Spoiler warning: this recap reveals the plots and endings of Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus. There are no Metro 2039 spoilers. If you want to go into the earlier games fresh, read only the last section about where Metro 2039 picks up, or our spoiler-free Metro 2039 overview.
Spoiler warning and how to use this recap
You don’t have to play the earlier games before Metro 2039. According to the official FAQ, it is a good starting point for newcomers with a new protagonist and new characters. This recap is for players who want the background in a few minutes, or who played the series years ago and need a refresher.
Each of the three main games has two endings, and which one you saw depended on a hidden karma system. Below we focus on the endings the story continues from, where that is known. Both endings of every game are covered in our endings guide, and our series order guide lists the release and story order.
The world: nuclear war and the Moscow Metro
The Metro series starts after a nuclear war has devastated the world. A handful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground. The stations of the Metro became small city-states, with their own communities and factions, while the surface above stayed poisoned and full of mutated creatures.
The setting comes from the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky. His trilogy Metro 2033, Metro 2034 and Metro 2035 is the basis of the wider Metro universe, and 4A Games’ games are part of it.
Metro 2033 (2033): Artyom and the Dark Ones
The year is 2033. You play as Artyom, born in the last days before the war but raised underground. In the novel, his home is VDNKh station. One fateful event sends him on a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro to warn the remnants of mankind about a terrible impending threat. His journey leads him from forgotten catacombs beneath the subway to the desolate wasteland above.
The game has two endings. In one, Artyom fires missiles at the Dark Ones; the Steam achievement for it is called “If it’s hostile, you kill it.” with the description “Become a true ranger”. The other, secret ending is “Enlightened” (“Find the truth”).
The story continues from the missile ending. In Metro: Last Light, Artyom is “burdened by guilt” over what he has done.
Metro: Last Light (2034): the fight for D6
It is 2034, a year later. Beneath the ruins of Moscow, the survivors face deadly threats from outside and from within. Instead of standing together, the station-cities of the Metro fight for ultimate power: a doomsday device from the military vaults of D6. A civil war is brewing that could wipe out what is left of humanity.
Artyom, burdened by guilt but driven by hope, holds the key. The game again has two endings:
- Redemption (Save D6) – a young Dark One, together with the other Dark Ones, saves the defenders of D6. This is the good ending and the canon one.
- C’est la vie (Destroy D6) – Artyom sets off the charges and dies.
Metro Exodus (2036): the Aurora leaves Moscow
The year is 2036. A quarter of a century after the nuclear war, a few thousand survivors still cling to life in the tunnels of the Metro. They have fought the poisoned environment, mutated beasts, paranormal horrors and a civil war.
Now Artyom leaves the Metro. He leads a band of Spartan Rangers aboard the train Aurora on a journey across post-apocalyptic Russia, heading east in search of a new life. According to Deep Silver, the story of Exodus continues from Metro 2033 and Last Light and crosses over with Glukhovsky’s novels Metro 2033, 2034 and 2035; it was created in collaboration with him.
The two endings:
- Your Destination (Assume command of the Order) – Miller sacrifices the last dose of the cure, Artyom survives and takes command. This is the good ending.
- Eternal Voyage (Save Anna by paying the ultimate price) – Artyom dies and Anna survives.
Metro Awakening (2028): the VR prequel in one paragraph
Metro Awakening is a VR-only spin-off from Vertigo Games, released on Steam on 7 November 2024. It is set in 2028, five years before Metro 2033, and follows Doctor Serdar. It is an origins story from Metro creator Dmitry Glukhovsky. Story-wise it is optional; you need it neither for the main games nor for Metro 2039.
Where Metro 2039 picks up: Hunter, the Novoreich and the Stranger
Metro 2039 is set in 2039 in Moscow, a quarter of a century after the nuclear war, six years after the events of Metro 2033. The last survivors still live in the tunnels beneath the poisoned city.
The factions of the Metro are now united under one leader: Hunter, a fanatical Spartan and “the first Spartan”. His regime, the Novoreich, headed by a “Führer”, rules through propaganda and fear and is waging a new war for the surface against a “dark and terrifying enemy”.
The new protagonist is the Stranger, a loner in the wilderness beyond the city who is haunted by violent nightmares. The ghosts of his past drive him back into the Metro, which he swore never to return to. The game launches on 4 February 2027 according to 4A Games and Deep Silver as of 13 November 2026.
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FAQ
No. According to the official FAQ, Metro 2039 is a good starting point for newcomers. The story so far helps you understand the ties to the existing world.
The one where Artyom fires the missiles at the Dark Ones. Metro: Last Light continues from it, with Artyom burdened by guilt.
Redemption, the ending where D6 is saved with the help of the Dark Ones.
In 2039, six years after Metro 2033, in Moscow and the Moscow Metro.
A fanatical Spartan, officially called the first Spartan, who has united the factions of the Metro and leads the Novoreich regime.
Information verified on 13 November 2026. We will update this article after Metro 2039 launches, once enough time has passed to write about its story without spoiling it. All guides are in our Metro 2039 section.