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The Stranger is the protagonist of Metro 2039, a former Spartan and recluse haunted by violent waking nightmares who is forced back into the Moscow Metro. He replaces Artyom as the lead and is the series' first fully voiced protagonist; his real name and voice actor are not announced as of Nov 3, 2026.
The Stranger is the main character of Metro 2039: a former Spartan warrior with a dark past who never wanted to return to the Metro, a recluse living in the wilderness beyond Moscow and haunted by violent waking nightmares. When his past forces him out of exile, he has to go into the ruins of Moscow and the Metro, which Deep Silver calls "the one place he swore he would never go". He replaces Artyom as the series' lead and is its first fully voiced protagonist. As of Nov 3, 2026, 4A Games has not given his real name, his backstory or the actor who voices him. The game is out Feb 4, 2027; the plot so far is on Metro 2039 Story. The clip is ACG's Aug 2026 preview of a pre-release build.
Quick facts
| Game | Metro 2039 (Feb 4, 2027) |
| Role | Protagonist, played in first person |
| Past | Former Spartan |
| Base | Sevastopolskaya station |
| Enemy | Hunter, Fuhrer of The Novoreich |
| Voice | Fully voiced; actor not announced as of Nov 3, 2026 |
| Real name | Not announced as of Nov 3, 2026 |
| Helmet | Replicated in the Collector's Edition |
Sources: Deep Silver; PlayStation Blog, Sep 3, 2026; Deep Silver, Aug 25, 2026; 4A Games, Aug 24, 2026.
Who is the Stranger in Metro 2039?
A man the makers describe only in outline. Deep Silver calls him a man shaped by a complex and violent past and "no hero in the traditional sense". Some of the Metro's residents see him as a savior, but he has little interest in their plight. He was once a member of The Spartan Order, and he is based at Sevastopolskaya, an independent station facing a hostile takeover by the Novoreich, where he gathers information before setting out. Who he was and why he left are, as of Nov 3, 2026, the questions the story is built around.
His nightmares
The reveal trailer of Apr 16, 2026 opens inside one of his nightmares, moving through more and more disturbing scenes before he wakes into post-apocalyptic Moscow. Every maker's description of him mentions the nightmares, but none explains them. The Dark Ones return in 2039, with ghosts and anomalous zones; whether they are linked to his visions is not stated as of Nov 3, 2026.
The first fully voiced Metro protagonist
Artyom never spoke during play: in Metro Exodus he is silent except for journal entries. The Stranger speaks, so players hear his inner thoughts. Executive producer Jon Bloch said a voiced lead was needed to tell a personal story: "This story is personal. It's about him, his past, and his mission." He narrates the Jun 7, 2026 Hunter trailer in anger, accusing Hunter of lies and hypocrisy and believing Hunter has become what the Spartans fought. In the clip GameSpot's preview likes that he talks but found his mumbling to himself during play annoying.
His lines from the trailers
- "The Spartans were wolves in helmets. But I'm something worse." (Renegade trailer, Aug 25, 2026)
- "Monsters, radiation... that's all that's left up there." (the same trailer)
- "You promised a brighter future... you swore to crush the enemy." (to Hunter, Jun 7, 2026)
The Gamescom trailer's own title is the line said to him: "You've come to the wrong place, Stranger."
The Stranger and Artyom
Creative director Andriy Shevchenko set the two apart: Artyom was "more of a classic hero", the Stranger is not. Where Artyom's games ran on hope, Bloch called 2039 "this journey back into hell". GamesRadar+ reports that Artyom and the Spartan Rangers he led out of Moscow are not coming back, and no return of earlier characters is announced as of Nov 3, 2026. The game is set four years after Artyom and the Spartans left the Metro at the start of Metro Exodus.
His helmet
The Collector's Edition includes a wearable, full-scale replica of the Stranger's helmet, recreated from the in-game 3D model with gas mask parts and wear. Prices are on Metro 2039 Editions and Price.
What is not known
As of Nov 3, 2026: his real name, his backstory, why he left the Spartans and the Metro, his age, and who voices him, in English or any of the game's 12 fully voiced languages. No cast has been named in any maker post.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the main character of Metro 2039? The Stranger, a former Spartan haunted by violent nightmares who returns to the Moscow Metro. Artyom is not the protagonist of Metro 2039.
What is the Stranger's real name in Metro 2039? Not announced as of Nov 3, 2026. 4A Games and Deep Silver call him only the Stranger.
Who voices the Stranger in Metro 2039? No actor has been announced as of Nov 3, 2026, though the Stranger is Metro's first fully voiced protagonist.
Is the Stranger a Spartan in Metro 2039? He is a former Spartan; Deep Silver calls him a Spartan warrior with a dark past who never wanted to return to the Metro.
Is Artyom in Metro 2039? Artyom is not Metro 2039's protagonist, and no role for him has been announced as of Nov 3, 2026.
