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Buy the PC Enhanced Edition if your computer has a ray-tracing-capable GPU. It replaces Metro Exodus’s original renderer with fully ray-traced lighting and reflections, and supports DLSS 2.0 on compatible NVIDIA hardware. Choose the Standard Edition for a non-ray-tracing PC or whenever lower hardware requirements matter more than visual upgrades. On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, use the enhanced console version; it targets 60 FPS with fully ray-traced lighting, 4K output on PS5 and Xbox Series X, and 1080p on Xbox Series S. For a first physical console purchase, the Complete Edition is the practical choice because it includes the base game and both story expansions.
The short answer
The two PC editions are not merely different graphics presets. The Enhanced Edition is a separate client built around ray-traced lighting, while the Standard Edition uses the original rendering path and runs on considerably older hardware. Existing owners are entitled to the Enhanced Edition at no additional charge, provided their hardware meets its requirements.
| Your situation | Use or buy | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| New PC with a ray-tracing-capable GPU | Enhanced Edition | Best lighting and reflection quality; DLSS 2.0 is available on supported NVIDIA GPUs. |
| PC without ray-tracing hardware | Standard Edition | The Enhanced client requires ray tracing; Standard has the lower published baseline. |
| You already own Metro Exodus on PC | Claim and download Enhanced Edition | The publisher describes it as a free, separate entitlement for current owners. |
| PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S | Enhanced console version | Fully ray-traced lighting and a 60-FPS target; output resolution depends on the console. |
| First physical console purchase and you want all story content | Complete Edition | The package contains the main game, The Two Colonels and Sam’s Story. |
Do not purchase a second PC copy solely to obtain Enhanced if you already own the eligible game. Check your library for the separate Enhanced download first.
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PC Enhanced Edition
Enhanced Edition uses a fully ray-traced lighting approach rather than adding a single optional ray-tracing effect to the original renderer. Ray tracing calculates how light travels, bounces and reaches surfaces in the scene. In Metro’s tunnels, interiors and outdoor environments, that changes the appearance of indirect light, shadows, reflections and bright sources such as fire, lamps and daylight entering through openings.
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NVIDIA’s description also calls out ray-traced reflections and DLSS 2.0. Reflections can show a more physically consistent representation of the environment, while DLSS renders internally at a lower resolution and reconstructs a higher-resolution image on supported NVIDIA hardware. DLSS availability does not remove the ray-tracing requirement: the Enhanced client still needs a GPU that supports hardware ray tracing.
The changes are extensive enough that Enhanced is distributed as a separate PC client. It is therefore normal to see two Metro Exodus entries in a PC library rather than one executable with a universal “Enhanced” switch.
PC Standard Edition
Standard Edition retains the original rendering path. It can use conventional rasterized lighting and effects and does not require a ray-tracing-capable GPU. That makes it the appropriate version for older gaming PCs, integrated or entry-level graphics hardware, and systems where a stable frame rate is more important than the newer lighting model.
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Graphics and feature comparison
| Feature | Enhanced Edition | Standard Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting model | Fully ray-traced lighting | Original rendering path |
| Ray-traced reflections | Included | Not part of the original renderer |
| DLSS 2.0 | Available on supported NVIDIA hardware | Not the defining feature of this edition |
| GPU requirement | Ray-tracing-capable GPU is the minimum requirement | Older DirectX 11-class GPUs are supported by the published baseline |
| PC installation | Separate client | Original client |
| Ownership cost for existing owners | Free entitlement, when hardware supports it | Already included with an existing Standard purchase |
Ray tracing is most visible in scenes with mixed light sources, glossy or wet surfaces, smoke, darkness and reflective materials. It does not automatically make every texture higher resolution, nor does it guarantee a higher frame rate. The Enhanced Edition trades some rendering headroom for more accurate lighting calculations.
PC system requirements: the decision point
The clearest dividing line is the GPU. The Epic Games Store listing states: “The Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition requires a Ray-Tracing Capable GPU as part of the minimum spec.” If your graphics card has no hardware ray-tracing support, the Enhanced client is not the correct installation, regardless of how fast the card is in older rasterized games.
