Artyom

1:33 Artyom is not the main character of Metro 2039: the new game's lead is The Stranger, who replaces him, and GamesRadar+ wrote after its preview that Artyom and the Rangers he led out of Moscow "aren't coming back." Before that he was the hero of the whole series: the young man of VDNKh station in Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel Metro 2033 and the player character of Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus, who grows from a station boy into a Spartan Ranger and leads his people out of Moscow. Endings of the earlier games are told below. The clip is GameSpot's Aug 2026 hands-on preview, from a preview build.

Quick facts

Sources: Hachette UK: Metro 2033; glukhovsky.com: Games; Deep Silver: Metro Exodus; Digital Trends, updated Apr 25, 2023; GamesRadar+, Sep 1, 2026.

Is Artyom in Metro 2039?

Not as the hero, and not in anything shown as of Nov 3, 2026. The game is set four years after Artyom and the remaining Spartan Rangers fled the Moscow Metro early in Metro Exodus, and the makers have not said what became of him, or which Exodus ending they treat as canon. Creative director Andriy Shevchenko set the new lead against him: Artyom was "more of a classic hero," and the Stranger is a darker, haunted former Spartan who is also the series' first fully voiced protagonist. The Metro he left is now ruled by Hunter, the Ranger of Metro 2033.

Artyom in the novel Metro 2033

1:37 In Glukhovsky's first book Artyom is a young man of VDNKh, the station at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy, which was Glukhovsky's own station as a boy. When a new threat appears there, he must cross the Metro to the legendary Polis to warn the others and seek help. Born just before the war, he is old enough to remember fresh air. His later book is Metro 2035, in which he makes a final attempt to lead humanity back to the surface. He is not the hero of Metro 2034, which follows Hunter, Homer and Sasha. The clip is WiseFish's account, drawn from the books and the games.

Artyom in Metro 2033 (2010)

5:16 "You are Artyom, born in the last days before the fire, but raised underground." The 2010 game follows the novel's road: he tries to save his home, Exhibition, from the Dark Ones, searching for a weapon to stop the mind-invading creatures. Hidden good deeds lead to the rarer ending, "Enlightened: Find the truth," earned by 7.8% of Steam players as of Nov 3, 2026. More on The Dark Ones. The clip is Gaming Harry's retelling of the Metro 2033 game.

Artyom in Metro: Last Light (2034)

18:47 A year later Artyom joins the Spartan Order and has to choose a side in the Metro's civil wars. Deep Silver calls him "burdened by guilt but driven by hope", and his quest is to find a surviving Dark One. Near a Dark One most people suffer pain and madness, but Artyom is immune. He meets Pavel, a Red, and Anna, Miller's daughter, who doubts the "supposed savior". The game ends either with D6 saved, "Redemption", or destroyed, "C'est la vie". The clip is Gaming Harry's retelling of Metro: Last Light.

Artyom in Metro Exodus (2036)

35:52 Exodus follows the Redemption ending: two years on, Artyom goes up to the surface every day trying to reach a human radio signal he thinks he heard, against the wishes of his wife, Anna, and her father, Colonel Miller. He proves that other cities survived, and leads a band of Spartan Rangers east across Russia aboard The Aurora to find a new life. Deep Silver's line for him: "We were not born for life in the tunnels." In the good ending he survives, Miller dies giving him his last anti-radiation dose, and Artyom goes on to assume command of the Order; in the bad ending he takes a fatal dose of radiation finding medicine for Anna. See Metro Endings. The clip is Gaming Harry's retelling of Metro Exodus.

Who voices Artyom?

Artyom is a silent hero: in Exodus he is silent except for journal entries, and Metro 2039's Stranger is billed as the series' first fully voiced lead. The English actor heard in his journals has not been confirmed for this page from a publisher or credits source as of Nov 3, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is Artyom in Metro 2039? Artyom is not the protagonist of Metro 2039, and no appearance has been announced as of Nov 3, 2026; you play the Stranger, a former Spartan.

Why is Artyom not in Metro 2039? Metro 2039's makers wanted a personal, darker story with a fully voiced lead; Artyom and his Rangers left Moscow on the Aurora four years earlier.

Does Artyom die in Metro Exodus? Only in the bad ending of Metro Exodus; in the good ending Artyom survives and Colonel Miller dies.

Who is Artyom's wife? Artyom's wife in Metro Exodus is Anna, the Spartan sniper and daughter of Colonel Miller.

Is Artyom a Spartan? Yes. Artyom joins the Spartan Order in Metro: Last Light and leads its Rangers across Russia in Metro Exodus.

Why does Artyom not talk in Metro? Artyom is a silent protagonist in the Metro games, heard in Metro Exodus only in journal entries; Metro 2039's Stranger is the first fully voiced lead.

Sources

• Metro 2039: The Big Preview, GamesRadar+, Sep 1, 2026
• Metro 2039 is a "journey back into Hell", GamesRadar+, Aug 27, 2026
• New Metro 2039 Gameplay Trailer Confirms February Release Date, Game Informer, Sep 3, 2026
• Metro 2039 Ditches Hope Entirely for a Darker Return to Moscow, Wccftech, Aug 26, 2026
• Xbox First Look: Metro 2039, Everything We Learned, Xbox Wire, Apr 16, 2026
• The Metro story so far, Deep Silver, undated
• Metro Exodus, Deep Silver, undated
• Metro 2033, Hachette UK (Gollancz), undated
• Books and Games, glukhovsky.com, undated
• Metro Exodus is the antidote to the "merry Western apocalypse", PCGamesN, updated Jan 16, 2019
• THQ Unveils Metro 2033, Game Informer, Oct 22, 2009
• Metro 2033 Review: A Dreary Subway Ride Well Worth Taking, Game Informer, Mar 16, 2010
• New Metro: Last Light Trailer Explores A Savior, Salvation, And Suspicion, Game Informer, Apr 29, 2013
• Metro: Last Light Review, Game Informer, May 13, 2013
• Metro Exodus Cover Story: Leaving The Rails, Game Informer, Jan 25, 2019
• Metro: Last Light review, Digital Trends, updated Apr 24, 2023
• Metro Exodus review, Digital Trends, updated Apr 25, 2023
• Metro Exodus ending explained, PCGamesN, undated
• Metro 2033 Redux, Steam, undated
• METRO 2033 Redux, METRO Last Light Redux and Metro Exodus achievements, Steam Community
• Metro 2039 Might Be Peak Metro | Hands-On Preview Impressions, GameSpot, Aug 26, 2026 (video)
• The FULL Metro Timeline...So Far | 2009 - 2035 | Complete Metro Book & Game Lore, WiseFish, Jun 1, 2023 (video)
• The ENTIRE Metro Story... So Far..., Gaming Harry, May 14, 2022 (video)