Metro 2033 Redux

Introduction

Metro 2033 Redux is 4A Games' remaster of their 2010 post-apocalyptic shooter, published by Deep Silver on 25 August 2014 at US$19.99, currently 90% off at US$1.99. Set in the irradiated ruins of Moscow after a nuclear war, it follows a young man navigating the Metro tunnels where humanity's survivors have taken refuge, combining stealth, resource management and survival-horror atmosphere. It sits at 89% positive ("Very Positive") across 36,126 English-language Steam reviews. This review read the 100 most-helpful negative reviews of 3,977 total, plus a sample of the 100 most recent English reviews.

Two dateable events, not one game problem

This review found negative reviews clustering around two distinct, checkable events rather than around the game's own quality. Twenty of the 100 negative reviews read date to February 2019, tied to the well-documented controversy over Metro Exodus's timed Epic Games Store exclusivity — 4A Games and Deep Silver made the sequel exclusive to Epic despite Steam pre-orders already being available, prompting a wave of protest reviews across the entire Metro catalogue, this earlier game included. "Do I recommend this game? Yes, this game is a masterpiece. But Epic isn't," reads one representative 2019 review, explicitly separating the game's quality from the protest.

A larger, more recent, genuinely technical wave

What this review found more significant is a separate, larger spike: 49 of the 100 negative reviews read date to 2025 and 2026 combined, and unlike the 2019 cluster, these are dominated by genuine modern-system compatibility complaints rather than any external controversy. "Today, in 2026, I can no longer recommend this game in good conscience. It has become far too much of a hassle to get the game running satisfactorily on modern systems," reads one recent review. Others describe specific, recurring problems: unrecognised widescreen and 2560x1440p resolutions, random crashes and freezes requiring a hard reset, and softlocks during specific combat encounters. This review found these reports concentrated heavily in the past two years rather than spread evenly since the 2014 Redux release, suggesting a genuine, worsening compatibility gap with modern hardware and operating systems rather than a settled, historical issue.

A smaller complaint about atmosphere, independently confirmed

A separate, smaller thread of reviewers specifically wants the original, pre-Redux 2033 restored to Steam, arguing this remaster's brighter lighting and revised mutant designs undercut the original's oppressive horror atmosphere. "Put og 2033 back on steam ffs. This remake isn't bad but it certainly can not compare to the atmosphere of the original," reads one review. This review checked the claim independently and confirmed it: searching Steam's storefront for the original Metro 2033 returns only this Redux version, with the 2010 release no longer separately available for purchase.

Verdict

Metro 2033 Redux remains a genuinely acclaimed, atmospheric shooter whose story and setting draw consistent praise even from reviewers marking it down — and this review's own analysis found its negative reviews driven far more by two specific, dateable events than by any real dispute over the game's quality. The 2019 Epic exclusivity controversy is now historical, but the more recent 2025 and 2026 wave of genuine compatibility complaints is not — worth budgeting real troubleshooting time for on modern hardware. An easy recommendation at its current steep discount, with that one caveat.