For Standard Edition, PLAION’s published baseline lists the following requirements:
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| Component | Published Standard baseline | What it means when choosing |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10 | This is the operating-system range in the cited documentation, not a guarantee for every later driver or Windows configuration. |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-4440 class | A comparable four-core desktop CPU is the reference point. |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | Meeting the minimum does not guarantee high settings or a locked frame rate. |
| Graphics | GeForce GTX 670, GTX 1050 or Radeon HD 7870 class | These examples describe the older, non-ray-tracing tier supported by Standard. |
| API | DirectX 11 | Standard uses the original DirectX 11-era rendering requirement. |
| Storage | 59 GB available space | Leave additional free space for downloads, patches and shader-cache activity. |
The Standard figures are a published baseline, not a performance guarantee. A machine at the minimum may need reduced resolution, lower quality settings and a frame-rate cap. Enhanced’s exact performance depends on the ray-tracing GPU, resolution, quality preset and whether an upscaler is enabled; the essential qualification is that hardware ray tracing is required at all.
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How to check your GPU before installing
- Windows: press
Ctrl+Shift+Esc, open the Performance tab and select GPU. Note the model name. - Check the model’s specifications from its manufacturer to confirm hardware ray-tracing support. Do not infer support from a high model number or from DirectX 12 compatibility alone.
- Compare available storage with the edition you intend to install. Keep working space beyond the stated 59 GB Standard baseline.
- If the card is not ray-tracing-capable, install Standard. If it is, Enhanced is the better visual choice unless your CPU, memory or target frame rate makes the workload impractical.
Existing owners: how the free upgrade works
The publisher says the Enhanced Edition is a free upgrade for current owners. It is not a discounted replacement that requires buying the game again. Because Enhanced is a separate client, you must claim or install that client through the same PC storefront account that owns Metro Exodus.
- Open the PC storefront where you purchased Metro Exodus.
- Search your library for a separate entry named Metro Exodus PC Enhanced Edition, or open the original game’s edition or downloadable-content section.
- Select Install, Get or the equivalent ownership button for the Enhanced entry. If the storefront shows a price, verify that you are signed into the purchasing account before proceeding.
- Check the Enhanced system requirement before starting the download. A qualifying game license does not make a non-ray-tracing GPU compatible.
- Install the edition you want. You can retain Standard when you need its lower requirements, but the two clients use separate disk space.
If the entitlement does not appear, restart the storefront client, sign out and back in, and confirm that the game is owned on that account rather than accessed through family sharing or a different platform. If the account is correct and the listing still does not appear, use the storefront’s ownership support; buying another copy should be the last step, not the first.
PS5 and Xbox Series X|S: which version to use
The publisher’s 2021 console announcement describes the new versions as delivering “fully ray-traced lighting, 4K visuals* and 60 FPS.” Its footnote limits 4K output to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X; Xbox Series S outputs at 1080p. Existing owners receive the upgrade free, so a second purchase is unnecessary when your console account already owns the eligible release.
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| Console | Lighting | Frame-rate feature | Output noted by the publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | Fully ray-traced | 60 FPS | 4K |
| Xbox Series X | Fully ray-traced | 60 FPS | 4K |
| Xbox Series S | Fully ray-traced | 60 FPS | 1080p |
“4K” in this announcement is an output target for the named consoles; it should not be read as a promise that every internal rendering step is always native 4K. The practical distinction for buyers is that console hardware already has the enhanced feature set, so there is no Standard-versus-Enhanced graphics decision comparable to PC.
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Complete Edition: what you receive and when it is worth buying
The physical Complete Edition combines the base game with both story expansions:
- Metro Exodus, the main campaign.
- The Two Colonels, a story expansion focused on events connected to the Novosibirsk storyline.
- Sam’s Story, a larger expansion following Sam after the main campaign.
Choose Complete Edition when you are buying a physical console copy for the first time and want the entire narrative package without tracking down separate expansion purchases. It is also the simplest gift or used-game purchase because the included content is specified on the package.
Existing owners should check their library for the free enhanced console upgrade before buying Complete Edition. The Complete package is a content bundle; it is not required to unlock the enhanced lighting or 60-FPS console features. Whether an existing owner receives the expansions depends on what was originally purchased, so verify the contents of your current edition before assuming the DLC is included.
