page_title: Metro 2033 (video game)
section_title: Development and release
hierarchical_section_title: Metro 2033 (video game) / Development and release
caption_attribution_description: English: Igromir 2010
context_page_description: Metro 2033 is a first-person shooter survival horror video game developed by 4A Games and published by THQ. It was released in 2010 for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The story is based on Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel of the same title, and is set in the ruins of Moscow following a nuclear war, where the survivors are forced to live in underground Metro tunnels. Players control Artyom, a man who must save his home station from the dangers lurking within the Metro.
  Metro 2033 is played from a first-person perspective. Players encounter human and mutant enemies, who can be killed with a variety of firearms; alternatively, players can employ stealth to evade or silently kill enemies. Ammunition and other necessary items must be either scavenged from the bodies of dead enemies, or purchased from vendors. Some areas of the metro tunnels, in addition to the Earth's surface, are covered in fallout radiation, and the player must wear a gas mask to explore these areas. If the gas mask is worn while in combat, it may be damaged, and the player must quickly find a replacement before they die.
  Metro 2033 received positive reviews from critics.
context_section_description: 4A Games was founded by Oles' Shiskovtsov and Aleksandr Maksimchuk, former programmers for GSC Game World who left about a year before the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. Shiskovtsov and Maksimchuk had worked on the development of X-Ray engine used in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. In March 2006, 4A Games announced a partnership with Glukhovsky to collaborate on the game. The game was announced at the 2009 Games Convention in Leipzig; along with an official trailer.
  The game utilizes multi-platform 4A Engine, running on Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. There is some contention regarding whether the engine is based on the pre-release X-Ray engine (as claimed by Sergiy Grygorovych, the founder of GSC Game World, as well as users who have seen the 4A Engine SDK screenshots, citing visual similarities, shared resources, and technical evaluation of the pre-release 4A Engine demo conducted at the request of GSC Game World), or whether the engine is an original development (as claimed by 4A Games and Oles' Shiskovtsov in particular, who claims it would have been impractical to retrofit the X-ray engine with console support). 4A Engine features Nvidia PhysX support, enhanced AI, and a console SDK for Xbox 360. The PC version includes exclusive features such as DirectX 11 support and has been described as "a love letter to PC gamers" because of the developers' choice "to make the PC version [especially] phenomenal".
  
  A PlayStation 3 version was planned, but ultimately cancelled. On 19 February, THQ and 4A Games announced the game features Steamworks software and DRM. This gives Metro 2033 achievements, Steam support for in-game downloadable content and auto-updating. 
  Metro 2033 was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on 16 March 2010 in North America, 18 March in Australia, and 19 March in Europe. A Collector's Edition of the game was released in Russia – it contained the game itself in special packaging, a game guide, a map of the post-apocalyptic subway of Moscow and a unique watch with the game's logo on it. An even larger special edition was released in Poland; it contained: the game itself in special packaging, a Polish translation of the novel Metro 2033, instructions for the game, an army container and a gas mask (with filters and a military bag included). A special edition was also released in Germany – more similar in size to the Russian collector's edition and smaller than the Polish one, it contained: the game itself in a special edition box, a hardback novel titled "Davor und Danach" (Before and After), a fully working replica of the watch that Artyom uses in the game, a bear-shaped key ring with one of Hunter's dog tags on it and a download code for the Heavy Automatic Shotgun.
  In February 2014, the Xbox 360 version of 2033 was included in Microsoft's "Games with Gold" program exclusively for German subscribers. This served as a replacement for Dead Island, the game offered in other territories, as it is unavailable for purchase in Germany.
  On 22 May 2014, a Redux version of the game was announced. It uses the latest version of the 4A Engine bringing the graphical and gameplay changes from Last Light to 2033. It was released on 26 August 2014 in North America and 29 August 2014 in Europe for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It was delayed in Australia until 4 September. A compilation package, titled Metro Redux, was released at the same time which includes both games. The redux version of the two games were published by Deep Silver. A demo of the Redux version, which allows players to play through the first one-third of the game, was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 2 June 2015. Metro 2033 Redux and Last Light Redux were released separately on Google Stadia on 23 June 2020.
  In August 2015, the Xbox 360 version of 2033 was included in Microsoft's "Games with Gold" program for most Xbox Live regions. On Microsoft Windows, OS X (released on 14 April 2015), Linux (released on 11 December 2014), and SteamOS, a release entitled Metro Redux Bundle includes both this game and Last Light 
caption: Promotion at IgroMir 2010
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