Sources
- METRO 2039, Deep Silver, undated
- METRO 2039 | REVEALED, Deep Silver, Apr 16, 2026
- Hunter Gameplay Trailer: There is a liar in these tunnels, Deep Silver, Jun 7, 2026
- ONL Gameplay Trailer: You've come to the wrong place, Stranger, Deep Silver, Aug 25, 2026
- METRO 2039 Collector's Edition - First Look, 4A Games, Aug 24, 2026
- Metro 2039 revealed as the post-apocalyptic shooter series returns, PlayStation Blog, Apr 16, 2026
- Metro 2039 launches February 4, 2027, PS5 Pro gameplay revealed, PlayStation Blog, Sep 3, 2026
- Xbox First Look: Metro 2039 - Everything We Learned Today, Xbox Wire, Apr 16, 2026
- Metro 2039 Ditches Hope Entirely for a Darker Return to Moscow, Wccftech, Aug 26, 2026
- Metro 2039 is a "journey back into Hell", GamesRadar+, Aug 27, 2026
- Metro 2039: The Big Preview, GamesRadar+, Sep 1, 2026
- Metro Exodus review, Digital Trends, Apr 25, 2023
- METRO 2039, Steam, store page
- I Spent 20 Hours in Metro 2039 - Hands on Preview, ACG, Aug 26, 2026 (video)
- Metro 2039 Might Be Peak Metro | Hands-On Preview Impressions, GameSpot, Aug 26, 2026 (video)
- METRO 2039 developers reveal new combat details, why the game had to change and more, FGS, Sep 23, 2026 (video)
Moments
I Spent 20 Hours in Metro 2039 - Hands on Preview
ACG
Metro 2039 Might Be Peak Metro | Hands-On Preview Impressions
GameSpot
METRO 2039 developers reveal new combat details, why the game had to change and more
FGS
Photos
Related
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AnnaAnna is Colonel Miller's daughter, the Spartan Order's best sniper, met in Metro: Last Light and married to Artyom by Metro Exodus. She has not been shown or announced for Metro 2039 as of Nov 3, 2026.
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Colonel MillerColonel Miller is the commander of the Spartan Order in Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus, Anna's father and Artyom's father-in-law, who loses his legs at D6 and commands the Aurora. He stars in The Two Colonels; Metro 2039 has not shown him as of Nov 3, 2026.
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KhanKhan is the mystic of the Metro series, a shamanic guide to the tunnels' unseen side in Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light and the hero of the VR prequel Metro Awakening. Metro 2039's creative director quoted him to explain why souls cannot leave the Metro.
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How Long to Beat MetroMetro 2039's length has not been announced; 4A Games says only that its critical path is longer than Metro Exodus's. By HowLongToBeat's player figures, Metro Exodus takes 16 hours for the main story, Metro 2033 about 9.5 and Metro: Last Light about 10.5.
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Metro Difficulty ModesMetro's hardest setting is Ranger Mode, which removes the HUD and makes ammunition scarce; it began as a 2010 add-on for Metro 2033, was a paid pre-order extra in Metro: Last Light, and is built into Metro Redux and Metro Exodus, where it is Ranger Hardcore. Metro 2039's difficulty modes have not been announced.
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Metro EndingsEvery mainline Metro game so far has two endings, picked by a hidden karma system rather than a final menu choice: Metro 2033's ordinary and "Enlightened" endings, Metro: Last Light's "Redemption" and "C'est la vie", and Metro Exodus's good and bad endings. Metro 2039 brings hidden karma back, but how many endings it has is not announced.
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Metro Games in OrderThe Metro games in release order are Metro 2033 (2010), Metro: Last Light (2013), Metro Redux (2014), Arktika.1 (2017), Metro Exodus (2019) with its two DLCs and Enhanced Edition, Metro Awakening (2024) and Metro 2039 (Feb 4, 2027). In story order, Metro Awakening (2028) comes first and Metro 2039 last.
See also
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ArtyomArtyom is the hero of the Metro novels and of Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light and Metro Exodus, a young man of VDNKh station who becomes a Spartan Ranger. He is not the protagonist of Metro 2039, and no return has been announced as of Nov 3, 2026.
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Metro 2039 StoryMetro 2039 is set in Moscow in 2039, four years after Artyom and the Spartans left the Metro at the start of Metro Exodus, when Hunter, the first Spartan, rules almost the whole Metro as Fuhrer of the Novoreich. You play the Stranger, a former Spartan, in an original story by 4A Games and Dmitry Glukhovsky.
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SevastopolskayaSevastopolskaya is the independent Moscow Metro station that serves as the Stranger's base in Metro 2039, one of the biggest surviving colonies and under threat of a Novoreich takeover. In Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel Metro 2034 it is Sevastopol station, cut off from the rest of the Metro, where Hunter appears.
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HunterHunter is the Spartan Ranger of Metro 2033 whose creed is "If it's hostile, you kill it", missing from the games after it and back in Metro 2039 as the Fuhrer of the Novoreich, the regime that rules almost the entire Moscow Metro. In the novel Metro 2034 he turns up at Sevastopol station a year after Metro 2033.
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The NovoreichThe Novoreich is the regime that rules almost the entire Moscow Metro in Metro 2039, led by its Fuhrer, the former Spartan Hunter, and held together by propaganda, misinformation and fear. It echoes the Fourth Reich, the Nazi faction of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, but the makers have not said how the two are connected.