Samus Aran is heading back into the side-scrolling unknown. Metroid Ravenous, newly unveiled during the September 2026 Nintendo Direct presentation, will launch for Nintendo Switch 2 on January 28, 2027. The announcement puts a fresh 2D adventure on the calendar a little more than five years after Metroid Dread, which arrived on October 8, 2021.

It is a notable turn for a series that has recently had room for both its first-person and side-scrolling branches. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond released in 2025, while Ravenous appears set to carry forward the particular story, pacing, exploration structure, and unsettling biological questions left by Samus’ previous 2D outing. The reveal material included cinematics and gameplay, showing that this is not merely a name on a release schedule: Nintendo has offered an early look at Samus’ next mission and some of the powers expected to shape it.

There is still a great deal Nintendo has not outlined, including a full breakdown of the setting, enemies, progression systems, and story. Yet the information already available provides a useful outline for what awaits: an all-new 2D Metroid journey, a Switch 2-only release, a return to the aftermath of ZDR, and a collector-focused special edition with amiibo support on the way.

A confirmed January 28, 2027 release date

Nintendo has set January 28, 2027 as the release date for Metroid Ravenous. The date was confirmed on September 9, 2026, during a Nintendo Direct. That makes it one of the early headline releases planned for Switch 2 in 2027.

The timing is significant for longtime Metroid players. Metroid Dread concluded a major part of Samus’ 2D storyline in 2021, and its ending gave the heroine a dramatically different relationship with the Metroid biology that has long been central to the series’ lore. Ravenous looks positioned to address what happens after that turning point rather than shifting to an entirely disconnected chapter.

Its reveal also arrived as Nintendo outlined a busy Switch 2 slate. Readers tracking the full presentation’s announcements can find additional context in our Nintendo Direct roundup covering Metroid Ravenous, Kirby, Monster Hunter Wilds, and more.

Metroid Ravenous is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2

Metroid Ravenous will be available exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. It is not planned for the original Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, or Switch OLED. Anyone hoping to follow Samus’ next 2D mission will therefore need Nintendo’s newer hardware.

That exclusivity matters beyond the ordinary platform-label fine print. Metroid Dread was released for the original Switch, whereas Ravenous is being positioned as a game built for the next system generation. Nintendo has not yet provided a technical accounting of what Switch 2 features or performance advantages the game will use, so it is too soon to make claims about resolution, frame rate, loading, or special hardware functions. The key confirmed point is simply that this adventure is a Switch 2 title and will not have an original Switch version.

Related coverage includes Metroid Ravenous Brings Samus Back to 2D Action on Switch 2 in January 2027.

For the series, the platform move also marks a clean dividing line. The new game can honor the design language of classic 2D Metroid—solitary traversal, concealed routes, locks that become opportunities once a new upgrade is acquired—while being made for newer hardware. Exactly how the game will use that opportunity remains one of the questions for Nintendo to answer in the run-up to January.

The trailer points to a post-Dread story

The first trailer for Metroid Ravenous debuted on September 9, 2026. It combined cinematic scenes with gameplay footage, making clear that Samus will once again operate in a side-scrolling, 2D action framework. It also showcased familiar-looking abilities alongside powers not previously seen in the series.

Nintendo has not fully explained the story shown in the footage. Still, the available material strongly suggests that Ravenous picks up immediately after the events on planet ZDR in Metroid Dread. That is a potentially enormous premise, because the conclusion of Dread saw Samus’ dormant Metroid DNA become much more consequential.

Story discussion below includes broad spoilers for Metroid Dread.

By the end of Dread, Samus was able to absorb energy directly through her hands, an ability tied to the Metroid DNA within her. The early presentation of Ravenous appears to frame that transformation as an ongoing concern rather than a one-and-done finale flourish. Samus may be grappling with the prospect of progressively becoming more Metroid-like, and that condition seemingly feeds into the game’s new capabilities.