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The publisher lists approximately 80 GB for the digital console installation when the base game and both expansions are installed: 72.2 GB for the base game, 1 GB for The Two Colonels and 6.4 GB for Sam’s Story. The arithmetic is approximately 79.6 GB, which the publisher rounds to about 80 GB.
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| Content | Listed size |
|---|---|
| Metro Exodus base game | 72.2 GB |
| The Two Colonels | 1 GB |
| Sam’s Story | 6.4 GB |
| All three installed | Approximately 80 GB total |
Reserve more free space than the final installed size for download staging and updates. Console operating systems may temporarily require additional room while a large patch is applied.
How the choice affects image quality and playability
When Enhanced is the better experience
- You can meet the ray-tracing requirement without running the GPU at an uncomfortable thermal or noise limit.
- You play at 1080p or 1440p and can use DLSS 2.0 on a supported NVIDIA card to recover performance.
- You value more consistent global illumination, reflections and shadow behavior in dark interiors and mixed-light scenes.
- You are on PS5 or Xbox Series X|S, where the enhanced renderer and 60-FPS target are part of the console release.
When Standard is the sensible choice
- Your GPU has no hardware ray-tracing support.
- Your PC is close to the published i5-4440, 8 GB RAM and older-GPU baseline and you need predictable performance.
- You are installing on a system with limited storage and do not want a second PC client beside an existing installation.
- You prefer to spend performance headroom on a higher resolution or steadier frame rate rather than ray-traced effects.
Neither edition changes the core reason to play Metro Exodus: the campaign, exploration, stealth and combat. The decision is primarily a rendering and hardware decision on PC, and a platform-and-content decision on console.
A practical buying checklist
- Identify the platform. PC buyers choose between two clients; PS5 and Xbox Series X|S buyers use the enhanced console release.
- Check ownership. If you already own Metro Exodus digitally or physically on an eligible platform, look for the free upgrade before paying.
- Confirm ray tracing on PC. Enhanced requires a ray-tracing-capable GPU as a minimum specification.
- Compare your machine with the Standard baseline. The documented reference is Windows 7/8/10, an i5-4440-class CPU, 8 GB RAM, a GTX 670/GTX 1050 or Radeon HD 7870-class GPU, DirectX 11 and 59 GB storage.
- Decide whether you need the expansions. For a new physical console purchase, Complete Edition includes The Two Colonels and Sam’s Story; a base-game edition does not automatically include them.
- Plan storage. The full console digital package is approximately 80 GB, and PC installations need room beyond the stated baseline for updates.
- Set expectations. Enhanced improves lighting and reflections; it is not a guarantee of native 4K on every PC or of a fixed frame rate on every ray-tracing GPU.
Common problems and fixes
Enhanced appears as a paid game
Confirm that the storefront account owns Metro Exodus, then refresh the library and open the separate Enhanced listing. Ownership through a different account, family-sharing restrictions or a platform mismatch can prevent the free entitlement from displaying.
The game refuses to launch on my graphics card
That usually indicates an attempt to run Enhanced on hardware without ray-tracing support. Install Standard instead, or verify the GPU model and driver on a system that does support hardware ray tracing.
I own the base game but cannot find the expansions
Enhanced and Complete are different concepts. Enhanced changes the renderer; Complete supplies The Two Colonels and Sam’s Story. Check the edition name and the DLC entries in your library rather than assuming that the free graphics upgrade includes every expansion.
The console says there is not enough storage
Free at least the approximately 80 GB needed for all listed console content, plus temporary room for the download or update process. Installing only the base game can reduce the immediate requirement if your console lets you manage expansion content separately.
Final recommendation
For PC, Enhanced Edition is the clear choice when the computer has a ray-tracing-capable GPU and enough performance headroom; its fully ray-traced lighting, reflections and optional DLSS 2.0 support are the substantial visual upgrade. Standard Edition remains the correct purchase for non-ray-tracing hardware and for systems that fit the older published requirements better. On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, use the free enhanced upgrade when you already own the game. If you are buying a first physical console copy and want both expansions, choose Complete Edition; it bundles the base game, The Two Colonels and Sam’s Story in one package.
Quick Recap
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