Metroid Prime Remastered is the best single game to play before Metroid Prime 4: Beyond if you want to get familiar with the 3D Prime series. No previous Metroid game is established as a mandatory prerequisite, though: play Remastered for Prime-style exploration, or add a 2D game if you want broader series context. Prime 4: Beyond has already released.
Which Metroid game should you play first?
Choose Metroid Prime Remastered for the closest introduction to the format and series style of Prime 4. Nintendo describes it as the first entry in the Prime series, with updated graphics and sound, unlockable art, and multiple control schemes. Its first-person exploration and scanning make it the most direct way to sample what distinguishes Prime from the side-scrolling games. Nintendo’s game page
This is a recommendation for familiarity, not a claim that you must finish it to understand Prime 4. The Prime games are a 3D branch of Metroid; the 2D entries have their own mainline arc. You can start with either format.
Best games to play before Prime 4
Metroid Prime Remastered: best single pick
Pick this if you have time for one game and want the most relevant preparation. It introduces the Prime subseries’ 3D perspective and exploration approach without requiring you to work through the whole franchise. Nintendo calls it “the first entry in the Metroid Prime series.”
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- 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.
- 4. Aim with a Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse
- 5. Experience enhanced resolution, framerate, and load times in the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game
Super Metroid: best classic 2D companion
For a contrasting take on Metroid, play Super Metroid. Samus returns to Zebes after Space Pirates take the last remaining Metroid, and the game offers a foundational example of side-scrolling exploration. It is a strong companion to Remastered if you want to sample both major formats, but it is not a Prime 4 prerequisite. Nintendo’s guide to classic games
Metroid Fusion: best guided 2D story option
Fusion centers on Samus confronting the X parasite after being cured with Metroid DNA. It is more guided and linear than earlier 2D entries, making it a good choice if you want a story-forward 2D game rather than a broad exploration sampler. Nintendo’s classic-games guide
Rank #2
- 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!
Metroid Dread: best modern 2D action
Dread is a modern side-scrolling adventure set on a remote planet. Nintendo and Nintendo Life place it as the fifth mainline 2D game and the culmination of that saga. Choose it if you want a contemporary 2D entry; it represents a different branch of the series from Prime rather than a direct introduction to Prime’s format. Nintendo provides a demo link on its guide. Nintendo’s Metroid Dread guide
Metroid: Zero Mission: accessible retelling of the original
Zero Mission retells the original Metroid with redesigned environments and added features. It is a sensible starting point if you want to begin the 2D story near its origin and have access to it, but playing it is optional for Prime 4.
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Rank #3
- 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 a route based on what you want
| What you want | Suggested route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One game before Prime 4 | Metroid Prime Remastered | It is the first Prime game and the closest format match. |
| A taste of both major formats | Prime Remastered + Super Metroid | One 3D Prime entry and one classic 2D game. |
| The 2D story in sequence | Zero Mission → Super Metroid → Fusion → Dread | A path through the 2D saga, with Dread as its later culmination. |
You do not need to complete every game in the 2D route before starting Prime 4. Nintendo Life’s chronology places Prime titles between the original/ Zero Mission and Metroid II; that helps situate the subseries in the wider timeline, but chronology alone does not make the 2D games required preparation. Nintendo Life’s Metroid chronology
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to play them
Nintendo’s UK and Australia guides list Prime Remastered and Dread for the Switch family, and list Metroid, Zero Mission, Super Metroid, Metroid II: Return of Samus, and Fusion among Nintendo Classics for Nintendo Switch Online members. Classic-game availability and subscription terms vary by region, so check the local Nintendo service catalog. Those guides establish service access, not current physical-copy inventory or prices. UK catalog guide · Australia guide
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- 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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