Metro: Last Light Redux

Metro
Metro 2033	2010
Metro: Last Light	2013
Metro 2033 Redux	2014
Metro: Last Light Redux	2014
Metro Exodus	2019
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition	2021
Metro Awakening	2024

Key points

Better optimized than the original.

Features models and textures with higher detail than the original (in some places tessellation is toned down, though).

Default mouse sensitivity contains multiple issues; use Metro Mouse Fix.

The game's lighting differs from the original due to increased brightness in all dark areas and the utilization of exposed lens-flares for light sources.

The macOS (OS X) version of this game, available on Steam, does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps. AppStore version is not affected.

General information

Official Discord server for game series

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Redux bundle.
Epic Games Store

GOG.com
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store		DRM-free version only available for Windows.
Mac App Store
Microsoft Store
Steam
Amazon.com (unavailable)
EA app (unavailable)

All Linux versions require Steam DRM.

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Delete contents of legal.ogv^{[citation needed]}

Go to the installation folder.
Open legal.ogv with a text editor.
Delete its contents and save the file.

Alternatively, replace legal.ogv with a blank text file with the same filename and extension.

Notes

Simply deleting or renaming legal.ogv will make the game crash immediately to the desktop without any error messages.

Alternative You can press alt+tab and go to desktop then enter the game again, it will skip the intro videos

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%LOCALAPPDATA%\4A Games\Metro Last Light\<user-id>\user.cfg
Microsoft Store
macOS (OS X)	$HOME/Library/Application Support/Metro_Redux_2034/
Linux	<path-to-game>/<user-id>/user.cfg
Steam	%LOCALAPPDATA%\4A Games\Metro Last Light\<user-id>\user.cfg

This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\4A Games\Metro Last Light\
Microsoft Store	%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\DeepSilver.MetroLastLightRedux_hmv7qcest37me\SystemAppData\wgs\
macOS (OS X)
Linux	<path-to-game>/<user-id>/
Steam	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\4A Games\Metro Last Light\<user-id>\

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Epic Games Launcher
GOG Galaxy
EA app
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents* folder in OneDrive on all computers.*
Steam Cloud		Steam Cloud doesn't seem to sync between Windows and Linux versions. Manual sync works however. Just copy the files from the local Windows folder to the Linux folder (see tables above).
Xbox Cloud

Video

General settings.

Graphics settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		You may be unable to select your native resolution if you have secondary monitors or televisions plugged in to your computer. See #Resolution Issues.
Multi-monitor		May need to use Borderless fullscreen windowed for some resolutions.
Ultra-widescreen		Need to use Windowed for true aspect ratio; stretched in fullscreen. See #Windowed.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)	Default is 50° vertical. See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed	See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See Borderless fullscreen windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)	Up to 16 samples.
Anti-aliasing (AA)	0.5x - 4x SSAA (0.5x decreases quality and increases frame rate by upscaling from half the screen resolution). Also features FXAA controlled by the Quality setting.
Vertical sync (Vsync)	In-game Vsync forces the refresh rate to 60 Hz.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS	In-game Vsync forces the refresh rate to 60 Hz. Disable it and force Vsync externally.
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Field of view (FOV)

This game uses vertical FOV. See FOV Calculator for help.

Edit user.cfg^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file location.
Open user.cfg
Change r_base_fov from the default 50.625 to the desired value (up to 90).

Notes

Increasing the FOV will reveal unfinished player model.

Windowed

Edit user.cfg^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open user.cfg.
Change r_fullscreen on to r_fullscreen off.

Notes

A bottom portion of the image may appear distorted if the resolution is too high.^[2] See Borderless fullscreen windowed to fix.

Borderless fullscreen windowed

Set borderless fullscreen^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open user.cfg.
Change r_fullscreen on to r_fullscreen off.
Download Special K.
Copy SpecialK64.dll to the installation folder.
Rename SpecialK64.dll to dxgi.dll.
Start the game and exit.
Open dxgi.ini in the installation folder.
Set Borderless=true and Fullscreen=true under [Window.System].
Set OverrideRes=0x0 to the resolution of your screen (e.g. OverrideRes=1920x1080).
Start the game and set the resolution to something else.
Set the resolution back to your screen resolution.

