The facts
Nintendo announced Metroid Ravenous during the Nintendo Direct of 9 September 2026. The game will be released on 28 January 2027, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. It is a 2D instalment, in other words a side-scroller, and follows on from Metroid Dread, released in 2021.
This time, Samus Aran, the armoured bounty hunter, explores an alien moon. The footage shows new abilities: passing through walls, running on water and siphoning energy from enemies. The Melee Counter from Dread, which lets you parry an attack by pressing a button at the right moment, makes a comeback. Another detail picked up by the press: Samus speaks again.
On the technical side, the game supports HDR (a wider brightness range, for deeper blacks and brighter lights) and 120 Hz screens. A special edition and amiibo figures are planned.
In France: release on 28 January 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, according to Nintendo France’s product page, which does not yet show a price as of 29 September 2026.
The story so far
The Metroid series was born in 1986 in Japan, on the Famicom Disk System, before being released on the NES in North America and then in Europe. Its principle: explore a labyrinthine planet where each new ability opens up passages that were previously out of reach. Together with Castlevania, it gave its name to an entire genre, the “metroidvania”.
Metroid Dread, released on 8 October 2021, was the first new 2D instalment since Metroid Fusion, nineteen years earlier. It was developed by MercurySteam, which had already made Metroid: Samus Returns on 3DS in 2017.
Why it matters
Dread showed that a 2D Metroid could still be a major Nintendo release. A sequel announced barely five years later is a new pace for a series that has long been used to years of silence. For the Switch 2, it is also one of the exclusives announced for early 2027.
Archive note
- Release on 28 January 2027, exclusively on Switch 2.
- Sequel to Metroid Dread (2021), in 2D, set on an alien moon.
- Studio not yet officially confirmed (MercurySteam likely).
Sources
- Nintendo, Nintendo Direct du 9 septembre 2026, 9 Sept 2026 (primary source)
- Nintendo France, Metroid Ravenous, fiche officielle du jeu (Nintendo Switch 2) (primary source)
- Game Informer, Nintendo Reveals Metroid Ravenous, A New 2D Entry Out In January, 9 Sept 2026
- Nintendo Life, Metroid Ravenous On Switch 2 Will Support 120Hz Output, 10 Sept 2026
- Nintendo Wire, Developer MercurySteam seemingly confirms it is developing Metroid Ravenous, 11 Sept 2026
- Jeuxvideo.com, Heureusement que Nintendo annonce Metroid Ravenous sur Switch 2 : un jeu plus important qu'il n'y parait !, 9 Sept 2026
- Nintendo France, Metroid Dread, fiche officielle du jeu (Nintendo Switch)
- Nintendo France, Rapports Metroid Dread Vol. 4 : dévoilement d'une saga en construction depuis 35 ans, 6 Aug 2021
Image and video credits
- The official trailer for Metroid Ravenous.: Video: Nintendo France, official video embedded from YouTube · watch on YouTube
- The presentation of Metroid Ravenous in the Nintendo Direct of 9 September 2026 (French version, from 55 min 59 s).: Video: Nintendo France, official video embedded from YouTube · watch on YouTube
Corrections
- : Updated: official French name of the parry in Metroid Dread (“frappe de riposte”), addition of an “In France” line, French sources and a French primary source added.
— The Bunker archivists
Method: at least 3 sources including the official one, cross-checked with the help of an AI (Claude), checked and approved by a human on 28 Sept 2026 in the French original; this English version is an AI translation. Our method
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