Metro Reading Order & Timeline
After nuclear war, Moscow's underground stations become settlements divided by belief, fear and the struggle to survive. Artyom's journeys force him beyond the safety of home into tunnels and surface ruins where danger is not always what it first appears. Dmitry Glukhovsky's novels and the games develop related but distinct stories.
Timeline guide
Metro: Choose a Journey Out of the Home Station
For books, begin Metro 2033, then 2034 and 2035. For games, choose Game Continuity and Release order: Metro 2033, Last Light, then Exodus. Awakening looks back earlier rather than replacing either opening.
- Entries
- 10
- Released
- 9
- Upcoming
- 1
- Span
- 2005-2024
Metro: Last Light is not simply the game version of the novel Metro 2034. The book and game routes develop differently.
Overview & recommendation
Artyom's first journey makes Moscow's underground larger and less certain with every station he reaches. Starting there lets its societies and fears become discoveries rather than background assumed by a later adventure.
The games share the source world's pressures but follow their own path. Reading and playing can enrich one another without requiring alternating versions each time a year appears in the title.
Stay within the book trilogy or game sequence for a first route. Finish the main Exodus story before its companion campaigns for the clearest context: The Two Colonels looks around the same period, while Sam's Story moves onward. Visit Awakening afterward for its earlier perspective.
Glukhovsky's Novels and the Game Route A common starting world, distinct later journeys
The novel branch contains the core Glukhovsky books. The games adapt and expand the premise separately; matching dates or familiar people do not make every later game a direct adaptation of the similarly numbered novel.
Novel Continuity (3 entries)
Dmitry Glukhovsky's core Metro novels, beginning with Metro 2033 and continuing through Metro 2034 and Metro 2035.
Game Continuity (7 entries)
The game adaptation and its separate continuing route, with Exodus companions and Awakening's earlier story given their own context.
A Book Route or a Game Route 10 entries
Choose the medium and its beginning. Use Release order for games if you want the original 2033 introduction before the later-created Awakening prequel.
- 1Metro 2033Novel · 2005
- 2Metro 2034Novel · 2009
- 3Metro 2033Game · 2010
- 4Metro: Last LightGame · 2013
- 5Metro 2035Novel · 2015
- 6Metro ExodusGame · 2019
- 7Metro Exodus: The Two ColonelsGame · 2019
- 8Metro Exodus: Sam's StoryGame · 2020
- 9Metro AwakeningGame · 2024
- 10Metro 2039Game · Feb 4, 2027Upcoming
Earlier Lives and Exodus' Companion Perspectives 10 entries
Awakening precedes the central game journey. Exodus and The Two Colonels overlap in period, while Sam's Story follows it; whole campaigns need not be interrupted to rearrange every remembered event.
- 12028Metro AwakeningGame · 2024
- 22033Metro 2033Novel · 2005
- 32033Metro 2033Game · 2010
- 42034Metro 2034Novel · 2009
- 52034Metro: Last LightGame · 2013
- 62035Metro 2035Novel · 2015
- 72035–2036Metro ExodusGame · 2019
- 8Before and during ExodusMetro Exodus: The Two ColonelsGame · 2019
- 9After ExodusMetro Exodus: Sam's StoryGame · 2020
- 102039Metro 2039Game · Feb 4, 2027Upcoming
Frequently asked questions 6 answers
Is Last Light an adaptation of Metro 2034?
Treat it as the next part of the game route, not a replacement reading of that novel. The continuities develop differently after their shared premise.
Should I begin with Awakening because it happens earlier?
For a first game route, Metro 2033 and Release order give the original introduction. Awakening offers an earlier perspective to explore once that world is familiar.
How many Metro games and books are there?
Metro has 10 entries: 7 games and 3 books, released between 2005 and 2024. 9 are already released and 1 is upcoming.
What is the chronological order of Metro?
In chronological (in-universe) order, Metro begins with Metro Awakening (2028) and ends with Metro 2039. The full chronological list of 10 entries is above.
What is the release order of Metro?
By release date, Metro starts with Metro 2033 (2005). The most recent release is Metro Awakening (2024).
What is the next Metro release and what should I read before it?
The next Metro release is Metro 2039 (Feb 4, 2027). To catch up first, choose the relevant continuity and read its released entries. Include alternative editions only if you want them in your personal goal.
Last reviewed: .
If you like this, explore
The Walking Dead
Explore Timeline
BioShock
Explore Timeline
The Last of Us
Explore Timeline
Fallout
Explore Timeline
COD: Zombies
Explore Timeline
Halo
Explore Timeline
Half-Life
Explore Timeline