Metro 2039 Announced: Ukrainian Studio Reveals Darkest Chapter Yet

53 articles · Updated · Xbox.com · Apr 16

4A Games has revealed Metro 2039, the fourth mainline entry in the post-apocalyptic shooter series, set for release in winter 2026.
Players return to a fascist-controlled Moscow Metro, taking on the role of 'The Stranger,' the series’ first fully voiced protagonist, in its darkest chapter yet.
The game’s story and development have been deeply shaped by the Ukrainian studio’s experience of war, offering a uniquely Ukrainian perspective on survival and tyranny.

Will the story of Artyom, the hero of previous Metro games, be abandoned for the new protagonist, 'The Stranger'?

As Ukraine gamifies drone warfare, will Metro 2039's gameplay critique this blurring of reality and video games?

How will the new protagonist's 'violent waking nightmares' mechanically impact gameplay beyond just serving the narrative?

With its villain dubbed a 'new Führer,' how directly will the game allegorize the real-world Russo-Ukrainian conflict?

How will a game born from war avoid exploiting the very trauma it aims to portray to a global audience?

Can a game created in a warzone serve as a historical document, or is it inevitably a form of propaganda?