On PC, choose Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition if your graphics card supports ray tracing and you want its fuller ray-traced lighting and added reflections. Choose the original if your GPU lacks ray-tracing support or you need the less demanding option. The available official descriptions frame the editions mainly as a graphics and hardware choice, not a story or core-gameplay split.
What changes in the Enhanced Edition?
More comprehensive ray-traced lighting
The original Metro Exodus already supported ray tracing on compatible high-end PCs. The Enhanced Edition expands that approach with what developer 4A Games describes as an all-new, fully ray-traced lighting pipeline, applying ray-traced illumination more broadly throughout the experience. 4A Games’ February 2021 announcement also says ray-traced emissive lighting—previously used in The Two Colonels—was brought throughout the main game. NVIDIA’s 2021 launch overview says the expanded emissive lighting applies to the main game and Sam’s Story.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Metro Exodus: Complete Edition - PlayStation 5 | $22.69 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Playstation 5 Digital Edition PS5 Gaming Console (Renewed) | $725.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Additional ray-traced reflections
The PC Enhanced Edition adds advanced ray-traced reflections, alongside its broader lighting changes. The key distinction is therefore not simply “ray tracing versus no ray tracing”: the original had some ray tracing, while Enhanced extends the effects and requires ray-tracing-capable hardware.
DLSS, field of view, and the PC release
4A Games’ announcement lists DLSS support and identifies a Field of View slider as a first for the series. Its launch post specifies DLSS 2.1, while NVIDIA’s launch overview describes DLSS 2.0; those are claims from different 2021 sources, not a guarantee that every current storefront build reports the same version.
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- Enhanced for PlayStation 5 - optimized for platform specific features including 60 FPS up to 4K resolution, Ray Traced lighting and DualSense Haptic Feedback support
- The Complete Package - includes Metro Exodus and all DLC content - The Two Colonels and Sam’s Story
- Experience Sandbox Survival - flee the shattered ruins of dead Moscow and follow a gripping story that links together classic Metro gameplay with huge, non-linear levels
- Deadly combat and stealth - scavenge and craft in the field to customize your arsenal of hand-made weaponry, and engage human and mutant foes in thrilling tactical combat
- Explore a hostile world - embark on journey that spans an entire year through spring, summer and autumn to the depths of nuclear winter - Discover the Russian wilderness, brought to life with day / night cycles and dynamic weather
4A Games said the PC upgrade was too extensive to deliver as a simple patch, so Enhanced was released as a separate product. The developer promised existing owners on Epic Games Store, Steam, and GOG an extra entitlement at no charge. If you own the original, check your account in the relevant store to see whether Enhanced is available to you.
Which edition will your PC run?
PLAION’s published system requirements list the following for the original game. The same page says Enhanced requires an NVIDIA RTX or AMD RX GPU, but does not give one universal minimum model for Enhanced.
| Original edition requirement | Published specification |
|---|---|
| Minimum memory | 8 GB RAM |
| Minimum storage | 59 GB |
| Minimum graphics | GeForce GTX 670, GeForce GTX 1050, or AMD Radeon HD 7870 |
| Recommended graphics | GeForce GTX 1070, GeForce RTX 2060, or AMD RX Vega 56 |
Because the Enhanced requirement is stated by GPU capability rather than a single minimum model, check the current system requirements on your storefront against your exact graphics card before installing or buying it. Ray-tracing support is the basic compatibility question; the card’s overall performance also affects how well the game runs.
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- 16GB GDDR6/256-bit Memory; 825GB SSD Storage Capacity. Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T), IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1
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- 【Up to 120fps with 120Hz output: 】Enjoy smooth and fluid high frame rate gameplay at up to 120fps for compatible games, with support for 120Hz output on 4K displays
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How to choose between them on PC
- Choose Enhanced if your GPU supports ray tracing, your PC meets the edition’s current requirements, and you want the fuller ray-traced lighting and reflections.
- Choose the original if your GPU does not support ray tracing, or if the original’s lower hardware requirements better fit your PC.
- If you already own the original, check Epic Games Store, Steam, or GOG for the separate free Enhanced entitlement announced by 4A Games; do not assume you need to repurchase it.
- If you are deciding based on performance, use requirements for your exact hardware rather than assuming a universal frame rate. NVIDIA claimed “2X faster at 4K” with DLSS 2.0 enabled in its 2021 material, but that vendor claim is tied to that condition and does not establish performance across all cards or systems.
The available cited material does not establish a story or core-gameplay difference between the PC editions, nor does it provide controlled independent benchmarks across current hardware. Avoid upgrading a PC solely on the assumption that a particular card or frame rate is necessary; the sources do not establish a model recommendation or performance target.
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What about PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S?
4A Games’ announcement confirms upgrades for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the Xbox store lists an Enhanced Edition. The available official information here does not provide a comparable breakdown of console resolution, frame rates, graphics settings, or the upgrade path for each platform. Console players should check the current listing and platform-specific account entitlement rather than assuming the PC edition’s requirements or upgrade details apply.
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