Metro 2039 confirmed for 2026 release, as Russian invasion of Ukraine revealed to have had direct impact on game

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The popular post-apocalyptic shooter game, Metro, will be getting a new installment later this year.

It’s been seven years since Deep Silver released the last major installment in the Metro series, Metro Exodus.

After a difficult period, the studio has announced that their upcoming game, Metro 2039, will be released in 2026.

Set six years after the first game, and created with input from Dmitry Glukhovsky—the author of the Metro novels—Metro 2039 sends players back into the underground tunnels of Moscow.

The game tells the story of a city controlled by the Novoreich and its ruthless leader, Hunter, a new Fuhrer.

Players take on the role of The Stranger, a loner haunted by disturbing nightmares. He must venture back into the Metro to confront his troubled history.

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As expected, the war in Ukraine has significantly affected the game’s story and creation, as the team working on it is located in both Kyiv and Malta.

Jon Bloch, the executive producer at 4A Games, the company behind Metro, recently shared the challenges his team has been up against in a post on the official PlayStation blog.

We’re a Ukrainian game development studio, and creating Metro 2039 has been incredibly challenging. For the past few years, many of our team members have had to work through frequent drone attacks, relying on backup power like batteries and generators to keep things running.

Additionally, Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of the work, is currently living outside of Russia, having been sentenced to eight years in prison for speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine while he was abroad.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine significantly changed how we’re developing the next Metro game. The series has always focused on preventing war, but current events required us to rethink our strategy.

This new story takes place in the Metro universe, but it’s told from a distinctly Ukrainian point of view. It explores the difficult aftermath of war, focusing on the dangers of staying silent, the brutality of oppressive rule, and the sacrifices made in the fight for freedom.

A cinematic trailer, about six minutes long, was also revealed with the announcement, giving players a look at the game’s world.

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Metro 2039 isn’t the only game whose development has been seriously affected by the war in Ukraine.

After the invasion of Ukraine, GSC Game World, a game studio based in Kyiv, had to delay the release of their game, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Sadly, a member of their development team was killed in the conflict. The studio has since moved to a temporary office in Prague.

Russian studios have also been impacted by the country’s conflict and censorship laws.

It’s been a wild ride following game dev news lately. I heard that the team behind Indika, Odd Meter, actually had to move their whole operation to Kazakhstan to finish their game, which is coming out in 2024. On the flip side, Wargaming, the folks who make World of Tanks, pulled out of Russia back in 2022. They’ve set up new studios in Warsaw and Belgrade, but they’re still supporting their team in Kyiv, which is awesome to see.

Metro 2039 is scheduled to release in winter 2026.

Authors

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

Alex Raisbeck writes about video games for TopMob, covering both major releases and smaller independent titles. He’s also contributed to well-known gaming publications like VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and PCGamesN.

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2026-04-17 13:35