Metro () is a post-apocalyptic fiction franchise consisting primarily of novels and video games that began with the 2002 release of Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel Metro 2033. It was followed by his sequels Metro 2034 and Metro 2035, as well as by many other books by different authors, including Tullio Avoledo, Pierre Bordage, Robert J. Szmidt and Shimun Vrochek. Ukrainian studio 4A Games created the original novel's video game adaptation Metro 2033, followed by Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus.
All of the Metro stories share the same setting – the fictional universe of Glukhovsky's novels. Although these described only his own vision of a devastated Moscow, and in particular the titular Moscow Metro system, the works of the extended universe take place in a wide variety of different areas within Russia and elsewhere in a world ravaged by global biological and nuclear warfare.
Video games A first-person shooter video game titled Metro 2033 was created for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 gaming platforms. It was developed by 4A Games in Ukraine and published in March 2010 by THQ. A sequel, Metro: Last Light, was released in May 2013 on Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Redux versions of the games were released in 2014, featuring updated graphics and gameplay with all previously released downloadable content bundled. The Metro Redux bundle was released for the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. A third game, Metro Exodus, was released in February 2019. A virtual reality spin-off game, Metro Awakening, was released in November 2024. A fourth mainline entry, Metro 2039, is currently in development. As of October 2026, the franchise has sold 50 million copies.
Other novels The Universe of Metro 2033 () is a series of short stories, novellas, and novels, spanning a variety of genres ranging from post-apocalyptic action to romance, written by several different authors. Despite being written by various authors, the stories of the extended Metro series are all supported by Dmitry Glukhovsky and advertised on the official Metro website. AuthorTitleLocationsDate of publicationVladimir BerezinRoad SignsMoscow, Saint Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, Tver Oblast, Moscow OblastDecember 2009 Sergey AntonovDark TunnelsMoscowJanuary 2010 Shimun VrochekPiterSaint Petersburg, Leningrad OblastFebruary 2010 Sergey KuznetsovMarmoreal ParadiseMoscow Oblast, MoscowMay 2010Andrey DyakovTowards the LightSaint Petersburg, Leningrad OblastJune 2010 Andrey ErpylevThe Yield by ForceMoscowJuly 2010 Suren TsormudianThe WandererMoscowSeptember 2010 Andrey ButorinThe NorthKola Peninsula, MurmanskOctober 2010 Sergey AntonovIn the Interest of the RevolutionMoscowNovember 2010 Alexandr ShakilovWar of the MolesKyivDecember 2010 Ruslan MelnikovMuranchaRostov on DonJanuary 2011 Sergey PaliyThe NamelessSamaraFebruary 2011 Sergey MoskvinTo See the SunNovosibirskMarch 2011 Andrey GrebenschikovBelow HellYekaterinburgApril 2011 Anna KalinkinaGhost-StationMoscowJune 2011Andrey DyakovInto the DarknessLeningrad Oblast, Saint PetersburgJune 2011 Sergey ZaytsevCorpsmenMoscowAugust 2011Grant McMasterBritanniaGlasgow, Scotland, England, Carlisle, York, Conisbrough, Doncaster, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Leicester, LondonSeptember 2011 Igor VardunasIce Prison Baltic Sea, La Manche, Atlantic Ocean, Africa, AntarcticaOctober 