When 4A Games announced Metro 2039 in April 2026, the reaction was unexpected even for the developers: a million wishlists on Steam and other platforms — in two weeks. For comparison: 2019's Metro Exodus accumulated such an audience much more slowly. At Xbox Games Showcase, the studio showed nearly three minutes of gameplay captured directly in-game and announced a specific date: February 2027.

A New Antagonist and Old Trauma

The game returns the player to the tunnels of Moscow Metro — four years after the events of Metro Exodus. The main character, known only as "The Stranger," suffers from nightmares and is forced to confront the New Reich — a fascist dictatorship led by Hunter: a former legendary Spartan Ranger who proclaimed himself Führer. Propaganda, fear, and authoritarian control — settings the studio chose not by accident.

"Everything we had planned for the next Metro chapter changed" — after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

John Bloch, Executive Producer at 4A Games

4A Games was founded in Kyiv in 2005. After 2014, the headquarters moved to Malta, but most of the team remained in Ukraine. When the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, the studio completely abandoned its original concept and rewrote the script — together with Dmitry Glukhovsky, author of the original novels, who lives in exile after openly criticizing Putin's regime.

"We created this new story together, united by shared values of freedom and truth, shaped by harsh reality".

Official letter from 4A Games to the community

What Was Shown in the Trailer

• Gameplay in enclosed tunnels — a return to claustrophobic atmosphere after Exodus's open world
• Hunter's image: propaganda, statues, the New Reich uniform as a "fascist distortion" of the iconic Spartan armor
• Psychological horror as the foundation — co-director Pavlo Ulmer emphasized that the team "does not romanticize the post-apocalypse"
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Epic Games Store

A Million Wishlists — How Much Money Is That?

Gaming industry analysts view the rate of wishlist accumulation as a primary indicator of purchase intent on launch day. By their estimates, Metro 2039 has a chance to surpass Exodus's sales at launch. The exact price has not yet been announced, but even at a base price of $60–70, a conversion of just 20% of wishlists into sales would mean $12–14 million in the first week alone. For a studio that has been working under wartime conditions since 2022, this is far more than just commercial statistics.

The question that will determine the project's fate: will 4A Games be able to retain the team in Ukraine by February 2027 — a team that is essentially the bearer of this experience — and will the studio's personal trauma transform into a game that the world will want to play twice.