Depth of field

Turn depth of field off^[3]
Download this file. Extract the files to `<path-to-game>`.

Disabling post-processing effects separately

Toggle post-process effects^{[citation needed]}

Download Metro: Last Light Redux 3D Vision Fix.
Extract the contents to the installation folder.
Start the game.

Notes

Press F3 to toggle depth of field (off by default).

Press F4 to toggle lens dirt light effects (on by default).

Press F5 to toggle bloom (on by default).

Press F6 to toggle HUD (on by default).

Fix Diary notes not being saved

If you have this issue, make sure your user.cfg file is not set as read only.

Resolution Issues

Some users have encountered issues such as not being able to set their native resolution; the game resetting their chosen resolution to a lower one; or the game's maximum available resolution being lower than their monitor's native resolution.^[4] Such cases may be caused by the presence of multiple monitors attached to the computer, or attempting to play the game on an attached TV where larger resolutions may not be available. Possible solutions include unplugging any extra monitors^[5] or setting the multi-monitor display mode in Windows to "Computer Only".

Input

Mouse settings.

Keyboard rebinding.

Controller settings.

Controller first preset, three presets available.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Walk key `X` is not bindable in the menus, see Rebind Walk. Mouse4/5 can't be mapped on Linux.
Mouse acceleration		No mouse acceleration.
Mouse sensitivity		Use Metro Mouse Fix to fix mouse sensitivity issues.
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		XInput only.
Full controller support
Controller remapping		Three presets.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

PlayStation controllers

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Input prompt override
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Master, Music.
Surround sound		Autodetection without setting. 7.1 audio supported.
Subtitles		Conversations only; speech outside of conversation has no subtitles.^[6]
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Czech
Dutch
French
German
Hungarian				Fan translation.
Italian
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation, download.
Russian
Spanish
Ukrainian

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
Native 3D
Nvidia 3D Vision		Excellent. Some effects render incorrectly. Use Helix Mod: Metro: Metro Redux (2033 & Last Light) 3D Vision Ready update for better 3D support.
TriDef 3D		Excellent. Rare 2D effects.
vorpX		G3D, DirectVR Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Issues unresolved

Stealth takedowns are impossible at Bandits chapter

For some players, knocking out or stealth killing enemies is impossible on and after the Bandits chapter.^[7]^[8]^[9]

This is a save-bound issue, if you use someone elses save file from the bandits chapter (from someone who does not have the bug) you can resume the game normally from their progress, unfortunately your own progress is lost if this bug occurs to you.

Issues fixed

Crashes at Undercity chapter

The game may crash at some point during the Undercity chapter. Starting it up and choosing to Continue will always cause it to crash again.

Replay the chapter^[10]^[11]^[12]
From the main menu, go to Chapters, select Undercity and play the level from the beginning again.

Mouse sensitivity issues

The game applies different sensitivities for vertical and horizontal movement. It also has sensitivity settings that are too high for some players who prefer slower movement.

Use raw mouse input fix^[13]
Install Metro Mouse Fix.

Run the game at screen refresh rate

In-game Vsync forces the refresh rate to 60 Hz in fullscreen mode.

Force Vsync in driver^{[citation needed]}
Disable the in-game Vsync. Force Vsync externally.