That premise naturally suits Metroid’s established rhythm. The franchise has always used upgrades to make the player see old spaces differently: a ledge becomes reachable, a sealed passage becomes breakable, a hostile environmental zone becomes survivable. If Samus’ changing biology is the mechanism behind some of Ravenous’ new powers, it could give the traditional upgrade hunt a more personal story connection. That is an interpretation of the material shown so far, not a full plot confirmation; Nintendo has yet to give a detailed account of the narrative.

Expect a labyrinth of routes, upgrades, and threats

On the gameplay front, Metroid Ravenous is confirmed as a 2D, side-scrolling Metroid game. Players will guide Samus through a maze-like world, searching for a route onward through areas that are initially inaccessible, dangerous, or hidden. The reveal footage and screenshots point to both returning moves and fresh abilities.

That basic blueprint is fundamental to the series, but it leaves plenty of important details open. Nintendo has not yet provided a complete list of upgrades, identified the world or worlds Samus will explore, or explained how the newly teased Metroid-related techniques operate. Nor has it offered a full guide to the monsters, rival forces, bosses, or other threats waiting ahead.

The screenshots released alongside the announcement give a broader glimpse of what the game is aiming for. More than 20 direct-feed gameplay images have been shared, alongside story-oriented scenes. They show Samus in action, tease environmental variety, and underline that the trailer’s new powers are part of the game’s central hook. Screenshots can communicate atmosphere and movement, but they cannot settle questions about how exploration is paced or how demanding individual encounters will be. Those answers will have to wait for later official details.

MercurySteam has not been formally confirmed

Nintendo has not officially named the lead developer of Metroid Ravenous. MercurySteam is widely expected to be involved, given the studio’s prior work with Nintendo on two prominent modern 2D entries: 2017’s Metroid: Samus Returns for Nintendo 3DS and 2021’s Metroid Dread for Switch. However, until Nintendo specifically confirms the development arrangement, its role on Ravenous should be treated as unconfirmed.

The association would make understandable sense. Samus Returns reworked Metroid II: Return of Samus, the Game Boy installment, for 3DS, while Dread delivered a new chapter that pushed Samus’ story beyond the point where the long-dormant project title had once seemed unlikely to return. But history is not a substitute for a formal credit announcement. For now, the reliable takeaway is that Nintendo is publishing the new game and that more developer information may arrive later.

Standard and special editions are planned

Nintendo has confirmed that Metroid Ravenous will receive both a regular edition and a special edition when it launches. Pre-orders were not live in the United States or United Kingdom at the time of the announcement, and no price information has been detailed.

The special edition is described as a limited release and is set to include:

  • A copy of Metroid Ravenous
  • A SteelBook case
  • A special amiibo featuring Samus in a green Metroid Suit

Separate amiibo products are also planned. Nintendo has identified a Samus figure and a Chozo Statue as individual releases. The announcement does not yet explain what, if anything, these amiibo will unlock or alter in-game. Their specific functions, retail pricing, regional allocation, and pre-order dates have not been announced.

That distinction is worth keeping in mind for collectors. The Samus-in-green-Metroid-Suit amiibo is part of the special edition as currently described, while the other Samus figure and the Chozo Statue are slated to be sold separately. With the game still months away, Nintendo has time to clarify stock plans and any retailer details.

What Nintendo still needs to reveal

Metroid Ravenous has a firm launch date, a confirmed platform, a preliminary glimpse of its story direction, and initial collector-edition information. It does not yet have a complete public profile. The most important unanswered questions include:

  1. The name and nature of the setting Samus will investigate after ZDR.
  2. How her apparent Metroid transformation affects combat, traversal, and the story.
  3. The full set of new and returning upgrades.
  4. The identities of the game’s major enemies and bosses.
  5. Whether MercurySteam is leading development and how Nintendo EPD is involved.
  6. Pre-order timing, prices, and the functionality of every announced amiibo.

For now, January 28, 2027 is the date to circle for Switch 2 owners. Metroid Ravenous is bringing Samus back to the 2D format that helped define the series, but it is doing so with an unusually loaded piece of unfinished business: whatever it means for the galaxy—and for Samus herself—when the hunter begins to take on the traits of the creature she was once sent to destroy.