Metro Redux Free Next-Gen Update: PC vs Console
Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux are going to receive a hefty free upgrade on new systems this October. The Metro Redux Next-Gen Update does not alter the original Redux experience of the two titles, but enhances them with higher resolution textures, enhanced animation and sound, more detailed environments, platform-specific implementations, and an array of fixes suggested by the community.
Also, the timing is crucial. The update comes a few months ahead of Metro 2039, the next major game in the series, set to launch on February 4, 2027. For players that already own the Redux versions, this is a chance to play Artyom’s original story once again on newer hardware without having to repurchase the titles.
But the PC and console releases are not equal. PC players will be able to utilize DLSS and Spatial Audio, and PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X|S versions will be getting native current-gen support, more robust display options and controller-specific features.
Here’s what the actual Metro Redux patch changes, and what to know before you drop back into the tunnels.
The PC update is available first on October 22 and PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S owners will get the update on October 29. The Windows Store edition takes after the console date rather than the Steam/Epic/GOG PC date. Japan has a later console release date in November.
Current owners don’t need to buy a separate next-gen version. The Free upgrade to Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux for owners on via supported store fronts and consoles.
What Is the Metro Redux Next-Gen Update?
First, what this update is not.
4A Games and Deep Silver are not recreating Metro 2033 Redux or Metro: Last Light Redux from the ground up. The developers specifically state on the project that is neither a full remaster or a remake.
The aim is to keep the current Redux experience as is and polish it for newer systems and technologies.
That’s more of an important consideration because Metro Redux is already updated versions of the previous games. This new update is more like a further technical iteration of those releases, rather than a total re-imagining of the titles to date.
The enhancements include:
- 4K textures for supported editions
- Enhanced animation fidelity
- Better quality audio
- Richer environments
- Better lighting, shadows, and particles effects on consoles
- Bug fixes requested by the community
- Quality of life improvements
- Modern upscaling technologies
- New generation console support
- Extra controller features
Full technical patch notes are still expected to be published at launch, so a few small details have yet to be finalised.
PC: More Flexibility, Especially With DLSS
The PC version is getting DLSS support, which is probably the biggest boon for compatible graphics cards.
DLSS will allow certain NVIDIA hardware to render the game at a lower internal resolution and then upsample the image, while maintaining performance. What exact presets, what versions of DLSS are supported and if there are any further graphics settings remains for the developers to specify.
That last point matters. And it’s impossible to say what your frame rates or settings requirements will be for any given PC, because expect the full system specs to be out-sometime-later.
The PC also receives spatial audio support and more community requested quality of life improvements and bug fixes.
For PC gamers, then, the upgrade has two aspects: improved source assets and new rendering/audio technology.
PS5 and PS5 Pro: A clearer console refresh
The PS5 release is a native current-gen version, as opposed to being an old gen version playable through backward compatibility.
The publisher claims that with the right display hardware, console users will be able to enjoy genuine 4K at 60 FPS and upscaled 4K at 120 FPS. Better lighting, shadows and particle effects are also coming to consoles.
PS5 Pro also benefits from PSSR support.
PSSR, or PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, is Sony’s machine learning based upscaling technology for supported PS5 Pro games. Adding it to the Pro version offers a platform-specific image reconstruction solution that the vanilla PS5 lacks.
The key caveat: “4K at 120 FPS” is not to be understood as an assurance that every scene will be natively rendered at 4K and 120 frames per second. The official announcement identifies the 120 FPS option as upscaled 4K and mentions compatible monitor or TV hardware is needed.
Xbox Series X|S: Upscaling and Xbox features enabled
Jey confirms now Xbox Series consoles have native support.
TSR Upscaling And Anti-aliasing Support Comes To Xbox Series X. The Xbox versions also have spatial audio and Xbox controller Impulse Triggers support.
The update also includes support for Xbox Handheld and Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing the Xbox ecosystem to reach beyond console play, on a certain level.
But for Xbox users, it’s not just a res skinning job. The developers are also modifying the games to the current Xbox ecosystem.
4K Textures Are Coming To Every Supported Platform
Among the most sweeping changes is the introduction of 4K textures on all platforms.
The textures are responsible for so much of the surface detail you see in a game — from walls and guns to clothing, environmental objects, and more, materials can really pop when they’re sourced with higher-resolution assets.
In a Metro game, that means more than it might in a brightly lit action title.
Much of the atmosphere of Metro is created from tight spaces, broken infrastructure, filth, equipment and the tiniest details of the environment debris…Better texture quality means you can take this stuff in full, especially at 4K on more modern displays.
The patch also brings more detail on the environment, higher quality of animation and richer sound. These are not individual visual enhancements but rather work in tandem.
For instance, a single high-resolution texture does not necessarily make a classic game look completely different. Improved animation and sound can make just as much of a difference in the overall experience.
Lighting, shadows and particles are more detailed on console
The console version takes texture resolution a step further.
