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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Metroid Prime Remastered revisits the original GameCube adventure on Tallon IV; Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a new series entry set on Viewros. Beyond adds psychic abilities and the Vi-O-La bike, while its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition offers higher-resolution and higher-frame-rate modes plus Joy-Con 2 mouse-style aiming. The choice is between a modernized version of the first Prime and a new adventure—not two editions of the same game.
Are these the same game or two different releases?
They are different kinds of releases. Metroid Prime Remastered updates the first Metroid Prime, originally released for GameCube. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a new entry in the series, launched December 4, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo announced the launch on September 19, 2025.
How do the settings and gameplay differ?
| Comparison | Metroid Prime Remastered | Metroid Prime 4: Beyond |
|---|---|---|
| Release type | HD remaster of the original Metroid Prime, first released on GameCube. | New series entry. |
| Setting | Tallon IV, explored through varied environments and labyrinths. | The mysterious planet Viewros. |
| Exploration | Scan surroundings and history, solve environmental puzzles, and return to areas as Samus gains abilities. | Scan ruins for clues and use psychic abilities. |
| Combat and traversal | Familiar beams, missiles, bombs, and visors. | Includes the Vi-O-La bike, used for traversal and combat. |
| Documented presentation and controls | HD visuals, enhanced sound, and modern dual-stick controls. | The Switch 2 Edition adds display modes, faster loading, and Joy-Con 2 mouse-style aiming. |
Nintendo describes Remastered’s setting and play features on its UK game listing and its 2023 launch announcement. For Beyond, its US product listing and launch announcement describe Viewros, psychic abilities, and Vi-O-La.
What does the Switch 2 Edition of Beyond add?
Nintendo Support lists two display modes for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on Switch 2. These are Nintendo-published specifications, not independent performance measurements.
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#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!
| Mode | Docked | Handheld | Other listed feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Mode | 4K at 60 frames per second | 1080p at 60 frames per second | HDR support |
| Performance Mode | 1080p at 120 frames per second | 720p at 120 frames per second | HDR support |
The Switch 2 Edition also supports Joy-Con 2 mouse controls for aiming and faster loading. See Nintendo Support’s Switch 2 Edition details. The feature list does not by itself establish which game looks or feels better overall.
Which game should you choose?
Choose Remastered for the original Prime adventure
Pick Metroid Prime Remastered if you want to experience the first game’s Tallon IV adventure, its scanning and environmental puzzles, and its classic beam-and-missile combat in an updated presentation. Nintendo lists it for Nintendo Switch.
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.
Choose Beyond for a new setting and new tools
Pick Metroid Prime 4: Beyond if you want a new planet, psychic abilities, and bike-based traversal and combat. It is available for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2; the Switch 2 Edition is a separate version and upgrade path listed by Nintendo.
Which should you play first?
Remastered is the way to play the original adventure, but Nintendo’s official materials do not say it is required before Beyond. Choose based on whether you want to start with the series’ first Prime game or jump into its newer entry.
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![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.
Platforms and release dates
| Game or version | Platform and date | Source qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Metroid Prime Remastered digital release | Nintendo Switch; February 8, 2023 | Nintendo UK listing. |
| Metroid Prime Remastered physical release | Nintendo Switch; March 3, 2023 | Nintendo UK listing. Nintendo of America said the physical version would be in stores February 22, 2023, so the date varies by region. |
| Metroid Prime 4: Beyond | Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2; December 4, 2025 | Nintendo’s US store listing and September 2025 launch announcement. |
| Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Switch 2 Edition upgrade | Available through Nintendo’s eShop and store | Check regional product listings for purchase and edition details. |
For the regional dates and platform details, see the Nintendo UK Remastered listing, Nintendo of America’s Remastered announcement, and Nintendo’s US Beyond listing.
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.
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.