Game menu/world doesn't load properly or certain screen resolutions are not available

Metro: LL Redux sometimes has problems with multiple monitor setups, even if the game is only running on one of them.^[14]

Unplug all monitors except for one^{[citation needed]}
The monitors have to be unplugged, simply disabling them doesn't fix the issue.^{[citation needed]}

No sound under Linux

This issue seems to sometimes occur when using PulseAudio

Add extra launch options^{[citation needed]}
Use the command line arguments `SDL_AUDIODRIVER=alsa %command%`

If this option enables sound but causes sound suttering or performance drops, try the following:

Fix performance issues after adding extra launch options^{[citation needed]}

Create a .asoundrc file in your user's home directory
Put this into your .asoundrc:

pcm.!default { 
      type hw
       card 0
       device 0
}
ctl.!default {
       type hw
       card 0
       device 0  
}

3. Save the changes

Notes

Where the digits for card and device need to replaced with the values for the soundcard you are actually using. You can find these values by running aplay -l. So for an output like this:

 $ aplay -l
 **** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC892 Analog [ALC892 Analog]
  Subdevices: 0/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

You would use card 0 and device 0.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	11
OpenGL	4	Only for OS X and Linux.

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	PhysX

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Vista	7, 8
Processor (CPU)	2.2 GHz Dual Core	Quad Core 3.0 GHz Dual Core
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	4 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	10 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 512 MB of VRAM DirectX 10 compatible Shader model 4 support	Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 DirectX 11 compatible

A 64-bit operating system is required.

Single-core processors can work with the game, at heavy performance expenses.

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.9.5
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i5 3.2 GHz
System memory (RAM)	8 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	10 GB
Video card (GPU)	AMD Radeon HD 7950 Nvidia GeForce GTX 750M 1 GB of VRAM

A 64-bit operating system is required.

Single-core processors can work with the game, at heavy performance expenses.

Linux
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	Ubuntu 12.04/14.04, SteamOS
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i5 2.7 GHz AMD equivalent	Intel Core i7 2.5 GHz
System memory (RAM)	4 GB	8 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	10 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 ATI Radeon 5850 2 GB of VRAM OpenGL 4 compatible	Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 AMD Radeon 7870 2 GB of VRAM OpenGL 4 compatible

A 64-bit operating system is required.

Single-core processors can work with the game, at heavy performance expenses.

Due to OpenGL 4, Intel video cards no longer supported

References

↑ News - Midweek Madness - Metro Redux series, 50% Off, Now Available for Mac - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Windowed graphics glitch - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Helix Mod: Metro: Last Light Redux
↑ [1]
↑ [2]
↑ Did they add more subtitles to 2033? :: Metro 2033 Redux General Discussions - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Can't knock out / stealth kill enemies - last accessed on August 23, 2018
↑ At the Bandits level in Metro Last Light Redux, I can't stealth attack anybody - last accessed on August 23, 2018
↑ Stealth breaking bug (at least for me) in Metro last light - last accessed on August 23, 2018
↑ Undercity Crashes - last accessed on August 27, 2018
↑ Game keeps crashing without error. [SOLVED] - last accessed on August 27, 2018
↑ Metro crashes at UnderCity - last accessed on August 27, 2018
↑ Metro Mouse Fix | The Meth Lab
↑ [3]

[1] News - Midweek Madness - Metro Redux series, 50% Off, Now Available for Mac - last accessed on May 2023

[2] Windowed graphics glitch - last accessed on May 2023

[helixmod.blogspot.com-3] Helix Mod: Metro: Last Light Redux

[4] [1]

[5] [2]

[6] Did they add more subtitles to 2033? :: Metro 2033 Redux General Discussions - last accessed on May 2023

[7] Can't knock out / stealth kill enemies - last accessed on August 23, 2018

[8] At the Bandits level in Metro Last Light Redux, I can't stealth attack anybody - last accessed on August 23, 2018

[9] Stealth breaking bug (at least for me) in Metro last light - last accessed on August 23, 2018

[10] Undercity Crashes - last accessed on August 27, 2018

[11] Game keeps crashing without error. [SOLVED] - last accessed on August 27, 2018

[12] Metro crashes at UnderCity - last accessed on August 27, 2018

[13] Metro Mouse Fix | The Meth Lab

[14] [3]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

Developers

	4A Games
Publishers
	Deep Silver
Engines
	4A Engine
Release dates
Windows	August 26, 2014
Linux	December 11, 2014
macOS (OS X)	April 14, 2015^[1]
Reception
Metacritic	76
OpenCritic	79
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Action, FPS
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Post-apocalyptic, Europe
Series	Metro