Free Metro Exodus VR mod brings full campaign to PC VR

Free Metro Exodus VR mod brings Metro Exodus's main campaign to PC VR with 6DoF controls and hand-based interactions. RippeR37 released beta version 0.9.0 on November 6, followed by version 0.9.1, a bug-fix build, on Monday.

Metro Exodus VR runs 4A Games' 2019 shooter in a PC VR headset. Six degrees of freedom means the game follows head and hand movement, not only the direction those hands point. The mod covers the main campaign rather than a short separate VR experience.

Hand controls and campaign interactions

Aiming, reloading and handling weapons use custom hand animations and poses. Standing, seated and room-scale play are supported. Left-handed play works, while keyboard and mouse remain available.

Equipment moves onto the player's body. Putting on the gas mask, replacing its filter and using a medkit become hand interactions. Filters matter in Metro Exodus: running out of filters in poisoned air kills you.

The mod shares save files with the regular game, so an existing flat-screen save can carry into the VR campaign. Movement uses the left stick by default. The VR menu includes Graphics, Movement, Scopes and Comfort settings. The VR HINTS tab in the pause menu shows body interactions with current bindings.

Rendering features and supported content

Rendering options include DLSS up to 4.5 and FSR2. Both upscalers draw fewer pixels and rebuild a sharp image from them. Foveated rendering reduces detail toward the edges of the view, while a related mode is called Foveated Upscaling. Experimental support is available for bHaptics vests.

Only the main campaign is supported. The expansions The Two Colonels and Sam's Story are planned for a later version. The mod targets the Standard Edition; support for the Enhanced Edition “has not been decided yet,” according to the README.

Compatibility is limited to Steam's Standard Edition on build 1.0.0.7. Epic and GOG versions are work in progress. Metro Exodus costs $29.99 on Steam, while the mod is free.

Version 0.9.1 changes

Version 0.9.1 is a stability release. It fixes occasional crashes on VDXR, the OpenXR runtime built into Virtual Desktop; a crash when NVIDIA's Smooth Motion is switched on; and a bug that kept the game out of VR mode on PCs running HDR.

Version 0.9.0 had been downloaded 1,885 times by Monday morning. The repository, created on November 4, had 65 stars at that point. The developer uses the name RippeR37. An earlier project on that account is q3vr, a PC VR port of Quake 3 Arena built on ioquake3 and the Quake3Quest port.

Compiled builds and update choices

The repository contains a README, a header image and a funding file, but no source code or listed license. The mod is distributed as compiled builds attached to each release. Users therefore trust RippeR37's builds rather than code they can inspect.

Each release includes a manifest.json listing the version, the ZIP's size and its SHA-256 hash. That hash is a fingerprint that changes if a single byte of the file changes. Each manifest also has a separate signature file. The README does not describe how the built-in updater checks these files.

The 0.9.1 ZIP's hash matched its manifest when checked by hand. The package contains launcher executables, the mod's DLL, NVIDIA's DLSS library, the bHaptics library and their license files. It contains no game files.

On first launch, the updater asks whether to install new versions automatically, ask each time or remain disabled. Choosing the middle option lets you read release notes before new files run on your PC. Deleting updater.json displays the question again.

Requirements and installation

Users need Metro Exodus Standard Edition on their own Steam account, updated to version 1.0.0.7, plus a Windows PC, a PC VR headset and a VR runtime such as SteamVR or Virtual Desktop. Quest users can play over Wi-Fi through Virtual Desktop's VDXR.

Install Metro Exodus from Steam. Use the standard edition and let Steam bring it up to the current build. Epic and GOG copies do not work yet.

Download the latest ZIP from the Metro Exodus VR releases page on GitHub. At the time of writing, the file was MetroExodusVR-0.9.1.zip, and that page was the only official download location. Extracting it creates a MetroExodusVR folder with the launcher at its top.

Start Steam and the VR runtime first: SteamVR, or Virtual Desktop's VDXR if playing on a Quest over Wi-Fi. Run MetroExodusVR.exe, answer the update question, then click the game window once so it has focus.

The README warns that an unfocused window can reduce performance or prevent the controller pointer from clicking. Settings are under Options, then VR. The menu covers Graphics, Movement, Scopes and Comfort, while the VR HINTS tab in the pause menu shows every body interaction with current bindings.