Metro 2039 pre-orders include a Collector’s Edition helmet

The Collector’s Edition is built around a life-size replica of the Spartan helmet worn by the Stranger, the game’s main character. Publisher Deep Silver first showed the helmet in August around Gamescom and said it was recreated from the character’s in-game 3D model. It has a visor on a hinge, gas-mask parts built in and deliberate battle damage, so it looks like it has spent years in the tunnels.

On top of the helmet, the box holds everything from the Deluxe Edition:

• a copy of the game;
• an exclusive steelbook case and a hardback art book;
• the story expansion DLC (downloadable content), due later in 2027;
• digital versions of the art book and the soundtrack.

One catch for PC players: leaks ahead of launch said the PC versions of the physical editions come with a download code rather than a disc, so even the priciest box has no PC game disc inside. Console editions reportedly include a disc, though you will still need an internet download.

The Standard Edition is $69.99 in the US at Best Buy, Amazon, GameStop and the PlayStation and Xbox stores. In the UK it is mostly £59.99, though Game and The Game Collection listed it a little cheaper at launch.

The Deluxe Edition is where prices split. The boxed version with the steelbook and hardback book is $109.99 in the US and around £94.99 in the UK. The digital Deluxe Edition, sold through the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Store, is $99.99 in the US and £84.99 in the UK, because there’s nothing physical to ship.

The Collector’s Edition was $299.99 at GameStop in the US. UK stores including Very and Game priced it at £259.99, while Smyths Toys asked £279.99. The Game Collection was the only big UK store to list it for PC as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Any pre-order, at any price, includes the Metro 2039 Specialist Pack. It unlocks one of three blueprints, which are swappable upgrades for your backpack: a Munitions pouch, a Chemtech pouch or an Equipment pouch. Blueprints are new to the series.

It’s a head start rather than exclusive content. The upgrades give you an early edge with gear, but nothing suggests the game is locked off without them, so it is a nice extra and not a reason to pay more.

Some UK retailers, including Smyths Toys and Game, put their listings live before the expected 4pm UK start time, and the Collector’s Edition disappeared fast on both sides of the Atlantic. Deep Silver had warned that the run was limited and that it expected the edition to sell out quickly.

About a week later, buyers began posting that Amazon had cancelled their Collector’s Edition orders, citing high demand and limited supply. The reports came from the US, the UK and France, and some people said they had ordered within minutes of pre-orders going live. A few found stock at another shop after the cancellation; many did not.

At the same time, copies appeared on eBay at steep markups. Most of those were asking prices, not completed sales, but one resale report said a copy sold for $676, more than double the US list price. Deep Silver has not announced a second wave of pre-orders or more helmets.

If you just want to play, the Standard Edition at $69.99 or £59.99 is the obvious pick. It gets the same free Specialist Pack as every other edition, and there is no sign of stock problems at launch.

If you care about the story expansion, the Deluxe Edition is the cheaper way to get it, at $99.99 digital or $109.99 boxed. That also gets you the art book and soundtrack. Middle editions like this often prove popular because they give fans something extra without the collector price, so a pre-order is the safer bet if you want the physical box.

If you still want the helmet, be careful. Paying double on eBay for an item that hasn’t shipped yet carries real risk, and a listing is not proof the seller has a confirmed order. It’s worth checking official retailers now and then in case cancelled stock comes back, rather than paying a reseller.

Metro 2039 launches on February 4, 2027, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store. Developer 4A Games says its Performance Mode runs at 60 frames per second with ray tracing on the base PS5 and Xbox Series X, and it showed the game running on a PS5 Pro.

The story picks up in 2039, when a fanatical Spartan called Hunter has united the survivors in the Moscow Metro under a harsh regime. The Stranger, haunted by his past, is pulled out of exile and back into the tunnels. Like the earlier games, it draws on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s Metro novels. The new game is set a quarter century after the nuclear war that drove survivors underground.