchise in 2019. Between then and now, we had Metro Awakening, a VR spin-off, but that’s it.

In Metro 2039, many things have changed, all for the better.

Firstly, we’re no longer playing as Artyom, the hero of every other Metro title. Instead, we assume control of The Stranger, an unidentified Spartan Ranger, pulled back into the devastation of Moscow and the gnarled Metro by a twisted, dark past that returns to haunt his very soul.

The Stranger is a voiced protagonist, which is also a series first. In the previous games, Artyom would narrate pieces of text during loading screens, but that’s as deep as the character went. Of course, the Metro books tell a very different story, but they’re poles apart when it comes to the overall narrative.

In Metro Exodus, we traveled out of Moscow into the wider world of Russia and what lay beyond the ruined city. In Metro 2039, we’re heading back into the suffocating underground of that decrepit wasteland, and trust me when I tell you it feels like the most unmistakably perfect presentation of what you’d expect from a Metro setting.

During my ten-hour preview, I never felt like I wasn’t enshrouded in this grim, morbid end-of-the-world environment. Every inch of the playable area feels densely detailed, dark, and threatening. It’s the most realistic Metro game yet, and the newest iteration of the 4A Engine performs beautifully in bringing to life this irradiated, crushing world.

The mutants that populate Moscow are nothing short of phenomenal, and the human enemies behave more authentically than ever before. Combat feels satisfying, punchy, and weighty, and exploration is forever laced with tidbits of lore, hidden puzzles, and opportunities to fill your coffers.

There are upgrade paths to consider, multiple playstyles are accommodated perfectly, and the horror streak runs deep enough through this game that you’re always on edge.

Put simply, it’s every inch what I could have hoped and prayed for from a post-apocalyptic epic like Metro.

RELATED: Full Metro Awakening Review

Metro 2039 is a Perfect Combination of Old and New

Metro 2039 is an ode to the games that came before, and a tribute to the innovative efforts of the team at 4A Games. As I trudged through the tunnels of Moscow, I felt like I had been transported fifteen years into the past and was playing Metro 2033 and Last Light all over again; and as I dug through the overground of the city, I had Metro Exodus vibes running front and centre.

As we head back into the metro, we’re bound to revisit some of the most reliable and established elements of the franchise. We’re set to clash with Hunter, leader of the Novoreich and the man behind the coming together of all the factions of the metro.

For those not in the know, here’s a little history lesson.

Hunter was the catalyst in the very first Metro story, Metro 2033. He set Arytom, our past hero, on a path to wipe out a dark and mystical force threatening the remnants of humanity. In the books, Hunter resurfaces in Metro 2034, but in the games, he’s rarely mentioned again.

The metro has long been home to a series of factions, including the influential and powerful Hansa, the Soviet-strong Red Line, and the echoes of fascism in the Fourth Reich. But in Metro 2039, some foreboding miracle has taken place to bring them under the same banner, creating the Novoreich, the ultimate power-play faction that now rules the tunnels with an iron fist.

In their rise, the Novoreich has expanded up and out of the tunnels, dominating the city of Moscow and allowing for incredible set pieces to be constructed by 4A Games. In my preview, I saw much of this expansion, resulting in above-ground military installations and all manner of new environments to pluck through.

All this is to say that you’ve got the most familiar, recognizable elements of the Metro universe, fused with the modern advancement of the series that’s pushing into original territory, really for the first time in franchise history.

RELATED: Metro Creator Thinks 2039 Is More Than a Game

Unreal Immersion

For the ten hours that I played Metro 2039, I found my jaw falling slack several times. For instance, the first time I was let out of Sevastopolskaya (one of the game’s many metro stations) and up into the city of Moscow, I marvelled at the depth and detail in the world around me.

I was slow walking the game, examining every inch of the environment from behind a tight-fitting, claustrophobia-inducing gas mask. I wanted to probe every piece of detritus left by those who came before. I wanted to try every door, peer through every crack, and open every box.

The newer game mechanics include new ways to solve puzzles and uncover secrets, allowing you to breach doors and walls, crack padlocks, and unlock boxes containing valuable items, so you’re rewarded for poking through every corner of the game. You’re incentivized to go beyond the beaten track and into the darkest, deepest stairwells, tunnels, and holes.

In Metro 2039, everything from the soundscape to the weather effects, and from the trudging of your footsteps through sticky mud to the particle physics of a flickering fire or a smouldering flare is sumptuous. The amount of care and attention put into fleshing out this world is nothing short of remarkable, and 4A Games will undoubtedly win awards based on the technical authenticity of this game alone.

The day-night cycle yields two completely different worlds. In the daytime, when the sun is highest in the sky, you feel emboldened, but still threatened by the mutants and bandits around you. At night, the game becomes nothing short of terrifying, with screeching, twisted creatures lurking in the shadows, leaping out at you and trying to take advantage of the crushing darkness.

There are deep tendrils of horror woven through Metro 2039. In earlier trailers and deep dives, 4A Games promised this would be the darkest Metro game they’ve ever created, and believe me when I tell you they hit that nail on the head.

Without giving too much away, I came across a shrine to dead children, a mass grave dumped haphazardly in an old bunker, and was exposed to ethereal threats that had me leaping out of my skin, heart pounding, with a true sense of anxiety and discomfort pricking at my mind.

The Stranger really is a fractured soul, bent up by his depressing, dark past, and that radiates through to the very core of Metro 2039.

RELATED: Metro 2039 Hit One Million Wishlists in Two Weeks

Will Metro 2039 Be Worth It?

After my preview of Metro 2039, which was masterfully delivered by 4A Games, I came away with no indication of what’s going to happen in the story or where things go from here. I’m hugely thankful for that, as I’m a hardcore Metro fan and want to experience in full the story they’ve built for us in the studio.

Nothing was spoiled; no secrets were unveiled.

I can’t tell you how long Metro 2039 will be, nor how deep it will run. I can’t say anything about replayability, the size of the world beyond what I played, or the challenges presented by the game’s toughest sequences.

What I can tell you is that, from what I saw, this is easily, without question, the best Metro experience ever built. It was every inch the game I was dreaming of, and if I can be transparent, it puts other post-apocalyptic shooters, like Fallout and STALKER, to shame. I think that, for now, Metro 2039 represents the pinnacle of end-of-the-world adventures, and I am so eager to experience more.

This week, Metro 2039 is playable at Gamescom, with 4A Games opening up a brief portion of the preview I had as a demo. The folks playing it won’t get to go anywhere near as deep as I did, but it’s great that the team is opening things up this far from release.

Metro 2039 is set to drop in February 2027, coming a full eight years (almost to the day) since Metro Exodus was released. It’s coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and XBOX.

Are you looking forward to Metro 2039? Let us know your thoughts about the game on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Metro 2039 will be the darkest game yet, and don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.