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Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4 on June 13, 2017, and released the trailer for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on September 19, 2025—about eight years and three months later. The game launched on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2025. The “good” in the original headline is an opinion, not a finding established by Nintendo’s announcements.
What the September 2025 trailer did—and did not—mark
The trailer was a major update after a long wait, but it was not the first public look at the game. Nintendo’s E3 2017 archive records the original announcement and labels its footage “Metroid Prime 4 – First Look.” At that point, Nintendo said the game was in development for Nintendo Switch. Nintendo’s E3 2017 announcement
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Nintendo showed the first gameplay from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in its June 2024 Direct, then presented another trailer in March 2025. The September 19, 2025 trailer confirmed the December 4 launch date for both Switch and Switch 2. June 2024 Nintendo Direct · March 2025 Nintendo Direct · September 2025 release announcement
So “eight years” is a fair rounded description of the gap between the 2017 announcement and the 2025 trailer, but the exact interval was roughly eight years and three months. It was not eight years without any footage.
#1 Best Overall
- 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!
What Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is about
Nintendo’s setup sends Samus Aran to Viewros after an encounter involving Sylux and a strange artifact. Viewros was once inhabited by an ancient civilization; Samus explores the planet, scans for clues, fights creatures, and seeks a way home. Nintendo’s launch overview describes her arrival as an unexpected accident that transports her to the mysterious planet. Nintendo’s game overview
Psychic abilities and exploration
Samus gains psychic abilities that help her interact with the environment. Nintendo describes the Control Beam as a way to alter a projectile’s trajectory and the Psychic Glove as a tool for manipulating energy and mechanisms. Scanning remains part of how she investigates her surroundings and finds clues.
Rank #2
- 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.
Vi-O-La and Sol Valley
Vi-O-La is a vehicle Samus can use to traverse Sol Valley, an open desert area. Nintendo says it can also be used in combat and to collect ore, making it part of both traversal and the planet’s activities.
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The game launched on December 4, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo’s US product pages identify Retro Studios as developer and Nintendo as publisher. The Switch 2 Edition has features and display options that Nintendo does not list for the regular Switch edition.
Rank #3
![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.
| Edition | Console compatibility | Features and modes stated by Nintendo | Upgrade path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch game | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo lists the physical game; the Switch 2 Edition’s mouse-aiming and display-mode specifications do not apply to this listing. | Switch owners can upgrade later with a separately sold upgrade pack. |
| Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Nintendo Switch 2 | Supports aiming with a Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse. Nintendo lists docked Quality Mode at 4K, 60 fps, HDR and Performance Mode at 1080p, 120 fps, HDR. In handheld or tabletop mode, Nintendo lists 1080p, 60 fps, HDR for Quality Mode and 720p, 120 fps, HDR for Performance Mode. | Switch 2 owners can buy this edition. |
The resolution and frame-rate figures are Nintendo-published specifications, not independent test results. Edition names and specifications here refer to Nintendo’s US product pages. Nintendo Switch product page · Nintendo Switch 2 Edition product page
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What “good” means in the headline
Nintendo’s official materials establish when the trailer appeared, what the game is about, and when it launched. They do not establish that the trailer was broadly judged good by players or critics. Treat “good” as an editorial reaction rather than a measured consensus: the chronology and game details are verifiable, while the adjective is a matter of taste.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
![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.
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