Metroid Prime 4: Beyond could be a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title
Several signs point to Metroid 4 being one of the first Nintendo Switch 2 games
👾 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is coming to Nintendo Switch in 2025
🤔 It could be a cross-gen game and also be released on Nintendo Switch 2
👉 Nintendo followed a similar strategy for Zelda: Breath of the Wild
📆 It’s been seven years since Metroid Prime 4 was first announced.
Nintendo finally revealed Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, after first announcing the game way back in 2017. However, we’ll have to wait a little bit longer for it to arrive, as it’s due out sometime in 2025.
That means it could launch around the same time as the Nintendo Switch 2, which makes it a prime (forgive the pun) candidate to show off just what Nintendo’s next hardware can do.
There’s no doubt that the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond trailer is impressive. The visuals alone seem like a step up from anything we’re used to seeing on the Nintendo Switch, exceeding even the excellent Metroid Prime Remastered.
It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Nintendo might choose to make Metroid Prime 4 a cross-gen release, then, similar to how we saw The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild release on the Wii U and Nintendo Switch.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version could offer several benefits to those who play it on Nintendo’s next system, including a higher resolution, HDR, perhaps some unique features exclusive to Switch 2, and much more.
It would appease those who have been patiently waiting for the game ever since its announcement but also give the title the best chance of commercial success. Having it available on a console that has over 141 million users and is closing in on the PS2’s sales record is a must, but offering it as an incentive to upgrade to Nintendo Switch 2 makes sense, too.
We’re still in the dark as to what improvements the Nintendo Switch 2 will bring, but we know an increase in graphical fidelity will certainly be one of them. As for whether Nintendo will introduce any out-of-the-box ideas like we’ve grown accustomed to, remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond could play best on Nintendo’s latest hardware.
Even if Nintendo doesn’t offer a separate Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game, it could tempt users into a next-gen upgrade for a nominal fee, similar to how we’ve seen on PS5. Sony has upgraded Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, The Last of Us 2, Uncharted 4, and other titles for the PlayStation 5, giving players who already owned the game the best possible versions for $10 more.
Nintendo brought many of the best Wii U games to Nintendo Switch during the console’s lifecycle, so it would make sense to breathe new life into older games that many would be happy to revisit if they looked and performed better. Imagine playing all of the best Switch games on Switch 2.
Depending on when Metroid Prime 4: Beyond releases, then, it could be the first Nintendo Switch 2 launch game revealed so far. And with Nintendo widely expected to release its successor to Switch in March 2025 – perhaps Samus Aran will be ready to lead the charge for Nintendo’s next console.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.