At the Xbox First Look on April 16th, “Metro 2039” immediately set the tone: six minutes of trailer are enough to understand that 4A Games is no longer just seeking to scare, but to disturb. Between terrified children’s looks, summary executions, and nuclear landscapes, this new opus takes the darkness of the saga to new heights.
The Ukrainian studio, now split between Kiev and Malta, openly claims the direct influence of the war in Ukraine on the writing of this chapter. While “Metro” has always tackled power, survival, and fascism, “2039” openly addresses contemporary tyranny, making it the darkest and most political game in the franchise.
On social media, Dmitry Glukhovsky, author of the “Metro” novels and co-writer of the game, warned that “this ‘Metro’ will be darker than anything you have seen before.” Exiled and condemned in Russia for his anti-war stance, he injects a bleak vision of a country devastated by militarism and propaganda into “Metro 2039.”
4A Games developers share how they rewrote the script following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They explain, “War is our reality now, and our message speaks of the consequences, the cost of silence, the horrors of tyranny, and the price of freedom.”
The first trailer for “Metro 2039” reflects this shift. Trains filled with children and civilians leave the subway under the guard of Novoreich soldiers, a fascistic regime that has subjugated almost all other factions. Faceless students in a classroom recite “Our enemy has no mercy on us” while drawing massacred families, as the Kremlin is reduced to ashes by a nuclear explosion.
In the center, the “stranger,” a former broken Spartan Ranger, tries to save these children but fails under the influence of the Dark Ones, who manipulate his memory. The 4A Engine with ray tracing enhances the suffocation of the tunnels, while the propaganda rooms, illuminated, showcase the power of Novoreich and its Fuhrer, Hunter.
As for the game, “Metro 2039” returns to the Moscow metro with a single-player FPS focused on survival, infiltration, and horror, with scarce resources and hostile stations. Published by Deep Silver, the title is planned for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S for winter 2026, with a possible release date in early 2027.
This direction sparks debates among players who demand “no politics in my games.” However, “Metro” has always been political, and “2039” embraces this more than ever.
