Play the Metro games in this order: Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, then Metro Exodus.
Jumping into the haunting post-apocalyptic world of the Metro series can feel a bit overwhelming. You might be wondering exactly what order to play the metro games for the best experience. Starting with the first title will make the story more cohesive.
Beginning with Metro 2033 and following the release dates ensures you experience Artyom’s journey correctly. This also lets you appreciate the gameplay and world building as intended. Playing through the series chronologically provides the intended narrative flow.
What Order to Play the Metro Games
So, you’re ready to dive into the dark and gritty world of the Metro games! That’s awesome! But with a few different titles out there, knowing where to start can feel like navigating a post-apocalyptic tunnel system yourself. Don’t worry, we’re here to guide you through it. It’s not super complicated, but playing in the right order will make the story way more impactful and enjoyable. Let’s break down the best way to experience Artyom’s journey through the Moscow Metro and beyond.
The Chronological Order: The Way the Story Unfolds
The most straightforward way to play the Metro games is by following the order they were released. This is also the same order the story unfolds, making it the easiest to follow along. Think of it like watching a TV show—you want to start with the first season, right? Here’s the list:
- Metro 2033 (2010)
- Metro: Last Light (2013)
- Metro Exodus (2019)
This order is generally considered the best for first-time players. Starting with Metro 2033 lets you experience the original story, seeing how Artyom becomes the ranger we know and seeing how he copes with his journey. Last Light continues immediately after the ending of 2033, further building the world, relationships, and conflicts. Finally, Exodus takes our hero out of the tunnels to explore the vast Russian wilderness.
Starting with Metro 2033: A Journey Into the Darkness
Metro 2033 is where it all begins. It is based on the novel of the same name by Dmitry Glukhovsky. You are introduced to the post-apocalyptic world of Moscow, where survivors have taken shelter in the Metro system after a devastating nuclear war. You play as Artyom, a young man who must venture into the dangerous world above to save his station from a growing threat.
This game is more linear than the later entries, focusing on claustrophobic environments, tense combat, and terrifying mutant creatures. The atmosphere is incredibly dense, and you truly feel the hopelessness of the world. Playing this first is vital for understanding the core story, the characters, and the lore. It’s not just a fun game, it’s about experiencing the start of Artyom’s story.
- Why play this first: Metro 2033 establishes the setting, characters and the core story, plus it helps to understand the events of the later games.
- What you’ll learn: You’ll learn about the dangers of the Metro, the mutant threats, and Artyom’s background and the dark ones.
- Gameplay highlights: The game’s tight corridors, tense survival and scary mutants create a very unique gaming experience.
Continuing with Metro: Last Light: Picking Up the Pieces
Metro: Last Light continues directly after the events of the first game, though technically its plot deviates from the second novel in the series (Metro 2034, which focuses on other characters) and acts as a sequel to 2033. This time, Artyom finds himself caught in the middle of another war and facing his dark one dilemma once again.
This game improves upon many of Metro 2033’s mechanics, refining the combat and stealth gameplay. The story also gets a bit more complex. It dives deeper into the motivations of the different factions within the Metro, and it explores some very interesting moral choices.
- Why play this second: Last Light builds on the world and characters created in 2033, it brings an improved gameplay and better graphical fidelity.
- What you’ll learn: You’ll learn more about the political struggles within the metro, and will explore more of the moral complexities.
- Gameplay highlights: Improved combat, stealth mechanics, and an even more engaging narrative.
Metro Exodus: Journeying into the Open World
Metro Exodus takes a huge leap, moving Artyom and his friends out of the confines of the Moscow Metro and into a vast, post-apocalyptic Russia. The game changes significantly, offering much bigger open areas to explore and introduces a crafting system. You and your Spartan crew travel on a train called the Aurora, stopping at different locations to scavenge supplies, complete missions, and fight off new threats.
The story is great, providing a good amount of narrative, and a different perspective of the characters we knew in the last two games. The pacing might feel different to the previous games, as the open world nature allows you to explore much more, but the core themes of survival, hope and family remain constant, you might want to play this game if you’re a fan of open world games.
- Why play this last: Exodus is the conclusion of Artyom’s story and his journey, it is the culmination of everything you experience previously.
- What you’ll learn: You will see what happened outside of the Metro, you’ll get to know about new factions, new dangers and ultimately you’ll experience the conclusion of Artyom’s adventure.
- Gameplay highlights: Open world exploration, crafting system and a longer main campaign with side quests.
