Metro Exodus News

Boxed copies of Metro Exodus have Epic Games stickers on top of the Steam logo

The exclusivity deal which pulled the latest Metro from Steam in favour of the Epic Games store came pretty close to the Metro Exodus release date. So close, that many players were left wondering what would become of the game's physical release, since the manufacturing process typically happens well ahead of time. The answer? Stickers.

Yes, as folks like lashman and Scalou have noted on Twitter, boxed retail versions of Metro Exodus on PC feature the Steam logo prominently on the back of the case. But since the box now comes with an Epic Games store key, there's a sticker which pastes the Epic logo over top of the Steam branding. If you want to pretend you're playing the game through Steam, it seems easy enough to peel off.

It's a silly example of the broader controversy over Metro Exodus and its Epic Games store exclusivity. This comes after varied statements from varied branches of THQ Nordic, a review-bombing campaign, the buried news that the game will return to Steam a year after launch, and a plea from Metro author Dmitry Glukhovsky for fans not to "betray" the series.

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Metro author asks fans not to "betray us" over Exodus' Epic Games store release

The author of the Metro series has apologised to players who feel "misled" by the game's move from Steam to the Epic Games store. Dmitry Glukhovsky posted a video to Instagram last night, empathising with disgruntled players but expressing his faith in both 4A's development efforts and the game's publisher, Deep Silver.

Glukhovsky, who also worked as a narrative designer on the upcoming title, opens by saying that the Metro games are all "thanks to the support, help, and heroic efforts from the part of [developer] 4A." He goes on to say that "I'm very sorry about those of you who wanted and expected the game to release on Steam, and were misled by the move by the publishers." He does, however, say that he trusts Deep Silver's decision to move the game's initial release to the Epic Games store.

Glukhovsky finishes by saying "again, we're all very sorry that you're hurt," and asks players not to "betray" the developers, "just as we will always stay faithful to you."

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Metro Exodus will return to Steam one year after launching on the Epic Games store

January 30, 2019 Metro Exodus will return to Steam and other platforms after its timed exclusivity period on the Epic Games store.

Metro Exodus will launch as an Epic Games store exclusive, but that exclusivity is timed - it will return to Steam eventually. You'd be forgiven for not noticing that, since the fact is buried deep in an FAQ attached to an official press release, but it does provide a date for when to expect the game. "Metro Exodus will return to Steam and on other store fronts after 14 February 2020."

Technically, that could mean any date from February 15, 2020 until the end of time, but more likely it'll be exactly one year after the Metro Exodus release date. This sort of press release is typically the domain of journalist email inboxes, but you can see a web version over on Gamasutra. Curiously, the FAQ on the official site covers some of the same points, but makes no mention of the exclusivity being timed.

All existing Steam pre-orders will be honoured, and "Steam owners will be able to access the game and any future updates or DLC" without issue. The game will be available for a slight discount in North America through the Epic store, launching at $49.99 / £49.99 / €59.99.

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Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition launches next week, and only runs with ray tracing

It's finally here, folks - a game that can only be run with ray tracing. Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition is set to launch next week, and it will provide a massive visual upgrade that overhauls the lighting system to make "every light source fully ray traced". The update also introduces support for DLSS 2.0 to help offset the performance requirements.

Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition is set to launch on May 6, and while it will be provided for free to anyone who owns the original game on Steam, Epic, GOG, or the Microsoft Store, it's an entirely separate product, not an update. Saves will carry over to the Enhanced Edition, as long as they're on the same platform you originally played the game on.

The system requirements are fairly modest, at least as far as ray tracing goes. You'll be able to run the Enhanced Edition with its ray tracing fanciness on an RTX 2070 or RX 6800 XT at 1080p and 60fps, according to the devs - and that's without DLSS. According to an early report from Digital Foundry, the Enhanced Edition with its full RT options actually runs a bit smoother than the original did with its more limited ray tracing features enabled.

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Metro Exodus is getting a free enhanced edition upgrade for high-spec PCs

A new 'enhanced edition' of Metro Exodus is on the way to PC, and it's going to be free to all existing owners of the post-apocalyptic FPS game. 4A Games says this new edition will take advantage of the latest in graphics hardware, adding additional support for ray tracing and implementing Nvidia's DLSS 2.0.

It's been two years since Metro Exodus first launched, originally as an Epic Games Store exclusive, and ray tracing has come a long way since then. 4A Games says this new edition of Metro Exodus requires a graphics card capable of ray tracing as a baseline system requirement, and that it's enough of an overhaul of the original version of the game that it will require a separate installation. "t is not a simple 'patch' to the base game," 4A writes in a post to the Exodus Steam page. "nstead it will be offered as an extra entitlement to all existing Metro Exodus PC players."

While the post is on Steam, that offer will of course also be available free to players who own Exodus on the Epic Games Store or GOG. This new edition includes support for advanced ray traced reflections (watch for these while paddling around on the waters of the Volga) and support for DLSS 2.0 for players using Nvidia graphics cards. You'll also see new features for ray-traced global illumination and emissive lighting, and the new pipeline 4A has built boosts "resolution, visual detail, and performance".

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