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Metroid Ravenous is a side-scrolling sequel to Metroid Dread for Switch 2, launching January 28, 2027. Here is what Nintendo has confirmed.
Samus Aran will return in Metroid Ravenous, a side-scrolling follow-up to Metroid Dread. IGN reports that Nintendo announced the game during a Nintendo Direct, confirming a Switch 2 release on January 28, 2027.
According to IGN, the digital version will cost $59.99. The reveal trailer shows Samus attacked by unknown enemies that drain her energy, leaving her injured and stranded on a moon. IGN also reports that the game appears to be in development at MercurySteam, the Spanish studio that previously worked with Nintendo on Metroid Dread and Metroid: Samus Returns.
The clearest detail is the format. IGN describes Metroid Ravenous as a side-scrolling sequel to Metroid Dread, placing it in the branch of the franchise built around exploration, platforming and combat from a two-dimensional perspective. The announcement does not describe the game as part of the first-person Metroid Prime series.
IGN reports that the game is exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 and is scheduled to launch on January 28, 2027. The reported price for a digital copy is $59.99. No other digital pricing tiers are confirmed in the supplied announcement coverage, and no physical launch price is provided.
The trailer establishes the immediate setup without explaining the full story. IGN reports that Samus is attacked by strange enemies that zap her energy. The trailer presents her as badly injured and unable to identify her location, with the surface of the moon offering a difficult route home. It also introduces the idea that Samus may need to feed on enemies to survive. That is the central premise shown in the reveal material, but the source does not explain how this mechanic works in play.
IGN says Metroid Ravenous had previously appeared in a ratings board listing in Brazil before that listing was quickly deleted. The earlier listing led fans to speculate that the name might refer to Raven Beak, the principal antagonist associated with Metroid Dread. The announcement does not confirm that connection, so Ravenous should not yet be treated as a reference to Raven Beak.
IGN reports that Metroid Ravenous appears to be another MercurySteam project. The studio collaborated with Nintendo on Metroid Dread and developed Metroid: Samus Returns, the 3DS remake of the Game Boy game Metroid 2: Return of Samus. The wording matters: the supplied source presents MercurySteam’s involvement as an apparent return rather than providing a formal developer statement or a detailed production announcement.
The connection gives the announcement a clear development context, but it does not confirm that Ravenous uses the same structure, systems or technology as Dread. Nintendo and MercurySteam have not, in the supplied source, explained how the sequel will build on the previous game. There is also no confirmed information about the size of the world, the number of areas, new abilities, enemy types or boss encounters.
IGN places Dread and Ravenous at the end of the Metroid chronology described in its report. The outlet also distinguishes the side-scrolling games from the first-person Metroid Prime subseries, while noting that both branches belong to the wider franchise. IGN says the events of Ravenous and Dread take place years after the events of Metroid Prime 4, rather than presenting Ravenous as a direct continuation of that first-person game.
That timeline information is useful for setting expectations. The announcement points toward another chapter in Samus’s side-scrolling story, not a crossover between the two major gameplay formats. It does not, however, explain how the new game will connect to the earlier narrative or whether characters and unresolved plot threads from Dread will return.
The trailer’s survival premise gives Ravenous a potentially meaningful distinction from a conventional sequel. The phrase about feeding on enemies suggests that Samus’s recovery could be tied to combat, but this is analysis of the reported trailer rather than a confirmed description of a gameplay system. The source does not say whether consuming enemies replaces energy pickups, adds a temporary ability, affects progression or simply describes the story.
For players who enjoyed the exploration-driven structure associated with the side-scrolling series, the most important practical question is how much freedom the new moon provides. A stranded Samus and a route back to the surface naturally set up a search through an unfamiliar environment. That does not confirm an open map or any particular progression model. It is simply the player-facing situation established by the trailer and the reason exploration is likely to be a major point to watch.
The reported return of MercurySteam may also make comparisons with Dread unavoidable. IGN’s review of Metroid Dread awarded it a 9/10 and praised its exploration and progression, modern combat and boss fights. That is IGN’s assessment of the earlier game, not an OnlineGamesVIP verdict and not evidence that Ravenous will receive the same critical response. Players should wait for actual footage and detailed information before assuming that the sequel will reproduce those strengths.
The Switch 2 release is another confirmed part of the player context. IGN reports that Ravenous will launch only on Nintendo’s newer console, with a digital price of $59.99. The source does not provide technical details such as resolution, frame rate, loading performance, display options or whether the game will receive features specific to the platform. Those details remain unconfirmed and should not be inferred from the announcement alone.
IGN reports that Nintendo also announced a Metroid Ravenous amiibo collection. The collection will include separate Samus and Chozo Statue figures. A third figure, Samus in the Metroid Suit, will be bundled with a Special Edition of the game.
According to IGN, that Special Edition includes the game and a SteelBook case alongside the Samus Metroid Suit amiibo. The supplied source does not list a price for the Special Edition, provide a release schedule separate from the game’s January 28 launch date or explain what the amiibo figures will do in the game. It also does not confirm whether the collection will be sold in every market or whether additional products will be announced.
Readers looking to revisit the franchise can start with Metroid. The supplied catalog identifies it as a relevant entry in the series, but the announcement of Ravenous does not specify how the original game connects to its new story or whether any particular earlier title is required before playing the sequel.
What remains unknown before launch
Nintendo has confirmed the title, genre direction, platform, launch date and digital price reported by IGN, but the announcement leaves most of the game’s practical details open. There is no confirmed gameplay demonstration beyond the reveal trailer’s story setup. Players do not yet know how Samus’s apparent need to feed on enemies will function, what weapons or abilities she will have, or how progression will be organized.
The source also does not identify the moon, the enemies that attack Samus or the wider cast. It does not confirm whether Raven Beak is involved, whether other characters from Dread will return or what role the Chozo Statue has in the story. The exact relationship between the new game and earlier Metroid events remains unconfirmed beyond IGN’s placement of Ravenous in the series chronology.
More information will also be needed on editions and availability. The digital price is reported, and the Special Edition contents are known at a high level, but the Special Edition price and broader retail details have not been supplied. Nintendo has not, in the source record, announced additional platforms, an early-access period, downloadable content or online features.
The next useful update would be a fuller gameplay presentation that explains how exploration, combat and survival interact. Until then, Metroid Ravenous is confirmed as a Switch 2 side-scrolling sequel with a January 28, 2027 release date, while its defining new mechanics and much of its story remain to be revealed.