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Yes—Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is real. Nintendo announced playable appearances at Fan Expo Canada and Gamescom in August 2025, but both events are now past. The game launched on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2025.
Where could people play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in August 2025?
Fan Expo Canada in Toronto
Nintendo of Canada announced on August 21, 2025, that attendees at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Ontario, could play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Nintendo of Canada’s Fan Expo announcement described it as one of the upcoming games at the event.
Gamescom in Cologne
Nintendo Germany announced that visitors to Gamescom could try Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition at the Nintendo booth in Cologne from August 20–24, 2025. Nintendo said players could use mouse mode or standard button controls. Details such as demo-session length, availability at every hour, or whether the two events used the same build were not established in the event announcements. Nintendo Germany’s Gamescom announcement.
The game has since launched
Nintendo released Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2025. In the story, Samus is transported to the planet Viewros after a clash with bounty hunter Sylux. She explores the planet, fights its creatures, scans her surroundings for clues, and uses psychic abilities while searching for a way home. She can also obtain Vi-O-La, an ancient vehicle for crossing the desert and traveling between zones. Nintendo’s game listing.
#1 Best Overall
- Nintendo Switch 2 features Aim with a Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse Experience enhanced resolution, framerate, and load times in the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game
- Explore a mysterious planet to find your way home Deadly sharpshooter Sylux has finally caught up with renowned bounty hunter Samus Aran! After an unexpected accident in the wake of their clash, Samus finds herself transported to Viewros—a mysterious planet once inhabited by an ancient race. Now she must explore this planet, all while battling the strange creatures that inhabit it, to find her way home.
- Scan your surroundings for clues, make the most of your equipment and weapons, and use Samus’s newfound psychic abilities—and her technologically advanced bike, the Vi-O-La—to traverse and explore the environment. Operate mechanisms, control your charge beam, and more—you’ll need every tool at your disposal to survive and escape Viewros!
- Play with mouse controls, enhanced visuals, and two different display modes—only on the Nintendo Switch 2 system Aim with a Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse! The Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game also features enhanced resolution, framerate, and load times.
- Two display modes let you choose how to experience the adventure. Enjoy more detail in Quality Mode, which runs at 60 frames per second in 4k while docked and in 1080p while in handheld, or prioritize super-smooth action with a higher frame rate in Performance Mode, which runs at 120 frames per second in 1080p while docked and 720p in while in handheld. Both choices are HDR compatible.
Nintendo Switch version vs. Switch 2 Edition
| Feature | Nintendo Switch version | Nintendo Switch 2 Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Visuals and performance | Nintendo’s cited product details do not describe the same Switch 2 enhancements for this version. | Improved resolution and frame rate, with Quality Mode and Performance Mode. |
| Load times | Nintendo does not provide a comparable figure in the cited product details. | Nintendo says load times are improved; no specific timing is stated. |
| Aiming controls | Standard controls. | Supports aiming with a Joy-Con 2 controller used as a mouse, as well as standard button controls. |
| Access for existing Switch owners | Can be played on Nintendo Switch. | Switch owners can purchase a digital upgrade pack using Nintendo eShop on Switch 2 or the Nintendo Store. |
The Switch 2 Edition is a platform-specific edition, not simply a label for the Switch game. The upgrade pack is digital content, not a physical cartridge. See Nintendo Support’s upgrade-pack guidance for purchase channels.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Nintendo also announced three related amiibo
In its September 2025 announcement, Nintendo named three amiibo connected to the game: Samus (Metroid Prime 4), Samus & Vi-O-La (Metroid Prime 4), and Sylux (Metroid Prime 4). That announcement confirms the figures were announced, but does not establish their current stock or price. Nintendo’s September 12, 2025 announcement video.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
![Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/415BEE24o-L._SL160_.jpg)
- Two display modes let you choose how to experience the adventure.
- Enjoy more detail in Quality Mode, which runs at 60 frames per second in 4k while docked and in 1080p while in handheld, or prioritize super-smooth action with a higher frame rate in Performance Mode, which runs at 120 frames per second in 1080p while docked and 720p in while in handheld. Both choices are HDR compatible.
Rank #2
![Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41qNSkThD6L._SL160_.jpg)
- 1. Explore the mysterious planet Viewros as the renowned bounty hunter Samus Aran
- 2. Scan your surroundings for clues and make the most of your equipment and weapons to survive
- 3. Use Samus’s newfound psychic abilities—and her technologically advanced bike, the Vi-O-La—to traverse and explore the environment.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
