Metro 2039 launches February 4, 2027, and 4A Games is beginning to define its console technology more clearly.

The State of Play trailer represents the first publicly released console gameplay.

Every shot in that demonstration was captured on PlayStation 5 Pro at 60 frames per second using Performance Mode.

Ray-traced Performance Mode is not a PS5 Pro exclusive

4A Games confirms a 60fps Performance Mode with ray tracing on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X.

That distinction matters because the actual footage shown during the announcement comes only from the Pro system.

The studio has not yet disclosed internal resolutions, reconstruction methods or the exact ray-traced effects retained in this mode.

More detailed graphics modes and specifications are promised ahead of launch.

The engine is being built around ray tracing from the beginning

Metro 2039 runs on another evolution of 4A Games' proprietary 4A Engine.

The developer describes this as the first Metro game built from the ground up around ray tracing.

That is an important distinction from Metro Exodus, whose Enhanced Edition substantially rebuilt its rendering pipeline after the original release.

Here, ray tracing is not being added on top of an older rendering target. It is part of the foundation during primary development.

Exodus Enhanced remains the most relevant technical precedent

4A Games points back to Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, which delivered 60fps ray-traced lighting on PS5 and Xbox Series X in 2021.

That version already replaced significant portions of the conventional lighting pipeline with a much deeper reliance on ray tracing.

Metro 2039 benefits from several additional years of work on the same proprietary technology.

The studio says its implementation has been rebuilt to deliver a more tuned and performant result.

PS5 Pro footage mostly demonstrates scene complexity

The State of Play section moves through flooded exterior spaces, destroyed apartments, vegetation, dynamic lighting and combat sequences with visible environmental destruction.

This is not simply ray tracing being demonstrated inside a dark corridor illuminated by three bulbs.

The exterior portion combines water, overcast skies, wet materials, complex structures and multiple light sources before transitioning into rapid combat.

The important comparison will be how much of that presentation survives unchanged on standard PS5 and what separates the Pro version.

There is no confirmed 60fps Series S target yet

4A Games specifically names Xbox Series X, PS5 and PS5 Pro when confirming the 60fps ray-traced Performance Mode.

It has not made the same commitment for Xbox Series S.

Metro 2039 is coming to the Xbox Series generation, but assigning Series S the same rendering mode without explicit confirmation would be premature.

Its resolution, frame-rate target and ray-tracing configuration remain to be detailed.

PC still does not have system requirements

Steam confirms the February 4 release, but the minimum and recommended hardware fields are currently empty.

Because the game is being built around a ray-traced rendering pipeline, GPU requirements will be particularly important.

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition already required hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

4A Games has not yet confirmed whether Metro 2039 will impose a comparable baseline across all PC configurations.

A meaningful comparison has to wait for the final modes

Three facts are currently solid: the published gameplay is PS5 Pro footage, it runs at 60fps in Performance Mode, and 4A Games promises a ray-traced 60fps Performance Mode on standard PS5 and Xbox Series X as well.

Everything beyond that — internal resolution, reconstruction, geometric density, reflection quality or lighting differences between machines — still needs either official specification or direct measurement.

4A Games says more technical detail is coming before February.

After Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, the studio no longer needs to prove that ray tracing and 60fps can coexist in a Metro game. Metro 2039 now has to show how far that combination can be pushed without making it exclusive to the most expensive hardware.