Metro Awakening Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-05-10
  • Outstanding VR and high-quality gameplay experience
  • Engaging story with impressive graphics and visuals
  • Realistic gunplay capturing series essence
  • Limited object interaction and repetitive levels
  • Clumsy controls with weak flashlight mechanics
  • Ammo scarcity and lack of weapon upgrades
Metro Awakening header

Emotions

Archetypes

Hardware

Windows 8-11GB VRAMpositiveWindows 12-15GB VRAMpositive

What players like:

Common complaints:

Gameplay feedback:

Performance notes:

Recommendations:

Other player notes:

Review evidence

Why players say this

What players like

High-quality gameplay experience: The gameplay is frequently described as good, enjoyable, and well-made, with specific praise for fluid and intuitive mechanics, as well as excellent gunplay.

Outstanding VR experience: The VR experience is praised as amazing, immersive, and one of the best in recent years, with excellent mechanics and a well-crafted VR world.

Engaging and well-crafted story: The story is described as intriguing, excellent, and beautifully crafted, with a gripping narrative that keeps players engaged.

Captures Metro series essence: The game successfully captures the classic Metro vibes and atmosphere, fitting well within the Metro series and providing a welcome addition for fans.

Realistic and satisfying gunplay: The gunplay is frequently praised for being realistic, satisfying, and well-implemented, with detailed weapon interactions.

Common complaints

Limited object interaction: The game has been criticized for its lack of interactivity with objects in the environment. Players find the limited interactions restrictive and unsatisfying.

Repetitive and linear levels: The levels are described as long, linear, and repetitive, with reused assets and environments that make the game feel dull.

Bad voice acting: The English voice acting is criticized for being poor, with unnecessary Russian accents that come off as fake and unpleasant.

Clumsy and uncomfortable controls: Players have found the controls to be clumsy, clunky, and poorly implemented, leading to a frustrating gaming experience.

Weak flashlight mechanics: The flashlight in the game is reported to have a limited range, weak beam, and quick battery drain, making dark areas difficult to navigate.

Gameplay and performance

VR shooter with immersive gameplay: The game is a VR shooter that offers an immersive experience with realistic weapon mechanics and interactive features.

Limited environmental interaction: The game lacks deep interaction with the environment, which can make the gameplay feel repetitive and linear.

Realistic weapon mechanics: The game includes realistic weapon handling and management mechanics, adding to the immersive experience.

Varied enemy encounters: Players face different types of enemies, including spiders, in various scenarios, enhancing the game's challenge and diversity.

Story-driven narrative: The game features a narrative-driven action with environmental storytelling, engaging players with its plot and characters.

Performance and optimization issues: Many players report poor optimization, performance issues, and long load times. Some players experience high resource usage and frame rate drops, while others note that the game runs smoothly on high-end hardware.

Graphical quality and glitches: Several reviews mention visual quality issues, graphical glitches, and texture problems. Some players note that the graphics are not up to the expected standards or previous game levels.

Mixed experiences with performance: Some players report that the game runs smoothly and better than expected on their hardware, while others experience lag spikes, stutters, and performance issues.

Frequent game crashes: A significant number of players experience game crashes, including crashes to desktop and game-breaking bugs. Some players report crashes at startup or when increasing resolution.

High system requirements: The game requires a powerful PC and strong hardware to run smoothly. Some players report performance issues even on high-end hardware.

Recommendations

Recommended for VR enthusiasts: The game is highly recommended for VR users and enthusiasts. It is seen as a great experience for those who enjoy VR gaming, particularly for those who own VR headsets.

Highly recommended for Metro fans: The game is strongly recommended for fans of the Metro series, especially those who have played the original games. It is seen as a must-play for those who enjoy the Metro universe and its horror and survival elements.

Highly recommended in general: Many reviewers strongly recommend the game, highlighting its overall quality and appeal. It is suggested as a worthwhile experience, especially for those who enjoy VR games.

Worth buying on sale: Several reviews mention that the game is worth picking up, particularly when it is on sale. This suggests that while the game is good, it might not be worth the full price for everyone.

Specific recommendations: Some reviews provide specific recommendations, such as playing in Hardcore mode, using Air Link or wireless options, and playing on Meta Quest 3. These suggestions aim to enhance the gaming experience.

Buying context

Community fair range: $20.00 - $40.00.

Game completion: 12.3h.

The game has a slow and boring start, taking about an hour before it becomes fun and engaging.

Reported time to anchor: 1h.

Friction: Slow and boring start; Tedious and slow-paced introductory phase.

Unlock drivers: Completion of the initial tutorial or introductory phase.

Player profiles

Franchise Loyalist: Immersive and narrative-driven, focusing on the story and lore of the Metro universe. Motivation: Loyalty to the Metro series and desire for more content within the franchise. Stance: sale.

Critical Veteran: Critical and analytical, focusing on the game's performance and value. Motivation: Desire for a polished and well-performing game that offers good value for money. Stance: deep sale.

VR Explorer: Exploratory and adaptive, focusing on learning VR mechanics and experiencing the game's atmosphere. Motivation: Novelty of VR and experiencing the Metro universe in a new format. Stance: sale.

Platform notes

Performance varies significantly across hardware cohorts, with higher VRAM configurations generally reporting better experiences. Lower VRAM setups struggle with performance issues.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: positive. Mostly smooth performance with some reports of issues, particularly on lower-end hardware within this range.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: positive. Generally good performance with some mixed reports, but mostly positive experiences.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. Significant performance issues reported, including stuttering and low FPS.

Steam Deck: The game faces significant stability and compatibility issues, particularly on Linux systems. Users have also reported problems with controls, interface, and performance. These issues collectively detract from the overall user experience, making the game less enjoyable and more frustrating to play.

Linux and Proton: The game faces significant compatibility issues on Linux, requiring extensive tweaks and workarounds such as Proton-GE to run. The reliance on SteamVR, which is poorly supported on Linux, further exacerbates these problems. Users report spending considerable time and effort to get the game to work, indicating a high level of friction for Linux users.

Other review notes

Unclear weak points on enemies: The weak points of heavily armored soldiers are not obvious, making it difficult for players to strategize effectively.

Movement issues with hood: There is no range framing, which can cause players to get stuck outside walls, especially when wearing a hood.