Looking Back at the Entire Metro Game Brand Timeline Before Experiencing Metro 2039

Metro 2039 marks the return of the once-popular FPS game franchise, offering fans a new perspective on the Hunter – a character considered the quintessential warrior in previous Metro games.

After a long hiatus, the next installment in the Metro series, Metro 2039, developed by 4A Games, has been officially announced. Taking players back to the mutated tunnels of Moscow, this sequel promises to deliver the darkest story yet.

However, this time the player will no longer control Artyom, but instead a completely new character named Stranger, who will confront the Novoreich dictatorship led by none other than the legendary Spartan warrior, Hunter.

Hunter first appeared in Metro 2033, playing a key role in Artyom's decision to travel to Melnik in Polis, thus paving the way for his own journey. Now, before donning his gas mask, checking the air filters, and venturing into the dark subway tunnels, let's briefly review what happened leading to the current timeline. 

Metro 2033: A spark in the darkness

First released in 2010 before a remake in 2014, Metro 2033 introduces players to a post-nuclear war Moscow. Twenty years after the global conflict, the remnants of humanity are forced to live within the subway system. It is here that the darkest instincts begin to surface. Factions emerge, with the communist Red Line and the neo-fascist Fourth Reich. 

The two sides are constantly at odds over resources and ideology, while mutated creatures lurk both above ground and within the tunnels. Players take on the role of Artyom, a young survivor from the independent Exhibition Station. When his hometown is threatened by a psychic mutant called the 'Dark Ones,' Artyom embarks on a journey through the Metro system to seek help from the legendary Spartan Rangers.

His journey is fraught with bandit ambushes, supernatural phenomena, and the incessant ticking of a Geiger counter. Guided by Ranger Hunter and the mysterious traveler Khan, Artyom eventually obtains the pre-war missile activation code. According to the game's official ending, Artyom uses a barrage of missiles to destroy the Dark Ones' nest. However, he later realizes these creatures are simply trying to communicate with humans.

Metro: Last Light: The Burden of Guilt

Set one year after the Dark Ones were wiped out, Artyom is now a Spartan Ranger. While scouting the surface, he discovers a young Dark One still alive. Under orders from his Spartan commander, Colonel Miller, he must hunt it down and destroy it. From here, Metro Last Light begins to expand its political landscape with the appearance of General Korbut of the Red Line, who aims to control the massive base known as D6.

It holds a biological weapons arsenal and essential resources sufficient for any faction to dominate the entire underworld. As Artyom tracks down the surviving, tiny Dark One, his mission shifts from assassination to salvation. Through the creature's telepathic abilities, Artyom discovers the true, benevolent nature of the species and forms a bond with the 'child'. Together, they traverse the ruins of the Venice swamp and the contaminated surface to stay ahead of both the Red Line and the Fourth Reich.

The climax erupts at D6, when the Spartan Rangers hold out against the overwhelming force of General Korbut and his massive armored train. If the true ending is unlocked, at the very moment Artyom prepares to detonate D6, a smaller Dark One will appear along with a group of Dark Ones awakened from their mysterious wintering grounds. They swiftly destroy the Red Line forces to save the Spartans. Realizing that humanity is not ready to coexist, the Dark Ones depart in search of a new home, leaving Artyom with a glimmer of hope and a chance to start over.

Metro Exodus: Leaving the Underground

The most recent game,  Metro Exodus,  exposed a lie that has plagued the series: the inhabitants of underground  Moscow  are not the last survivors. Driven by a fervent belief that life still exists outside the radioactive capital, Artyom ventures to the surface in search of radio signals. He eventually uncovers a conspiracy orchestrated by the invisible 'Watchers,' who deliberately jam external communications to conceal Moscow from Western enemies.

Forced to leave the city after seizing a working steam locomotive named Aurora, Artyom, his wife Anna, Colonel Miller, and a group of loyal Spartans embark on a year-long journey across Russia. Metro tunnels are replaced by vast, open-world regions that change with the seasons. From the cult-controlled waters of the Volga in the spring to the scorching, Mad Max-like desert of the Caspian Sea in the summer.

Their goal was to find a habitable shelter, free from radiation and monsters. However, things took a turn for the worse when Anna fell seriously ill due to exposure to toxic gas. Desperate for a cure, the group ventured to the desolate city of Novosibirsk in the middle of a harsh winter. This place was a nightmare, with extremely high radiation levels and blind, mutated creatures possessing telepathic abilities. In a poignant ending, Colonel Miller sacrificed himself, using his last dose of anti-radiation medication to save Artyom after they found a cure for Anna. 

The last survivors finally reached the pristine shores of Lake Baikal, where they built a peaceful, permanent settlement. As Artyom took over Spartan leadership after Miller's death, the group prepared to return to rescue the remaining inhabitants of Metro Moscow, opening up a hopeful future – though Metro 2039 seemed poised to shatter it all.