Metro 2039 has picked up 5 nominations at the Gamescom Awards 2026, more than any other game in the running, and it still won't be in players' hands for roughly another six months. For a franchise that started with Metro 2033 back in 2010, this kind of pre-launch recognition is a serious signal that 4A Games has something special on their hands.
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Five nominations, zero copies sold
Voting opens August 26 for the Gamescom Awards, a community-driven event tied to the year's biggest games shown at Gamescom. The nominations reflect what's been playable, revealed, or featured at the event. Metro 2039's 5 nominations are:
- Best PC Game
- Best PlayStation Game
- Best Xbox Game
- Most Epic Game
- Best Visuals
That last one might be the most telling. The 4A Engine has always punched above its weight, and the footage from Metro 2039 so far has made it clear that 4A Games is pushing the technology harder than ever. The game is slated to launch in February 2027.
What 4A Games is building
Most of what the public has seen comes from trailers released over the past few months, plus whatever Gamescom Opening Night Live dropped on August 25. The game returns to post-war Moscow's underground, the same haunted, claustrophobic world that made the series famous. Here's the thing though: Metro 2039 introduces a new protagonist who is voiced for the first time in the franchise's history, which is a meaningful shift for a series known for its first-person immersion and oppressive atmosphere.
4A Games has described the game as the darkest Metro entry yet. If you've spent any time with the earlier games, you know that claim carries real weight. The series doesn't do optimism.
The competition isn't sleeping
Meta 2039 doesn't have the Gamescom Awards field to itself. Alien: Isolation 2 is right behind it with 4 nominations across Best Visuals, Best Audio, Best Gameplay, and Best PC Game. That's a strong showing from another sequel in a beloved survival horror franchise, and the competition for Best Visuals between those two games alone is worth watching.
The fact that Metro 2039 leads on volume across platform-specific categories (PC, PlayStation, and Xbox simultaneously) suggests the game made an impression across the board rather than dominating in one niche.
Why this matters before launch
Pre-release awards attention doesn't always translate to a great finished product, but 5 nominations at a community-voted event is a concrete data point about how players are responding to what they've seen. Metro 2039 is generating the kind of anticipation that most action games only build after launch.
The February 2027 window gives 4A Games time to deliver on that expectation. Between now and then, Gamescom voting results will be one of the first real tests of whether the community's enthusiasm holds. If you want to brush up on the series before the new entry arrives, the Metro 2033 strategy guides are a solid place to start.
