Metro Exodus was one of the first AAA-style experiences to implement real-time ray-tracing in a big way back in 2019 -- leveraging NVIDIA's GeForce RTX line for a look at what next-gen will bring. With the PC Enhanced Edition out May 6 as a free standalone update bringing DLSS 2.0 support and enhanced ray-tracing.

Here's the skinny.

It offers additional Ray Tracing features including Advanced Ray Traced Reflections and support for the much requested DLSS 2.0 on NVIDIA hardware, which offers sharper image details and increased framerates and display resolutions. Further collaborating with NVIDIA, this update improves our existing Ray Traced Global Illumination tech innovated with the original release of Metro Exodus to make every light source fully Ray Traced, and implements our Ray Traced Emissive Lighting tech from The Two Colonels throughout the game.

And this is why Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition is being released as a standalone install and not a simple update to the based game. Metro Exodus's ray-traced Global Illumination is being updated to take into account all light sources, meaning this version of the game not only requires a GPU that can handle ray-tracing (like a GeForce RTX 3080) but won't run without it. Especially when you throw in ray-traced reflections.

Here's a lengthy Digital Foundry deep dive into the update, and the results are stunning to say the least.



The PC Enhanced Edition will be available across Epic Games Store, Steam, Windows Store and GOG. And in terms of install size this version will weigh in at 80GB (Base Game: 72.2 GB, The Two Colonels: 1 GB, Sam’s Story: 6.4GB).

Released in 2019, Metro Exodus is something of a recent classic -- a brilliant post-apocalyptic adventure. It was also one of the first games to feature real-time ray-tracing as powered by NVIDIA's RTX line-up. With a ray-traced and 4K enhanced Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition hitting PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X this year an updated PC Enhanced Edition is also coming.

Which will add even more ray-tracing goodness to the game. Developer 4A Games is touting this version as featuring the studio's new Fully Ray Traced Lighting Pipeline that will take full advantage of high-end GPU hardware from NVIDIA and AMD. This includes ray-traced reflections, and updated ray-traced global illumination, and ray-traced emissive lighting. For reference, at launch, Metro Exodus on PC only featured global illumination -- which we detailed in full here.

On the plus side, this update will also see the arrival of DLSS 2.0 to improve image quality and performance on NVIDIA GPUs.


As per the team, "This upgrade is so extensive, it will require a Ray Tracing capable GPU as the minimum spec, and we will need to deliver this version as a separate product – it is not a simple ‘patch’ to the base game". Though on that front it's still a free upgrade for players, very cool.

On the PS5 and Xbox Series X front the studio notes that not only is it targetting 4K/60fps but these versions will also feature ray-tracing. Plus, thanks to new storage load-times will also be reduced. PS5 fans also have haptic trigger implementation to look forward too. Interestingly Deep Silver notes that the Xbox Series S version will run at 1080p 60fps.

As per the PC update the next-gen patch will be free for all current owners too.

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4A Games, the studio behind the Metro series of games, is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of the franchise. From a very cool interactive timeline (that mimics the metro system of Moscow's underground railways) covering both the narrative and games like Metro 2033 and Metro Exodus -- the studio has also opened up regarding its plans for the future.

First up, the next Metro game proper is currently in development.

It’s no secret that we have already started work on the next Metro game. Using everything we’ve learned from the last 15 years, we’ve set our sights even higher – the next title is being built for Gen 9 consoles and PC, with a complete overhaul of our engine and renderer to take advantage of the new power, storage, and hardware supported ray tracing afforded by the new consoles.

And in terms of Gen 9 - Metro Exodus is getting a PS5 and Xbox Series X update next year that will support faster frame-rates, reduced loading times, and even ray-tracing as seen on the PC release powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics.

Head here to read our deep dive into Metro Exodus and its use of ray-tracing for global illumination.