The Enhanced Editions: A Visual Upgrade
Each of the Metro games has received an enhanced edition, which improves the graphics and provides better performance. If you’re able to, you might want to consider playing these versions. They are:
- Metro 2033 Redux (2014) – An enhanced version of the first game
- Metro: Last Light Redux (2014) – An enhanced version of the second game
- Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (2021) – An improved edition of the final game in the series
Should you play the Redux versions?
If you’re completely new to the series, the Redux versions are the way to go. They offer better visuals and a more polished experience, making the older games feel more modern. The Redux versions are not just a visual bump; they also make certain gameplay improvements, like adding more stealth mechanics to the original 2033. This makes both Redux versions an easy recommendation for any new players.
Enhanced Edition of Metro Exodus
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition also provides a visual upgrade, but it requires ray tracing compatible hardware, which means it looks great if you have the hardware that supports it. If you’ve played the original, this edition makes a worthwhile upgrade if you have the hardware to take advantage of it, but both versions have the same content. If you are jumping into the game for the first time, you should aim for the Enhanced Edition.
Regardless of which version you play, the important thing is to play the games in chronological order so that you can enjoy the story from beginning to end.
Is there a right order to play the DLC?
Yes, there’s an order to playing the DLC, and it mostly matters if you want to understand all of the extra context, although none of them are required for the main story and aren’t needed to understand the narrative.
Metro: Last Light DLC order
These DLC packages add new story campaigns, a survival mode, new weapons and new locations to the game.
- Faction Pack: The first DLC for Metro Last Light. It contains three single-player missions, with a new perspective and challenges within the Metro.
- Chronicles Pack: This DLC gives you three new single-player missions, that focus on different characters from the game, so you’ll explore familiar places from different perspectives.
- Tower Pack: With this DLC you’ll get a wave-based combat mode, where your goal is to survive wave after wave of enemies, where your best score will be recorded.
- Developer Pack: This pack gives you access to the firing range, with extra challenges and new weapons to use.
Metro Exodus DLC order
The story expansions for Metro Exodus, are meant to provide you with a deeper understanding of the world and its characters.
- The Two Colonels: This story pack puts you in the shoes of Colonel Khlebnikov, as he makes his way through the Novosibirsk tunnels, showing the struggles to survive, alongside the dangers of the city.
- Sam’s Story: This expansion follows Sam, as he makes his way through the post-apocalyptic Vladivostok, his main objective is to find a way back to his home, and with this he expands the world of the game in a unique direction.
The order of the Metro Exodus DLC, isn’t a big deal, but it is good to play them in the release order, if you want to fully appreciate the world and the lore.
Why Playing in Order Matters
Playing the Metro games in chronological order is important for several reasons:
- Story Progression: The story of Artyom is built across the three games. If you skip around, you’ll miss important details and won’t fully understand character motivations and plot points.
- Character Development: Artyom and other characters grow and change over the course of the games. Playing them in order allows you to see this development and to appreciate how their experiences shape them.
- Worldbuilding: Each game introduces new elements to the world. Playing in order helps you understand the rules of the world, the different factions, and the dangers that are out there.
- Emotional Impact: Playing the games in the right order allows for the story to have the biggest impact, and creates a meaningful gaming experience.
A Quick Recap: The Best Order to Play
Let’s go over a quick summary of how to experience the series:
- Start with: Metro 2033 (or Metro 2033 Redux)
- Then play: Metro: Last Light (or Metro: Last Light Redux)
- Finally, play: Metro Exodus (or Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition)
- Play the DLC’s: In order of their release date
This order is the best way to experience Artyom’s journey and fully grasp the world of the Metro games.
By following this order, you will be able to fully appreciate the world of the Metro games and truly understand what Artyom has gone through.
So, there you have it! The ideal way to dive into the world of the Metro games. Follow this guide, and you’ll be all set to experience a gaming experience that’s both memorable and meaningful. Get ready to step into the darkness, ranger!
METRO 2033 and METRO: Last Light – Should You Play Them First?
Final Thoughts
To play the Metro games in the correct sequence, begin with Metro 2033, then move to Metro: Last Light. Finally, finish with Metro Exodus. This is the chronological order, and you must play in this order to properly understand the story’s progression.
Playing out of order will result in missed references and a less impactful narrative experience. This method of playing is ideal for maximizing immersion. Therefore, the answer is simple: what order to play the metro games is 2033, Last Light, and then Exodus.
