Complete Recap of the Metro Games Ahead of Metro 2039’s Release

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The following contains major spoilers for Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Metro Exodus.

Fans have been waiting a long time, but the next installment in 4A Games’ Metro series, Metro 2039, is coming soon. The game will once again take players into the dark and dangerous tunnels beneath Moscow, filled with mutants and other threats. This sequel promises to be the most intense and frightening Metro game yet. This time, players won’t control Artyom, the series’ long-time hero. Instead, they’ll play as a mysterious character known as the Stranger, fighting against a harsh new government called the Novoreich, led by Hunter – a memorable character originally from Metro 2033. Metro 2039 is returning to the series’ scary, survival-horror origins, and the story is deeply influenced by the real-life experiences of the developers with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It could be the biggest and most impactful game in the Metro series so far.

Before you jump back into the dangerous world of Metro and face new threats, it’s helpful to remember how everything unfolded. The story of Metro is full of political conflict, difficult choices, and the long-lasting effects of the past. Whether you’ve played these games before or are new to the irradiated wasteland, this recap of Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Metro Exodus will get you up to speed for the upcoming Metro 2039.

Metro 2033: The Spark in the Dark

First released in 2010 and then remastered in 2014, Metro 2033 takes players to a post-apocalyptic Moscow. Two decades after a nuclear war drove humanity underground, the city’s metro system has become a refuge—and a breeding ground for conflict. Groups like the communist Red Line and the neo-Nazi Fourth Reich constantly fight for control of scarce resources and to impose their beliefs, while dangerous mutants roam both the surface world and the tunnels below.

In this game, you play as Artyom, a young man trying to survive in the underground Metro system. When a new, mind-reading type of mutant called the “Dark Ones” threatens his home, Artyom sets out on a dangerous journey to find help from the famous Spartan Rangers. Along the way, he faces attacks from bandits, strange supernatural events, and the ever-present danger of radiation. With guidance from the ranger Hunter and a mysterious traveler named Khan, Artyom finally obtains the launch codes for pre-war missiles.

The game’s main ending sees Artyom attacking and destroying the Dark Ones’ base with a missile, believing they were a threat to humanity. However, he soon discovers the Dark Ones weren’t trying to harm anyone – they were actually trying to make contact and offer help. This heartbreaking realization is central to the entire series, and Artyom is left with the heavy burden of knowing he destroyed a peaceful species based on a false assumption.

Metro: Last Light: The Burden of Guilt

Set a year after the defeat of the Dark Ones, Metro: Last Light plunges Artyom, still haunted by his experiences, back into danger. Now a trained Spartan Ranger, he discovers that one Dark One infant somehow survived the attack. His commander, Colonel Miller, orders him to eliminate this last remaining creature, but Artyom is quickly caught up in a larger conspiracy when he encounters the Red Line faction.

In Last Light, the story delves deeper into the Metro’s politics, uncovering a dangerous scheme by Red Line General Korbut. He’s planning to take over D6, a huge bunker from before the war, which contains deadly biological weapons and crucial supplies. If he succeeds, the communists could completely dominate the entire underground system.

Artyom’s quest to eliminate the last young Dark One unexpectedly changes into a mission to save it. He discovers the creature’s kind is actually peaceful through its mind-reading abilities, and a connection forms between them. Together, they journey through the flooded ruins of Venice and the dangerous, radiated landscape, racing to stay one step ahead of both the Red Line and the Fourth Reich.

The conflict reaches its peak at D6, where the Spartan Rangers bravely fight a hopeless battle against Korbut’s massive armored train and endless waves of soldiers. In the main ending, called “Redemption,” just as Artyom is about to destroy D6 to keep it out of enemy hands, a group of Dark Ones appears. These Dark Ones, awakened from a secret underground shelter, quickly defeat the Red Line forces and save the Spartans. Realizing humanity isn’t ready to live alongside them, the Dark Ones leave to find a new place to live, leaving Artyom behind with a renewed sense of hope and a second opportunity.

Metro Exodus: Leaving the Underground

As a huge fan of the Metro series, I was completely blown away by Metro Exodus! It really turns everything you thought you knew on its head. Turns out, the people in the Moscow Metro aren’t the only survivors after all! The game follows Artyom as he’s driven to find out if there’s life outside of Moscow, even though it means facing the dangers of the surface. What he discovers is crazy – there’s a conspiracy going on, and this mysterious group called the ‘Watchers’ have been blocking outside communication to keep Moscow a secret from the West. It’s a total game-changer!

After seizing a working steam train called the Aurora, Artyom, his wife Anna, Colonel Miller, and a dedicated team are forced to flee their city and begin a year-long journey across Russia. This installment of the series is known for a significant change: instead of the familiar Metro tunnels, players explore large, open environments that change with the seasons – from the cult-infested waters of the Volga River in spring to the harsh, *Mad Maxlike deserts around the Caspian Sea in summer. Their mission is to locate a safe haven untouched by radiation and monsters, but the journey becomes desperate when Anna is poisoned by a deadly gas.

I was on the edge of my seat as the team raced against time to reach Novosibirsk, a ghost town in the freezing winter, desperately searching for a cure. It was a horrific place – choked with radiation and filled with these terrifying, blind mutants who could read your mind! The ending was incredibly powerful – Colonel Miller made the ultimate sacrifice, using his own clean radiation shot to save Artyom after they finally found the cure for Anna. Seeing the survivors finally reach the beautiful, untouched shores of Lake Baikal and start a new, peaceful life was a huge relief. With Miller gone, Artyom stepped up to lead the Spartans, and they’re now preparing to head back into the Moscow Metro to rescue others. It felt like a hopeful ending… but knowing the series, I have a feeling Metro 2039 is going to throw all of that into chaos!

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2026-04-20 23:42