It’s been a long road getting to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but it’s almost here—and here’s what you should know

It’s been 18 years since the last Metroid Prime game, but fans won’t have to wait much longer! Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is launching on December 4th, and it’s one of the most anticipated video game sequels ever. Getting here hasn’t been easy – the game faced a lot of development challenges – so its release is a big moment. We’ll have to see if it lives up to the hype, but a new Metroid Prime adventure is finally almost here.

The development of Metroid Prime 4 has been a long and challenging journey, and it’s a prime example of a game that successfully navigated a difficult development process – something that’s becoming more common in the gaming industry. After a major change in development studios and a complete restart, Metroid Prime 4 is finally releasing soon, showcasing its ambitious new vision.

Metroid Prime 4’s Development History Goes Back Years

August 2007: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is released.
June 2017: Metroid Prime 4 was officially announced for the Nintendo Switch during E3 / Nintendo Spotlight.
February 2018: Confirmation that the original development studio was Bandai Namco Studios, working in Japan/Singapore.
January 2019: Nintendo publicly announces that development has been restarted and handed to Retro Studios (the original Prime developer).
June 18, 2024: The game is revealed once more with its full title, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
September 12, 2025: Nintendo announces the game’s official launch date of December 4, 2025, for Switch and Switch 2.
November 2025: Demos and final previews appear; file size, technical modes for Switch 2 become public.

Early Announcement and High Expectations

Fans were thrilled when Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4 with a short teaser trailer at E3 2017. It had been almost ten years since the previous game, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and many had been hoping for a new installment. While the teaser didn’t reveal much, Nintendo described Metroid Prime 4 as a return to the original Metroid Prime‘s roots, with Kensuke Tanabe, a key figure in the series, leading development. The game was initially planned for release sometime after 2017, giving fans renewed hope for a franchise that many thought was finished.

Development Troubles and Reboot

In 2018, Reggie Fils-Aime, then president of Nintendo of America, said that Metroid Prime 4 was making good progress and was far along in development, with Bandai Namco Studios leading the project. However, the game wasn’t showcased at E3 that year, which sparked worries. Those concerns proved valid when Nintendo announced in January 2019 that development had been restarted with Retro Studios taking over, though Tanabe would remain as producer. Shinya Takahashi, a manager at Nintendo EPD, explained that the original studio wasn’t delivering work that met Nintendo’s quality expectations.

Re-emergence and Ramp-up

Developing a game can be tough, but Metroid Prime 4 continued to make progress and finally received a full trailer on June 18, 2024, during a Nintendo Direct presentation. The trailer, which revealed the game’s subtitle as Beyond, showed off gameplay and cutscenes that reassured fans and confirmed it was truly on its way. The trailer concluded with a release window of “2025,” giving players the first firm date since the game was originally announced in 2017.

In 2025, excitement for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond continued to build with several announcements. A new trailer in March showcased gameplay, the planet Viewros, and Samus’s psychic abilities. Then, during the April reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo confirmed a special Switch 2 Edition of the game with improved graphics and optional mouse controls using the Joy-Con controllers. Finally, a Nintendo Direct in September revealed the official release date of December 4th for Metroid Prime 4, and showed Samus riding a motorcycle through a desert landscape.

What We Know About Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Platforms and Release

Platforms: Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: December 4, 2025
File sizes
- Switch: approx. 28.9 GB
- Switch 2: approx. 31.6 GB
Switch 2 Resolution and Frame Rate
- Docked
  - Quality mode (4K at 60fps)
  - Performance mode (1080p at 120fps)
- Handheld
  - Quality mode (1080p at 60fps)
  - Performance mode (720p at 120fps)

World and Story Setup

The latest installment, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, takes place on Viewros, a completely new planet in the Metroid universe. The game opens with Samus Aran investigating an attack on a Galactic Federation research center carried out by her longtime enemy, Sylux. This leads to a catastrophic event and Samus eventually waking up on Viewros, a planet teeming with dangerous creatures, ancient alien structures, and diverse natural environments. Confirmed environments include:

A forest biome
An ice/frozen biome
A lava/volcanic biome
A desert biome

Features and Mechanics

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will stay true to what fans love about the series – exploring in first-person, immersive worlds, scanning for secrets, getting stronger with upgrades, and using the Morph Ball to get around. But the game will also introduce several completely new features that could significantly change how it plays.

What fans can expect from Metroid Prime 4‘s gameplay:

First‐person exploration and action
Scan Visor lets players scan enemies, flora/fauna, objects, and lore
Morph Ball ability
Traditional weapons like Samus’ arm cannon, missiles, etc.
Psychic powers that let Samus manipulate objects, bend beam trajectories, and interact with alien mechanisms
Motorcycle called the Vi‑0‑La Samus can be used to traverse larger environments
Support for mouse-style control on Nintendo Switch 2

Longtime fans will be excited to see classic Metroid Prime gameplay return, but Metroid Prime 4 also introduces new elements that should enhance the experience. Samus’s new psychic abilities will likely play a role in the series’ well-known puzzles, and the addition of a motorcycle suggests the game will feature larger, more expansive areas to explore.

It’s becoming clear that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a fantastic revival of a fan-favorite Nintendo series. It successfully blends the classic gameplay players loved with the latest advancements in modern gaming technology and graphics. After years of waiting with no clear release date, fans are now just days away from playing it.

2025-11-26 21:17