Metro author Dmitry Glukhovsky says next game in the series 'darker than anything you've seen before'

The Metro series has established itself as one of the best post-apocalyptic linear FPS survival horror shooters in recent years. There’s some thrilling news about the fourth installment in the mainline Metro franchise. Metro 2039, developed by 4A Games and published by Deep Silver, will finally be revealed on April 16, 2026, and there are some big teases from the author of the Metro books, who started it all.

The darkest Metro game yet?

Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of the original Metro 2033 novels that inspired the video game series, took to X to hype the upcoming reveal. In his own words on X, “This Metro game will be darker than anything you’ve seen before.”

Many wonder how Metro 2039 will top prior entries in the franchise, considering all three mainline Metro titles have been pretty eerie and gritty from the get-go. Glukhovsky has writing credits on Metro: Last Light and the recent VR spin-off Metro Awakening. This time around, he’s working closely on Metro 2039 with the 4A team once again.

For those who haven’t experienced the Metro series, it’s all about the dilapidated ruins of Moscow after a nuclear war, where players follow the story of Artyom as he explores pitch-black, mutant-infested metro tunnels, making the most of the sparse resources the game has to offer in terms of ammo, upgrades, and health kits.

However, Metro Exodus, the third installment in the franchise, stepped things up in 2019 by opening up the world while still retaining the game’s signature gritty horror roots and brutal gameplay.

For context, 4A Games originally operated out of Ukraine, but due to the ongoing war with Russia, the studio had to relocate to Malta to keep Metro 2039 alive.

The studio has reiterated time and again that they’re ensuring Glukhovsky oversees the game’s writing to incorporate anti-war themes from his novels. Metro 2039’s full reveal is just a day away, on April 16 at 10 a.m. PT, and maybe we’ll finally get to see what “darker” themes the next installment has in store for players and whether Artyom is making a return.