This lets you unlock one of three Blueprints to upgrade weapons and gear. It’s a new feature for the series, but this is more of an early advantage rather than a pre-order exclusive. The Deluxe Edition costs $99.99 and includes the base game, a digital art book and soundtrack, and a story expansion which also launches later next year. Those purchasing a physical version also get an exclusive SteelBook.

Finally, the Collector’s Edition includes everything above alongside the Replica Spartan Helmet and a SteelBook for the low, low cost of $299.99. While that may seem like a lot, the replica really is very well detailed and arguably worth the price. Plus, you’re still getting access to the base game and expansion.

Metro 2039 launches on February 4th, 2027, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Check out the latest gameplay running on PS5 Pro. If you run the game on a base PS5 or Xbox Series X, 4A Games assures that its Performance Mode supports ray tracing at 60 FPS.

Of course, Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux have been remasters that brought a lot of new features to the original releases. The fact that they’re now hitting next-gen systems right in time to experience the beginning of a story that continues across the two titles, Metro Exodus, and the upcoming sequel is definitely a welcome opportunity to see why the franchise has done as well as it has over the years.

Irrespective of whether you’re a returning veteran or a complete franchise newbie, the Metro Redux bundle is bringing a lot of cool things to next-gen consoles and PC. With that in mind, here are a few things we believe you should know if you’re thinking of buying a copy for yourself.

1. Native PS5 and Xbox Series Versions

This goes beyond just backwards compatibility since having a native version of Metro Redux for a PS5 and Xbox Series ensures that both consoles have access to a number of current-gen features that wouldn’t have been possible on previous editions of the game, which we’re going to talk about a little later.

If you own the previous-gen versions of either one of these games or both, know that this next-gen update is going to be free for you, and you can just go ahead and get started with the adventure once you install it.

For the rest of you, the PC version is going to release on October 22, with the exception of the Windows Store version, while console versions are releasing on October 29, with a Japan release scheduled slightly later for November.

2. Native 4K at 60 FPS on Consoles

We’re pretty thrilled with the fact that both games can now run at native 4K with 60 FPS on consoles. There’s also an option for up to 120 FPS with an upscaled 4K image, but that’s going to need a compatible display for you to take advantage of it.

Running the game at 120 frames per second is definitely going to appeal to those of you who appreciate the extra frames in a tough fight. You’re going to be facing a load of those as you make your way through the world that both sides are in, and that additional smoothness is certainly going to be welcome against enemies that don’t really like to mince their words (or actions).

It’s also going to be really great to have 4K texture support on board since that’s going to help present the remaster’s already excellent visual upgrades in the best possible quality on current-gen hardware.

3. Improved Lighting, Shadows, and Particles

The remasters were already an excellent upgrade over the original versions’ lighting and shadows, and the next-gen update is going to help improve the precision of those newly introduced lighting systems, making it the best possible version that you can get.

The global illumination that the Redux versions brought to the table was excellent at making the remaster stand out from the original version. The same applies to the shadows, with every individual light source interacting with the world around it to create shadows that were very authentic and more than capable of adding a layer of immersiveness to the experience.

We’re expecting the same quality to apply to the particle effects as well, with stuff like the dust, mist, and smoke in the tunnels, snowstorms, ash, and rain on the surface already working well in the Redux versions, with every reason for it all to look a lot better in the update.

4. No Ray Tracing Support

This one is a bummer, but 4A Games is sticking with the dynamic lighting and global illumination without bringing ray tracing support to the table. This is across the PS5, Xbox, and PC versions of the game.

While that might seem like something that should be part of the next-gen update, we would like to remind you that the lighting and shadows were already pretty good in the remasters. Bringing that to the next-gen versions of the game for the PS5 and Xbox is something we would still say works quite well.

5. No Migration to the Updated 4A Engine

If you’re wondering about the lack of ray tracing support, it’s probably because the developer has decided to just stick with the version of its 4A Engine that was already actively running the remasters, and hasn’t shifted things over to its latest version to support the rendering pipeline that the tech needs.

We say it doesn’t need to, since the remaster already does a pretty solid job of bringing the first two games in the franchise to life, while Exodus took things up a notch. We can’t wait to see what 2039 is bringing to the table when it finally hits the shelves in February next year.

6. More Detailed Environmental Geometry

Features like hardware tessellation and displacement allow Metro Redux to portray an excellent level of detail. Places like environment surfaces or pipe networks, where cracks and dark corners come with inky blacks that work well to create the kind of tense and frightening gameplay loop that forms a central part of these experiences.

The next-gen patch could make things even better by improving the detailing on walls and floors, making them distort light more accurately, which could in turn make for better shadows across uneven surfaces. If this is your first time with either title, know that those shadows matter, as they’re often places where danger lurks out of sight, waiting to bring your adventure to a premature end.

All of this is sure to make playing the next-gen versions of both games even more immersive as a result.

7. Improved Animations and Audio

While we’re on the subject of improving immersion, the next-gen update is also bringing improved frame windows to the animation. This is going to help with improving stutter and jerkiness when you’re running it at the upscale 4K and 120 FPS on a compact display.

