4A Games has made ray tracing mandatory in Metro 2039, and it can't be turned off

The rendering engine in Metro 2039 got rebuilt from scratch around ray tracing, and the graphics settings menu won't have a toggle for it.

4A Games executive producer John Bloch told WCCFTech that the game will require hardware with dedicated ray tracing support:

There's no option to turn it on because it's just on.

The studio based this decision on where hardware will stand by launch. Bloch noted that by 2027 most players should have a capable graphics card (current prices notwithstanding), with the real challenge being keeping performance steady while pushing for the most realistic visuals possible. Previous entries in the series approached ray tracing differently.

Metro Exodus launched in 2019 as one of the first games with ray tracing support, and Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition was pitched as a version built entirely around the technology. According to Bloch, even that release just layered ray tracing on top of an existing rendering system. For Metro 2039, the engine got restructured so ray tracing works as the foundation rather than an add-on.

During the pre-Gamescom 2026 presentation, the studio barely touched on technical details, and the playable build given to press had no ray tracing options in the menu. Turns out there was nothing to switch off in the first place.

Bloch also addressed a question about generative AI use in development:

We stand firmly behind handcrafted work.

4A Games hasn't revealed campaign length yet, but internal and external testing showed the critical path running longer than in Metro Exodus.

The story takes place six years after the events of Metro 2033 and brings the series back to the Moscow metro, a setting Metro Exodus left behind. The protagonist, nicknamed Wanderer, is a withdrawn former Spartan Ranger dealing with hallucinations who gets pulled back into the tunnels. He's the first fully voiced protagonist in the main series lineup.

The developer describes the game world as a place with no heroes and no resistance left. With Artyom and the Spartan Rangers gone, a large chunk of the metro has fallen to the Novy Reich faction, led by Führer Hunter, one of the founders of an order originally created to protect the stations.

Among the mechanics shown were a blueprint system for upgrading gear, the return of the workbench, a new signature weapon called Shatun, and reworked combat where mutants hunt in coordinated packs. The classic melee Watchman now comes backed by a female that attacks from range.

Metro 2039 launches in February 2027 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series.