Samus in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
By
Kyle Gratton
Published 18 minutes ago
Kyle Gratton is an editor and writer based out of Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree, dual majoring in English and History with a minor in Film and Media Studies, and has been a senior staff writer and reviewer for Screen Rant's Gaming section since 2021, with roles in editorial, and various freelance projects.
A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history.
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It's almost surreal knowing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is actually releasing. The game was infamously announced all the way back in 2017 before numerous delays. Nintendo even restarted development in 2019, taking the project away from developer Bandai Namco and giving it to the studio that handled the original Prime trilogy, Retro Studios. We're now rapidly approaching Metroid Prime 4's release, and we've got all the details you need to prepare for its long-awaited launch.
Beyond was initially announced for the Nintendo Switch before it was even given the Beyond subtitle. With the Switch 2's record-smashing launch earlier this year, Prime 4 is now releasing as a cross-generation title. Whether you're new to the first-person Metroid subseries or a grizzled veteran of Phazon-saturated alien worlds, below is a broad breakdown of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's genearl information, including details on its release date, preorders, version prices, gameplay, narrative, and what you can expect from the Switch 2 Edition.
Metroid Prime 4 Release Date
December 4, 2025
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will release on December 4, 2025, eight years after it was announced, and 18 years after its predecessor, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. December 4 is the release date for both Beyond's Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 versions. Metroid Prime 4 is available both digitally (via the Nintendo eShop and codes sold by retailers) and physically (from various retailers). According to Beyond's Switch 2 Edition box art, that physical version of the game "includes the Nintendo Switch game and the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade pack," meaning the Switch 2 enhancements are not on the cartridge itself.
Metroid Prime 4 Prices & Preorder Information
Preorders Available Now
Samus on the Vi-O-La motorcycle in Metroid Prime 4.
You can preorder Metroid Prime 4 right now (preorders have been open since the announcement in 2017) from your preferred retailer or the Nintendo eShop. Like many cross-gen games, Metroid Prime 4's pricing gives you a few options. Metroid Prime 4 on Nintendo Switch carries an MSRP of $59.99; the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition's MSRP is $69.99. There is also an Upgrade Pack available for $9.99. The upgrade pack lets you purchase Beyond on the Switch, then later transition to the Switch 2 version.
Metroid Prime 4 Gameplay
First-Person Metroidvania
Screenshot showing Samus lock onto an enemy during combat in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond.
Calling Metroid Prime 4: Beyond a metroidvania is a bit backwards – Metroid is responsible for half of the genre term (Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, specifically). Metroid Prime's original concept is, very simply, taking the classic, 2D side-scrolling Metroid formula and making it a 3D first-person shooter. Metroid Prime 4 has all the hallmarks of a metroidvania, with a labyrinthine world where sections are gated and only unlocked by upgrades Samus must acquire. Certain doors, for instance, may only be opened by a specific upgrade for Samus' Arm Cannon.
This typically leads to significant backtracking as you return to areas that were once inaccessible, often with new combinations of enemies as you work backward through certain sections. Metroid Prime 4's first-person perspective takes advantage of lock-on combat to give you a lot of mobility while fighting (strafing, jumping, dodging, etc.). There are regular puzzles throughout the game, and mild platforming elements as well. There are also classic Metroid Morph Ball sections, where Samus navigates tracks or small tunnels, often with mild platforming or puzzle solving of their own.
Prime 4's new addition to the series is a suite of psychic powers Samus comes into possession of. The powers can be used to move objects while solving puzzles, but also give Samus a special beam for her Arm Cannon. Firing this psychic beam freezes time and lets you pilot the beam itself, which has three charges to hit three separate targets. In Screen Rant's Metroid Prime 4 hands-on preview, we used this new beam in an early boss fight, and noted that it feels ripe for upgrades throughout the rest of the game.
Metroid Prime 4 Story Details
What Is Sylux Up To?
Sylux in Metroid Prime 4, with two Mochtroids behind him.
The Metroid Prime series at large primarily revolves around an interstellar invasive organism called Phazon and the various ecological disasters its propagation causes. Beyond's connection to its predecessors is not yet clear, however, and it's currently unknown how or if it will continue the Phazon arc, considering Phazon is presumed to be eliminated entirely at the end of Metroid Prime 3.
Based on gameplay overviews and pre-release previews, Metroid Prime 4 opens with a Space Pirate attack on a Galactic Federation research facility. Samus, a bounty hunter in close standing with the Federation, is called to assist in the facility's defense, arrives and learns that some mysterious artifact is being studied there. Inadvertent contact with the artifact then transports Samus (and other people and objects from the facility) to a planet called Viewros.
Not much is publicly known about Samus' subsequent mission on Viewros. The primary antagonist is expected to be Sylux, who has been positioned as the big bad in Prime 4's trailers. Sylux has thus far had a very minor role in Metroid overall. He first appeared in Metroid Prime Hunters as a rival bounty hunter, before having very short appearances in certain endings of Metroid Prime 3 and Metroid Prime: Federation Force. In the former, he simply tails Samus in her spaceship, while in the latter, he's seen hatching a Metroid egg.
If you're unfamiliar, the series' titular creatures are a species of bioweapons that are broadly dangerous to all forms of life in the universe.
Sylux has been shown flanked by two Metroids in various Metroid Prime 4 material, indicating he has acquired some means of controlling them. The single nucleus seen in each, however, may indicate that they are actually Mochtroids, a sort of imperfect recreation of Metroids bioengineered by the Space Pirates. Samus encounters Sylux at the research facility at the beginning of Beyond, and he is presumably also transported to Viewros, though his motives remain almost entirely mysterious.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Switch 2 Edition Differences
Better Performance, More Control Options
Samus aiming her arm cannon in Metroid Prime 4.
Since it's releasing cross-generationally, Metroid Prime 4's two versions have significant differences. They're effectively the same game; the story and gameplay are identical. However, the Switch 2 Edition will have a suite of enhancements. Most immediately noticeable, even from pre-release footage, is the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition's higher resolutions and frame rates, both in handheld mode and when played while docked.
Having played a preview of the Switch 2 version of Metroid Prime 4, we can confirm that it has two separate graphics modes: performance and quality. Quality mode caps the frame rate at 60 frames per second to run at 4K resolution. Performance mode drops the resolution to 1080p in order to achieve frame rates of up to 120 FPS. Such high frame rates while docked require a monitor or television that supports it. The Switch version is likely to run at both lower frame rates and resolutions.
The other major difference is that the Switch 2 hardware supports an extra control scheme. Metroid Prime 4 on Switch 2 can be played with mouse controls by turning the right Joy-Con on its side to aim. This gives you more precision while aiming, but it's not exactly necessary in a game that features lock-on aiming. Still, those who prefer mouse aiming in first-person shooters will feel right at home with this option in Metroid Prime 4.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Like Follow Followed Action First-Person Adventure Metroidvania
OpenCritic Reviews
Released
December 4, 2025
ESRB
Teen / Animated Blood, Violence
Developer(s)
Retro Studios
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Engine
RUDE engine
Prequel(s)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
6 Images
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Genre(s)
Action, First-Person, Adventure, Metroidvania
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