In addition to the improved animations, native spatial audio support is also going to be a factor on the PC and Xbox. Those 3D soundscapes are going to be quite handy when you’re trying to pinpoint where that mutant growling in the background is coming from. Higher-quality audio across platforms is also going to help make your gunshots ring out a lot better or make explosions sound even more realistic.

8. Controller Features

Remember when we said that having native PS5 and Xbox versions was a good thing? Aside from enabling many of the improvements we have listed above in the next-gen version of Metro Redux, another lovely addition is the fact that the game comes with support for the DualSense’s adaptive triggers and Impulse Triggers on the Xbox Series X/S.

That’s means your guns are going to feel all the more realistic in your hand, with gun jams and recoil, with jammed weapons and recoil now coming with a tactile response from your controllers.

9. Image Reconstruction Options on Consoles

Another excellent improvement that comes from having native PS5 and Xbox versions is compatibility with upscaling tools like PSSR on the PS5 Pro and TSR upscaling and anti-aliasing on the Xbox Series X.

Both are excellent ways to make an already great-looking remasters look even better on its next-gen version, and are definitely going to help bring the first two chapters of the iconic franchise to life in a way that feels modern enough for any of you coming to them without any time spent with the original releases.

10. Community Fixes and Quality-of-Life Improvements

The developers have been quite enthusiastic about detailing a significant number of community-led bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements that are coming to the next-gen updates. We already know of Xbox Play Anywhere compatibility and handheld optimizations, along with platform-specific power-saving options.

However, details are currently scarce as the team is keeping things pretty close to the chest, and we’re expecting more details to emerge once each version’s complete patch notes are published alongside the update’s release.

That’s about it for this one. We can’t wait to dive back into a couple of games that have given us so many fond memories over the years and brush up on a story that we’re sure is going to take us to very dark places in the upcoming instalment of the franchise. If this is your first time with a Metro game, all we can tell you is that you might want to keep a light on if you’re playing it at night.

There’s still a while to go before this one hits the shelves, but you can be sure that we’re going to be prowling the tunnels under Russia alongside you once Metro: Redux is in our hands.

The Blood Ravens and Dark Angels might not agree on their principles and tactics, but they can dominate any battlefield they choose to tackle together. The Ravens scout the map and infiltrate enemy positions, striking strongpoints before the main force faces any resistance. The Dark Angels are the main force, bringing heavy armor and insane firepower to obliterate the Emperor’s foes.

Of course, different units serve different functions, and you can attack at range and in close quarters. Meanwhile, your War Engines can air-drop reinforcements or deploy Stratagems that can turn the tide of any confrontation in a matter of seconds.

Those Commanders are a sight to behold on the battlefield, striking away enemy troops with impunity and clever, skilled use of brains, brawn, or both. All in all, the Space Marines can be devastating if you set them up for success, and collaboration could yield better rewards than a less-coordinated approach against factions who rely on superior numbers or firepower.

We’re especially eager to pit the Marines against some Necrons, and the showcase below should show you why it’s better than anything else.

Three editions will allegedly be available to pre-order. The Day One Edition includes the base game and pre-order DLC for €69.99/£59.99. Meanwhile, the Deluxe Edition reportedly offers a Steelbook, artbook, digital artbook and soundtrack, a cardboard box set and an expansion for €109.99/£94.99. Both include physical discs, but a download is still apparently required (with the expansion included as a separate code).

As for the sleek Spartan helmet that 4A Games revealed around Gamescom, it will be included in the Collector’s Edition alongside other items, retailing for €299.99/£259.99. Whether this includes a game disc is unknown, and while the physical version is seemingly available on all platforms, PC players won’t receive a disc.

Metro 2039 launches on February 4th, 2027, for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. The development team confirmed it features a Performance Mode on all consoles, including PS5 Pro, that supports ray tracing at 60 FPS (not including Series S). Players can otherwise expect details on PC requirements in the months leading up to launch, so stay tuned.

Theysen spoke about the studio’s history of working on strategy games that primarily focused on their single-player campaigns with titles like Iron Harvest. While he acknowledged that referring to Dawn of War 4’s campaign as the biggest one out of any strategy game might be “a little bit tricky”, he is confident that this is the case.

“I would say you are up for a treat because this is really what was our focus, right? We come from single-player games, and we like stories and campaigns. It’s always a little bit tricky with these claims because someone will find some RTS from 1994 that was bigger. But I think we probably have more single-player content in the game than any other RTS at launch. We have four campaigns and each of the campaigns is bigger than the campaign from Dawn of War 1.”

He went on to discuss how each campaign having a branching storyline will also bring in plenty of replayability, since players won’t have access to all of the missions in a single run through the entire game. Bringing up the example of the Ork campaign in Dawn of War 4, Theysen said that players will only be able to experience 15 or 14 out of its 18 missions in a single playthrough.