With 4A Games expanding from 60-people back in 2010 when Metro 2033 released to 150+ spread between two locations Malta and Kyiv, the studio is expanding its scope beyond what we've seen so far. Partnering with Saber Interactive the studio is now "actively exploring multiplayer concepts that will offer a new way to experience the world of Metro". Adding, "we’re not looking at multiplayer as a box-ticking exercise, or to jump on some trend or bandwagon. As creators, we want to explore a multiplayer experience that makes complete sense in the Metro universe".

And finally, the studio is working on a brand-new IP with the same AAA scope as Metro Exodus. Very cool.

Dropping overnight, the follow up to The Two Colonels for the brilliant Metro Exodus (which came runner up in our Best Games of 2019 list), has released. We have the game up and running and will deliver thoughts shortly, but for the early birds who don't care about, or rely on, our opinion you can jump in right away so long as you have the base game.

Here's the official line:

Deep Silver and 4A Games are thrilled to announce that Sam’s Story, the second major story DLC for Metro Exodus is out now while also confirming that Metro Exodus will return to Steam on February 15th.

Sam’s Story follows former US Marine Sam, a Spartan Ranger who has worked under Colonel Miller since the nuclear war devastated Moscow, and followed Artyom in search of a world outside of the Metro. Sam had long dreamed of returning to his homeland, and perhaps even finding his father alive. The prospect seemed impossible in the darkened tunnels of the Metro, but when the Spartans discovered that Moscow was not the only city left alive after the war, holding out hope didn’t feel so foolish anymore.

Sam, determined to find a way back to the USA, departed from the Aurora to make his way through Vladivostok’s tsunami ravaged harbours, ruined industrial buildings, and crumbling residential districts. However, to complete his journey, Sam will discover that he needs every tactic he has learned so far to survive, as his surroundings prove to be far trickier than expected.

In this expansive ‘sandbox survival’ level, players will experience another gripping story line featuring new characters, weapons and mutant variants, in a huge, non-linear environment that offers hours of gameplay.

Watch a trailer for the DLC embedded below.



Here's some screens...

Developer 4A Games notes that the new 'Ranger Update' for the excellent Metro Exodus is now available on all platforms - carrying a 6Gb download. As per the headline it introduces a New Game + mode for players to carry over upgraded and new weapons to a new play-through, in addition to modifiers, several balance changes and fixes. And keyboard and mouse support for the Xbox One version.

Which is very cool, making Metro Exodus the first AAA-style cinematic shooter to offer this style of control. In addition to this controller input has been improved across all platforms, and on PC several performance and quality upgrades have been made to the game's NVIDIA RTX-powered real-time ray tracing and DLSS rendering.

Here's a high level overview at the new 'Ranger Update'.

NEW GAME +

On completion of the campaign, you can now re-play in New Game+ mode, granting access to all weapons and attachments unlocked through prior play-throughs.

New Game + also allows to you to adjust a range of variables to create your own personal and uniquely challenging experience, and comes with new Achievements / Trophies. More details below…

DEVELOPER COMMENTARY

Available through New Game +, enabling Developer Commentary allows you to find special tape players on which members of the 4A Games team discuss some of the design choices that went into making Metro Exodus in that area.

IMPROVED CONTROLLER RESPONSIVENESS

While the Hotfix changes were already well received, we’ve added a 4th Controller Sensitivity Preset with more tweaks to sensitivity, improved aim assist, and better ‘dead zone’ per platform.

PLATFORM SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENTS AND NEW FEATURES

We’ve added Mouse and Keyboard support for Xbox One, further improved RTX and DLSS support on PC, Dual Shock Controller Light support for PS4 and many more.

GENERAL PERFORMANCE, BALANCE AND GAMEPLAY OPTIMISATIONS

A raft of improvements across the board that improve the overall gameplay experience based on bugs reported, desired polish, and direct feedback/feature requests from the community, including things like a Volume Slider specifically for VO, and more.

