Summary
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond lacks a specific release date but feels tangible with gameplay showcases and promises of a Switch 2 Edition.
- Rumors persist about a Metroid Prime Trilogy remaster, but time is running out to release before Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in 2025.
- Renewed trademarks for Metroid Prime 3 and Hunters suggest possible remasters to prepare for Prime 4, possibly releasing before the new game.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is perhaps the most highly anticipated game of Nintendo's 2025 line-up, with fans having waited over eight years since the game's initial announcement in 2017 for the release—nearly the entirety of the Nintendo Switch's lifespan. Although Metroid Prime 4: Beyond lacks a specific release date outside a general 2025 window, the game feels more tangible than ever thanks to the gameplay showcases and promise of a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition at launch. However, the longer 2025 goes on, the smaller the window Nintendo has to release another long-rumored Metroid project ahead of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Rumors have swirled about a full Metroid Prime Trilogy remaster ever since Nintendo re-released the first game as Metroid Prime Remastered in 2023. Despite the game receiving near-universal acclaim, remasters of the rest of the Metroid Prime series have yet to manifest, though rumors that these releases are still planned continue to persist. As 2025 marches on, it's starting to feel less and less likely that Nintendo will capitalize on the ideal time to catch players up on the Metroid Prime series ahead of its next entry with remasters of the remaining games.
Metroid Prime Remastered Deserves a Switch 2 Edition for One Important Reason
If there's one game on the original Switch that would benefit greatly from a Switch 2 Edition port, it's Metroid Prime Remastered.
The Window For More Metroid Prime Series Remasters is Rapidly Closing
Metroid Prime 3 and Hunters Trademark Renewals Add Fuel to the Remaster Fire
Hope for more Metroid Prime remasters has been renewed thanks to recent trademark renewals for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Prime Hunters, the Nintendo DS spin-off. While it's very possible these renewals could simply be Nintendo ensuring they retain trademarks for their legacy IPs, it also could mean that the company is planning to utilize these IPs in the near future. If the latter is the case, releasing Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Prime Hunters would be a great way to prepare players for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, provided that Metroid Prime 2: Echoes gets a release in there as well.
Metroid Prime Remastered originally released as a digital-only title with a physical version releasing later, so it's possible Metroid Prime 2, 3, and Hunters remasters could follow a similar release format.
In particular, Metroid Prime Hunters is important to Prime 4 since it introduces Sylux, who is set to be the main antagonist of the upcoming title. The DS entry is often overlooked due to the limitations of the handheld console's graphics and an emphasis on its multiplayer component, but the story of Metroid Prime Hunters gives players their first look at Sylux and his motivations as a bounty hunter out to take down the Galactic Federation and Samus by association. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is also a surprisingly important entry for establishing Sylux's character, as although his appearance is brief, the game's secret ending further establishes a connection between him and Samus that sets the stage for Prime 4: Beyond.
With Metroid Prime 4 Looming on the Horizon, Remasters Are Needed Sooner Rather Than Later
With that said, these foundational parts of Sylux's arc in the Metroid Prime series only help support Prime 4 if players can experience them before the new game's release. At this point, it seems likely that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be released sometime in Fall 2025, with either October or November being the safest bet. Therefore, if Nintendo wants to give players access to the complete Prime saga before Beyond's release, there isn't much time left for these remaster rumors to come to fruition.
Releasing the rest of the Prime series as remasters after Prime 4 can still help provide some context for Sylux's actions in the new game. However, depending on how the events of Beyond play out, Sylux's past appearances may not be as impactful for the player as they would have been if players experienced them before jumping into Prime 4. It's possible that Nintendo still has some tricks up its sleeve for 2025 after the Switch 2's launch, and these could include more Metroid Prime remasters.
GameCube titles being added to the Nintendo Switch Online library for Switch 2 owners could provide players the chance to experience Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, even if it doesn't get a remastered release.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 80%
- Released
- December 4, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Animated Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Retro Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