“The Ork campaign — I can’t remember 100% — but I think it’s like 18 missions or something like that if you play everything,” he explained. “And in any playthrough, it’s still like 15 or 14 missions you can play. It’s a lot of missions compared to Dawn of War 1. If you’re a single-player fan, I think this is really a game for you.”

Discussing the structure of the campaigns, Theysen also confirmed that Dawn of War 4 will feature two tutorial missions that kick off the campaign. Following these, the campaign will slowly start escalating, giving players access to more of each faction’s tech trees and units in the process, while also giving players plenty of time to adjust to each faction’s unique quirks.

“The campaigns become more interesting because people get new stuff all the time,” Theysen said. “And also, we are not front-loading everything. Your head would explode if we tried to explain everything in the first couple of missions, right?”

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is being developed for PC, and is slated for release on December 3rd. At launch, the strategy game will feature four playable factions – Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and the Adeptus Mechanicus. The main story of the campaign has been co-written by Black Library author John French, who has extensive experience in writing for the Warhammer 40,000 setting.

For more on Dawn of War 4, check out the recent showcase of the Maelstrom mode with hard AI.

The update brings 4K textures to all current-gen platforms (including PC) while improving the audio, environmental detail and animation fidelity. PS5 and Series X players can experience both titles at native 4K/60 FPS or upscaled 4K/120 FPS (if you have a supporting TV).

But that’s not all. Players can also expect higher-quality lighting, shadows and particle effects. Xbox Series X benefits from TSR upscaling and anti-aliasing, while PSSR support will be available on PS5 Pro. You can even look forward to other underrated features like Power Optimized Mode on Series X/S, Power Saver Mode on PS5, and Xbox Play Anywhere support. PC players will get DLSS and spatial audio support along with quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes.

The Next-Gen Update will be available free on October 22nd for the platform and October 29th for Xbox Series X/S and PS5. If that wasn’t enough, Deep Silver has confirmed that the series has hit 50 million sales, so there isn’t a better time to jump in, especially with Metro 2039 launching on February 4th, 2027.

However, the latest showcase of the game, which puts the Hard version of AI in the spotlight, makes a compelling case for playing as the Orks. Two of the game’s makers weren’t enough to stop the AI from leveraging the faction’s numerical advantages in Maelstrom Mode, where collecting and destroying dynamically appearing objectives put the Space Marines on the back foot very quickly. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a good fight, and every minute of the battle was a lot of fun to watch. But it’s a reminder not to underestimate the AI on greater difficulties.

We’re particularly fond of how each instance we get to see the game is underlined by the absolute unpredictability of the battlefield, especially when tossing Necrons into the mix. This one is shaping up to be a treat for RTS and Warhammer fans, and probably something you won’t put down for a while if you’re a fan of both.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 launches on December 3rd for PC.

If you thought things were unpredictable with two opposing factions on a map, things get a whole lot better when there are two entering the fray. The latest showcase is evidence of that, with the Space Marines and the allied Adeptus Mechanicus taking on the Necrons and Orks in a battle where alliances can help or hinder your war effort based on how well you’re able to take advantage of the map in tandem with your pal.

The Necrons, for instance, take their time to get a war engine going. On the other hand, the Orks take enemy fire to hold off Space Marine troops long enough to let control of the field allow for some great upgrades, and perhaps even synergies between your teams if you’re able to set things up correctly. It’s a long match between folks anyone would love to join, and they’re a lively bunch who make the showcase entertaining to watch.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 launches on December 3rd for PC.

This will be available at launch, and more details on the other modes and PC specifications will be shared in the coming months. It joins Marvel’s Wolverine, with Insomniac also announcing 60 FPS with ray tracing at launch, even on base PS5.

For 4A Games, the achievement is all the more notable because of the challenges it’s faced due to Ukraine’s ongoing war against Russia. The conflict has had such a profound effect that it resulted in the sequel’s original storyline being scrapped and replaced with what’s now referred to as the “darkest” Metro yet.

Not that it doesn’t make significant gameplay advances. Besides implementing on-the-fly weapon customization, you can use a blowtorch to breach certain spots, opening up more options for exploration and combat. Check out the latest gameplay trailer here.

Starting off with quickly flashing between different scenes, the trailer then gives us a look at the slow-paced, exploration-heavy gameplay of Metro 2039. Along with slowly making his way through a dilapidated building, the protagonist also has to remember to swap out his anti-radiation filter. While sneaking his way up the stairs, the protagonist finds himself facing off against a squad of well-armed enemies.

To deal with them, the hero has his guns and other tools like grenades and throwing knives. The frantic firefight that follows involves the protagonist going room-by-room before he finds himself outdoors again. The trailer caps things off by once more showing some scenes from the game’s campaign.

Metro 2039 was unveiled back in April with a trailer. Going by its name, the title will take place around three years after the events of Metro Exodus, and 4A Games has noted that it will feature an “even darker story” than its predecessors. The title is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is slated for release in February 4th, 2027.

In the meantime, take a look at how the developers want to bring back the Karma system, albeit with a few changes that will revolve around the game’s core themes of exploring the consequences of war.