4A Games Reveal Metro 2039 With New Protagonist and the Series' Darkest Story Yet; Launch Set for Winter 2026

Metro 2039, the next chapter in the first-person shooter series from 4A Games, was revealed with a gameplay trailer at the Xbox First Look event on Thursday. The fourth mainline entry in the Metro series will feature a new protagonist and the “darkest story” in series history, the studio said during the reveal. Metro 2039 will launch on PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), PS5, and Xbox Series S/X in winter 2026.

Developer 4A Games and publisher Deep Silver hosted a 15-minute-long showcase stream for Metro 2039 in collaboration with Xbox on Thursday. During the broadcast Jon Bloch, executive producer at 4A Games, promised a “handcrafted, story-driven, single-player campaign” with a much darker tone.

4A Games, a studio based out of Ukraine and Malta, also said that Metro 2039's development was “impacted and directly shaped” by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Due to the ongoing war, the focus of the game's story shifted, underlining “choices, actions, consequences, and the cost of securing a future,” 4A Games and Deep Silver said in a press release.

Metro 2039 Story and Setting

Metro 2039 will take players back to the Moscow Metro in the year 2039 in the wake of a nuclear disaster that forced all survivors to live in underground transit tunnels. The game will introduce a new villain, Hunter, who leads all factions under the banner of the Novoreich in an authoritarian regime.

While the three previous mainline games followed the story of Artyom, Metro 2039 will feature a new, fully voiced protagonist, the Stranger, who is haunted by “violent waking nightmares.”

Metro 2039 will introduce a new villain, the Hunter
Photo Credit: Deep Silver/ 4A Games

4A Games promises an authentic Metro story that retains the core themes of the series. Metro games are based on the popular Metro novels by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, who has said the game's story is the most “grown-up” narrative he's worked on with 4A to date.

“The story of Metro 2039 is one that I long wanted to tell, but it had to wait for the reality to catch up. So now it doesn't seem to be a dystopia or science-fiction anymore. Now it is relevant to everyone,” Glukhovsky said on X Thursday.

During the 6-minute-long reveal trailer, 4A Games also teased Metro 2039's gameplay, showcasing an intense and immersive first-person experience. The game will combine exploration, survival, combat, and stealth, the studio said.

4A Games teased first-person gameplay during Metro 2039's reveal
Photo Credit: Deep Silver/ 4A Games

“We're leaning into what our players love about METRO - the intensity of darkness, intimacy of closed, claustrophobic spaces, details and frozen stories throughout the world, knowing that every step, every decision has a cost,” 4A Games said in its announcement on the Metro 2039 website.

“The cost of silence. The horror of tyranny. The price of freedom. We want players to walk away with a deeper understanding of what that means. We want you to you feel it… and question it. This is just the beginning – and we cannot wait to show you more!”

Metro 2039 does not yet have a confirmed release date, but it will launch this winter across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. The game can now be wishlisted across Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation, and Xbox storefronts.