2011 Andrey ButorinSiege of ParadiseKola Peninsula, Polyarnye ZoriNovember 2011 Twenty two Russian authors (edited by Dmitry Glukhovsky)The Last Refuge (short story collection)Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Moscow Oblast, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Krasnodar, Biisk, SochiDecember 2011 Sergey AntonovUnburiedMoscowJanuary 2012 Andrey Chernetsov, Valentin LezhendaBlinding EmptinessMoscow, KharkivJanuary 2012 Tullio AvoledoThe Roots of HeavenRome, Lazio, Torrita Tiberina, Umbria, Marche, Urbino, Emilia Romagna, Rimini, Santarcangelo di Romagna, Ravenna, Veneto, VeniceMarch 2012 Anna KalinkinaKingdom of RatsMoscowMarch 2012 Zahar PetrovMRLsMinskMay 2012 Suren TsormudyanAncestral HeritageKaliningradJuly 2012 Denis ShabalovThe Right to Use ForceSerdobskAugust 2012 "Timofey Kalashnikov" (collective authorship)The World's End (short story collection)MoscowSeptember 2012 Sergey MoskvinHungerNovaya ZemlyaOctober 2012 Irina Baranova, Constantine BenevThe WitnessSaint PetersburgNovember 2012 Andrey ButorinThe Daughter of Heavenly SpiritKola Peninsula, MurmanskDecember 2012 Andrey DyakovOver the HorizonSaint-Petersburg, Leningrad, Vologda, Cherepovets, Yaroslavl Oblast, Rybinsk, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo Oblast, Tatarstan, Kazan, Bashkortostan, Beloretsk, Yamantau, Orenburg Oblast, Dagestan, Kaspiysk, Primorsky Krai, VladivostokJanuary 2013 Denis ShabolovThe Right to LifeSerdobsk, Penza Oblast, Mordovia, Tatarstan, Mari El, Komi Republic, Kirov OblastMarch 2013 Sergei AntonovRublyovkaJune 2013Olga ShvetsovaThe One Standing at the DoorJuly 2013Ruslan MelnikovFrom the DepthsSeptember 2013Nikita AverinCrimeaOctober 2013Dmitri YermakovBlindmenNovember 2013Tagir KireevWhite LeopardJanuary 2014Fourteen Polish authorsIn the Firelight (short story collection)Moscow, ŁódźJanuary 2014Igor OsipovThe MeterFebruary 2014Andrei GrebenshchikovSisters of SorrowMarch 2014Tullio AvoledoThe Children's CrusadeMilanMarch 2014 Andrey ButorinMutantApril 2014Dmitry ManasypovThe Road of Steel and HopeMay 2014Anna KalinkinaThe Host of the YauzaJune 2014Victor LebedevBorn to CrawlJuly 2014Sergei Antonov Rublyovka-2 August 2014Paweł MajkaThe Promised DistrictNowa Huta, Kraków, PolandAugust 2014 Nikita AverinCrimea-2 September 2014Elona Demidova, Evgeny ShikilThe ApostateOctober 2014Olga ShvetsovaNobody December 2014Kira IlarionovaBeast Code January 2015Eight Polish authorsWhispers of the FallenKyiv, Moscow, Warsaw, Zwonowice, Radom, Szczecin, Częstochowa, Slovakia, HungaryApril 2015Nikita Averin Crimea-3 July 2015Robert J. SzmidtThe AbyssWrocławAugust 2015 Igor OsipovLeshy Never Die SmolenskSeptember 2015Victor LebedevFlying AwayOctober 2015Sergey SemyonovThrough Alien EyesNizhny NovgorodDecember 2015 Dmitry ManasypovTowards the Distant Blue SeaFebruary 2016Rinat Tashtabanov CountdownMarch 2016Fourteen Polish authors Echo of an Extinguished World (short story collection)Warsaw, Zabrze, Kraków, Giewont, Moscow, Stockholm, Dunmore Cave, Gdańsk Bay, Gdynia, Project RieseMarch 2016Robert J. SzmidtThe TowerWrocławMay 2016 Yuri UlengovEdge of HumanityJune 2016Maria Strelova Isolation July 2016Paweł MajkaThe Promised ManKrakówNovember 2016 Olga Shvetsova Guardian DemonFebruary 2017Artur ChmielewskiAchromatopsiaWarsawMarch 2017 Yuri KharitonovAt the Edge of the AbyssMay 2017Denis ShabalovThe Right to RevengeSerdobsk, PenzaJune 2017Twelve Polish authorsIn the Ruins (short story