CRASH / BUG FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS

We’ve fixed numerous crashes - some from your descriptions, and some from the crash dumps you have submitted to us. We’ve only listed a few below, but you should expect a big improvement to stability in this update. Thank you for continuing to help us out!

It's all great stuff, and you can check out the extensive patch notes here. In terms of New Game + the modifiers will allow you to choose if you keep your weapons, start with the Crossbow (which is discovered quite late into the journey), limit backpack abilities for a harsher survival experience, increase human enemy and creature armour, and even increase the radiation threat throughout the world.

Which would make it, the opposite of review bombing? After news broke that the excellent Metro Exodus would forego Steam on PC to become an Epic Games Store exclusive - the reaction among fans was notably vocal. So much so that earlier Metro titles on Steam began to see negative reactionary reviews pop up in protest of the move.

And now with Metro Exodus out in the wild, the sheer brilliance of 4A Games' effort has seemingly won over many fans. Or, gotten the response it deserves after living up to its promise. Naturally, many of the positive reviews are from those who pre-ordered on Steam - as currently Metro Exodus isn't available to purchase on the platform until this time next year. Many still call out Epic Games Store specifically for its lack of features.

You can check out the reviews here, with Steam user AMZ summing up the consensus with, "Despite all controversy about its launching and I thought that the publisher's decision was unfair for those Steam customers who were planning to buy it on release, 4A team did a masterpiece. This game is art. They've made something uniquely beautiful from that abandoned post apocalyptic world."

Metro Exodus, a fantastic game and early contender for Game of the Year, looks and plays fantastically on all platforms. But in a twist that is reminiscent of games from decades past - the PC version takes the visuals to the next level. Thanks to its implementation of DXR real-time ray-tracing for global illumination, taken as a whole it all looks and feels next-gen.

In the case of Metro Exodus, the result of its real-time ray-traced global illumination is the most natural and impressive lighting ever seen in a game. A feature that becomes more impressive the more you play. At a glance the effect might be subtle in a lot of scenes, barely noticeable. Taking the following two images, the first with RTX ray-tracing on, and the second with RTX Off – you might need a minute to notice any differences.

But even in this less noticeable example, there’s a lot happening.

Click Here to Read Our Full Analysis of Ray-Tracing in Metro Exodus

Out today, or tomorrow if you live in the nothern past-isphere, Metro Exodus is already an early contender for game of the year. We reviewed the game on PC - which according to reports was the most stable pre-release build. As is the way, some have raised concerns over console performance and a few little issues here and there. Like HDR on PC not working as it should. The Day One patch looks to bring this excellent game up to speed.

Full patch notes as follows.

ALL PLATFORM UPDATES:

• Added more filters for Photo Mode
  
• General bug fixes
  
• General performance optimisations
  
• General balance improvements
  
• General polish improvements
  
• Improved VO and subtitles timing in all languages

CONSOLE SPECIFIC UPDATES:

• Further performance and memory optimisation
  
• Tuned motion blur effects
  
• Tuned horizontal rotation speed / acceleration on thumbsticks

XBOX SPECIFIC UPDATES:

• Added Dolby Atmos Support for Xbox One X
  
• Added custom Xbox Adaptive Controller support and improved UI layout

PC SPECIFIC UPDATES:

• Tuned HDR saturation
  
• RTX Improvements / Bug Fixing
  
• Added DLSS Support
  
• Additional HUD removal options (coming soon to console) when playing in Ranger Mode
  
• Added Motion Blur options (coming soon to console)

ADDITIONAL PC FIXES SINCE REVIEW CODE WAS SENT:

• Fixed Locking of player input after scene of rescuing Yermak
  
• Removed v-sync option from benchmark launcher
  
• Tuning and fixes for Atmos audio system
  
• Fixed memory corruption in DX12
  
• Fixed crash on launching game on old AMD CPUs
  
• Fixed crash after changing of resolution and Shading Rate to 4k/4x on Video cards with 2Gb and less
  
