It's a big day for Metro Exodus, as Deep Silver and 4A Games have released the game's Enhanced Edition today, May 6, on PC, and announced details on a free upgrade for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
The Enhanced Edition is described as a "radical update" that makes Metro Exodus look better with ray-tracing support for those who strong enough rigs. PC players also get better frame rates and improve resolution.
Deep Silver went on to say that the Enhanced Edition makes every light source "fully ray-traced," also noting that the upgrade is so extensive that it requires a ray-tracing capable GPU as its minimum spec. "[It] will be delivered as a separate product--it is not a simple 'patch' to the base game--instead it will be offered as an extra entitlement to all existing Metro Exodus PC players," Deep Silver said.
Everyone on PC who already owns Metro Exodus gets the Enhanced Edition for free across Steam, Good Old Games, the Microsoft Store, and the Epic Games Store.
The other big announcement is that the Metro Exodus next-gen upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S will be available starting June 18, free for existing owners. This comes as part of the Complete Edition, which boasts 4K/60fps gameplay with ray-tracing available for lighting on PS5 and Xbox Series X (but not Series S). The upgrades apply to the base game and its expansions. Players can also expect better load times and more.
"The next-gen consoles will benefit from dramatically reduced loading times thanks to the use of their SSD storage optimizations, 4K texture packs, and a range of platform-specific features including spatial audio and controller latency improvements on Xbox, and support for the haptic features of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller," Deep Silver said.
For people who didn't already buy Metro Exodus on PS4 or Xbox One, they can buy the Complete Edition, which includes the base game and its two expansions, The Two Colonels and Sam's Story.
"At first glance, Metro Exodus gives you that wide-open, free, and dangerous world unbound by tunnels, though the scope of its tale focuses on what drives you personally and the lengths you're willing to go to protect what matters most," Michael Higham wrote in GameSpot's original Metro Exodus review. "The open sandboxes may not be strongest addition, but the game still embraces the sense of vulnerability and post-apocalyptic terror alongside impactful weapons used in refined combat and stealth scenarios. You may miss the mystery and intrigue of the previous games, but Exodus puts together a charismatic crew of friends and family that you'll want to follow to the ends of the earth."