collection)Oleśnica, Katowice, Szczecin, Sława, Ostrołęka, Żar mountain, Warsaw, ChicagoJune 2017Pavel Makarov Crossroads of Fate July 2017Sergei AntonovRublyovka-3August 2017Sergey Moskvin PythiaOctober 2017Suren Tsormudian The Edge of the EarthJanuary 2018Shimun VrochekPiter. War.February 2018Sergei NedorubThe Red OptionMarch 2018Dmitry Manasypov Beyond the Ice CloudsApril 2018Suren Tsormudian The Edge of the Earth 2: Fire and Ashes April 2018Rinat TashtabanovRaising the DeadMay 2018Dmitry ManasypovBad DogJune 2018Sergey MoskvinPythia-2June 2018Olga Shvetsova, Shamil AltamirovPandora's BoxJuly 2018Igor Osipov, Olga ShvetsovaRunning Along the EdgeAugust 2018Yuri KharitonovShelter of Forgotten SoulsSeptember 2018Dmitry Manasypov, Shamil AltamirovSteel IslandOctober 2018Svetlana Kuznetsova OuroborosNovember 2018Irina Baranova, Konstantin BenevQueen of the NightNovember 2018Zakhar PetrovMuos: PurgatoryDecember 2018Vladislav VystavnoyThe Roof of the WorldJanuary 2019Oleg Grach Parad-alleJanuary 2019Victor LebedevBlackwaterFebruary 2019Andrei LisievaThe Winter of Mercy March 2019Tullio AvoledoThe Conclave of DarknessMarch 2019Zakhar PetrovMuos: The FallApril 2019Yuri MoriEmbryo: The BeginningMay 2019Robert J. SzmidtThe GiantMay 2019Dmitry ManasypovLoyal DogJune 2019Irina Baranova, Konstantin BenevCity of Seven WindsJuly 2019Sergey AlexeyevNomadJuly 2019Vladislav VystavnoyThe Roof of the World: CarthageAugust 2019Yuri MoriEmbryo: The DuelOctober 2019Shimun VrochekPiter. Battle of the TwinsDecember 2019Yuri MoriEmbryo: The FusionJanuary 2020Victor TochinovKovacs' DefenseFebruary 2020Dmitry Blinov ArkaimFebruary 2020Sergei NedorubThe Lost ClanApril 2020Pierre BordageLeft BankParisMay 2020Svetlana Kuznetsova A Palace for SlavesJune 2020Yuri KharitonovDeath of the Octane GodsSeptember 2020Irina Bakulina, Igor VardunasThe CageNovember 2020Sergey AntonovThe Supreme PowerNovember 2020Sergey SemyonovThe Price of FreedomJanuary 2021Pierre BordageRight BankParisMarch 2021Pierre BordageCityParisApril 2022
Translations Most of the written works of the series were originally released in Russia. Some books from the universe of Metro 2033, like Piter, Towards the Light and Into the Darkness, have been translated to a number of European languages, such as German, Polish and Swedish. Prior to 2014 and the video games Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, no books in the series were released in a country where English is the prominent language.
Other media
A graphic novel titled Metro 2033: Britannia Comic Prologue inspired by the prologue of the Metro 2033 novel Britannia was published in 2012. The story was written by Grant McMaster, the author of the novel and is illustrated by Benedict Hollis. It is available as a free download and unlike the novels it is in English rather than Russian.
A Metro 2033 board game based on the original novel was released in 2011. It was designed by Sergei Golubkin and was published by Hobby World.
The Metro series was also being developed into films by Michael De Luca and Solipsist Films for MGM, but the deal has been cancelled by Glukhovsky due to his disapproval to their Americanization of his work. A Russian Metro 2033 film adaptation project was announced by the Russian state company Gazprom Media in 2019. The film is now unlikely to be made since Glukhovsky left the country to avoid prosecution and prison for his criticism of the Russian war in Ukraine.
References
External links
Metro 2033 portal