• Fixed blurred UI when DLSS is enabled
  
• Fixed visual artifacts for RTX high mode
  
• Fixed input lock in when patching gas mask during combat
  
• Fixed forcing to V-Sync on after alt-tabbing the game running at maximal available resolution for the monitor
  
• Fixed crash when pressing ALT + Tab during start videos
  
• Fixed forcing of V-SYNC mode if the game resolution is different than the desktop
  
• DLSS can be applied in the Benchmark
  
• Tuned DLSS sharpness to improve image quality
  
• Updated learned data for DLSS to improve image quality with DLSS on

No doubt 4A Games are addressing the bigger technical issues here with Metro Exodus. Prior to release our review guide hinted at the above, which is why we omitted referencing the issues with HDR or the fact that DLSS didn't work in the bench-marking tool. We can't wait to see the improvements made with DLSS rendering too, as it's a strange bit of tech that actually improves over time.

Jokey heading aside, after spending ample time across post-apocalyptic Russia in the wonderful and often brilliant Metro Exodus, we're finally ready to share our review. Spoiler alert, it's amazing. Surprisingly so, catching us off guard with with its masterful blend of styles, and stunning visuals.

Metro Exodus is a genuine surprise for many reasons, most of which come down to it nailing challenging and strategic combat, stealth infiltrations, creepy survival horror and wide-open exploration and discovery. Although cliché it is one of those games that although we’d love nothing more than to list and talk about all the cool moments, story beats, and surprising encounters - doing so would spoil, well, the surprise. The fact that Metro Exodus manages to strike that delicate balance between shooter styles, means that it slowly but surely ends up feeling like its own thing. That said, for the quick and obligatory surface level comparison – it’s a dash of Fallout, a sprinkle of BioShock, some Dishonored for flavour and Thief to darken the edges.

Yet still, all Metro Exodus.

Click Here to Read Our Full Review

Which takes place across an entire calendar year, which naturally means the player will experience the changing seasons as they travel across the country, meeting other factions, survivors and nasties.

After five years in development, 4A Games' most ambitious game and the biggest in the series yet definitely wants to deliver something epic.

The year is 2036.

A quarter-century after a nuclear war devastated the earth, a few thousand survivors still cling to existence beneath the ruins of Moscow, in the tunnels of the Metro.

They have struggled against the poisoned elements, fought mutated beasts and paranormal horrors, and suffered the flames of civil war.

But now, as Artyom, you must flee the Metro and lead a band of Spartan Rangers on an incredible, continent-spanning journey across post-apocalyptic Russia in search of a new life in the East.

Metro Exodus is an epic, story-driven first-person shooter from 4A Games that blends deadly combat and stealth with exploration and survival horror in one of the most immersive game worlds ever created.

Explore the Russian wilderness across vast, non-linear levels and follow a thrilling story-line that spans an entire year through spring, summer and autumn to the depths of nuclear winter.

Inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro Exodus continues Artyom’s story in the greatest Metro adventure yet.

• Embark on an incredible journey - board the Aurora, a heavily modified steam locomotive, and join a handful of survivors as they search for a new life in the East.
  
• Experience Sandbox Survival - a gripping story links together classic Metro gameplay with new huge, non-linear levels.
  
• A beautiful, hostile world - discover the post-apocalyptic Russian wilderness, brought to life with stunning day/night cycles and dynamic weather.
  
• Deadly combat and stealth – scavenge and craft in the field to customise your arsenal of hand-made weaponry, and engage human and mutant foes in thrilling tactical combat.
  
• Your choices determine your comrades’ fate - not all your companions will survive the journey; your decisions have consequence in a gripping storyline that offers massive re-playability.
  
• The ultimate in atmosphere and immersion - a flickering candle in the darkness, a ragged gasp as your gasmask frosts over, the howl of a mutant on the night wind - Metro will immerse and terrify you like no other game.

The full video definitely draws you into this new chapter in the Metro series, and has us champing at the bit to get our review hat on, post haste. Watch it embedded below.