Deep Silver mention improved lighting, shadows and particles for the current gen console versions.
This is especially important for Metro since lighting is such a big part of exploration and atmosphere.
The Metro levels are often alternating between dark tunnels, artificial light, fire, smoke and lethal exteriors.
Enhanced lighting and particle effects can make these environments reads better without modifying their core level design.
That’s also one of the reasons why the update shouldn’t be referred to as “just a 4K patch.” Several aspects of the presentation will be enhanced in the announced upgrades.
DualSense and Xbox Controller Features
Console players also get some hardware-specific enhancements.
For PlayStation 5, the patch adds support for the DualSense Adaptive Triggers.
For Xbox, Impulse Triggers are supported.
These mechanics allow guns and other gameplay elements to have a bit more physical feedback when you press the buttons on the controller, and they look just as cool in-game. The specific translation to each armament and interaction will be further detailed in a complete launcher dossier later on.
It’s a smaller change than adding 4K textures or improving the lighting, but it at least helps the fluid feel like it was designed for modern hardware as opposed to just being a resolution bump.
The Update Doesn’t Add Ray Tracing
This is one of the most critical restrictions to keep in mind.
The Metro Redux Next-Gen Update announced does not include ray tracing.
That’s because modern console remasters are frequently touting ray-traced lighting or reflections as a major visual selling-point. Metro Redux, however, is taking a different path here with improvements made to textures, lighting quality, shadows, particles, animation, audio and platform-specific rebuild technologies.
This also means, visuals wise, do not expect the visual technology of a fully rebuilt modern Metro game.
The developers are enhancing the current Redux experience instead of turning it into a new rendering experience.
Is this a Remake, or Full Remaster?
No.
The publisher stresses that the original Metro Redux experience and aesthetics are being kept.
That differentiation is useful for anyone contemplating whether to replay these games. Consider the patch as a current-hardware bump upgrade rather than a new version with levels redesigned, story content rewritten or a gameplay system that’s fundamentally different.
These changes are mostly technical, visual, and quality of life.
What About Nintendo Switch?
Nintendo Switch will not be available at Next-Gen Update platform release.
The official details explicitly mention PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X|S as the platforms for the new versions. Developer and publisher have not revealed a similar Switch upgrade in this announcement.
So that also means Switch owners shouldn’t expect to receive the October update like automatically.
That said, if a Switch-specific announcement does come later, it should be treated separately from the currently confirmed next-gen roll out.
Who Gets the Most From the Free Update?
The value of the upgrade is different, depending on how you play Metro Redux.
Returning PC players
PC players who own the Redux titles already receive improved textures, DLSS, spatial audio, and more fixes in the new edition without having to buy it.
The biggest practical question as far as PC is concerned, will be how the final graphics settings and performance options pan out when the full patch notes get released.
PS5 and Xbox Series players
Current generation console owners have never had a better indication of where the platform transition lie.
Native support, higher-quality visual effects, high-framerate solutions, contemporary upscaling, and controller functions make this more than simply running an old version via backwards compatibility. Players with 120 Hz displays
The announced 120 FPS mode will be especially useful to those who have compatible high-refresh-rate TVs or monitors.
However, the publisher touts this as upscaled 4K at 120 FPS, not native 4K at 120 FPS. That distinction should be borne in mind when comparing the modes.
Getting ready for Metro 2039
The update also arrives at a convenient time. Metro 2039 is due out on February 4, 2027, giving players a refreshed version of the earlier games to explore before the series continues.
Deep Silver is presenting Redux as more than a practical upgrade: it’s also a chance for longtime fans and newcomers to revisit the stories that came before.
FAQ
When is the release date for Metro Redux Next-Gen Update MetroRedux
The PC update is released on October 22, 2026. PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X|S version gets it on October 29, 2026. The Windows Store version also releases on October 29. Arcade may be Japan’s console release in November.
Is Metro Redux Update any Charge?
Yes. Owners of Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux on the PC, Xbox One or PlayStation 4 will get the Next-Gen Update free of charge.
Are there4Ktextures in Metro Redux?
Yes. 4Ktextures have been confirmed for all supported platforms for the Next-Gen Update.
Does Metro Redux have 120 fps after the patch ?
The console release confirms an upscaled 4K 120 FPS option on compatible display hardware. Exact details on how it will be implemented to be announced in the final technical patch notes.
Will the update introduce raytracing?
No. Ray tracing is not Metro Redux Next-Gen Update is not a part of.
Can PC Get DLSS?
Yes. DLSS is specifically mentioned for the PC release in addition to spatial audio and other QoL enhancements.
Does PS5 Pro get anything special?
Yes. The PS5 Pro version features PSSR emulation along with the wider console enhancements.
Is this a Metro Redux re-make? It is. 4A Games and Deep Silver dub it a free Next-Gen Update rather than a full remaster or remake. The original Redux look and experience is being preserved.