Metroid Ravenous launches January 28, 2027, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo’s new 2D action adventure strands Samus Aran on an unfamiliar moon and gives her a predatory twist: newly awakened Metroid instincts that let her devour stunned enemies.
Nintendo has also confirmed a physical standard edition, a Special Edition and three Metroid Ravenous amiibo figures for launch day. The current first-party pages establish the release, story setup and core combat, while leaving the developer, file size and detailed amiibo functions unannounced.
Metroid Ravenous: quick facts
- Release date: January 28, 2027.
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 only.
- Format: A new single-player 2D Metroid action adventure.
- Publisher: Nintendo.
- ESRB descriptors: Animated Blood and Violence.
- Play modes: TV, tabletop and handheld.
- Trailer: Nintendo of America’s official 1:59 reveal.
When does Metroid Ravenous come out?
The confirmed release date is January 28, 2027. Nintendo’s US product page, Direct results and official trailer all identify that day for the Nintendo Switch 2 game.
The standard physical game, the Special Edition and the new amiibo lineup are attached to the same launch date. Nintendo’s public US pages currently expose preorder or retailer controls, but Pixel Twelve is not treating a changing store button or region-specific listing as a universal price or availability promise.
No Nintendo Switch, Switch OLED, PC, PlayStation or Xbox version is announced. Nintendo repeatedly describes Ravenous as exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.
What is Metroid Ravenous about?
Samus is ambushed by unknown attackers and marooned on an unfamiliar moon. The Japanese game page adds that she falls deep underground after the attack and must find a route out through a hostile ecosystem.
Nintendo frames the setting as a maze of corridors and labyrinthine ruins. Samus gathers her arsenal, hunts powerful bosses and increases her abilities as she searches for a way to survive, but the official pages do not name the moon or explain how this mission connects to earlier Metroid stories.
This is a new entry in the 2D Metroid series, not a remaster or Switch 2 edition of an older game. Nintendo has not announced a subtitle, sequel number or development studio.
How do Samus’s Metroid instincts work?
Samus can use newly awakened Metroid power to devour vulnerable enemies and absorb their energy. Nintendo Japan describes a sequence in which she deflects an attack, capitalizes on the enemy’s stagger and feeds before it can recover.
The official screenshots show a purple energy effect around Samus’s arm during the drain. Nintendo presents the ability as part of survival and combat rather than a passive story device, but it has not published a complete move list, energy economy or upgrade tree.
“Devour” does not yet mean every enemy can be consumed at any time. The current description ties the action to foes that have been opened up or staggered, so broader interpretations would outrun the source.
How does combat and exploration work?
Nintendo emphasizes fast, aggressive attacks with beams, missiles and Metroid-powered finishers. Samus still explores connected corridors, gathers an arsenal and confronts bosses as she pushes through the moon’s underground ruins.
The US product page calls the environment a maze, while the screenshots display a map, health and ability interface familiar to the series’ side-scrolling structure. That visual evidence supports navigation and ability use, but not a claim about the final map size, sequence breaks or the exact number of regions.
Nintendo has not announced difficulty modes, accessibility settings, a demo or campaign length. It also has not published exact resolution or frame-rate targets for gameplay.
Who are the five Space Ninja assassins?
Nintendo Japan identifies a mysterious group of five Space Ninja assassins targeting Samus. They believe they can gain an opponent’s power by devouring whoever they defeat, mirroring the game’s central predator-versus-prey idea.
Their individual names and histories remain hidden. Official footage and screenshots distinguish them through different silhouettes and weapons, but Nintendo has not confirmed which one leads the group or whether all five function as conventional bosses.
Space Ninja confrontations change the camera. The Japanese page says the viewpoint moves behind Samus as she runs through complex alternate spaces and fights one-on-one, adding a perspective shift to an otherwise 2D adventure.
What is in the Metroid Ravenous Special Edition?
The Special Edition includes the physical Nintendo Switch 2 game, a SteelBook case and the Samus (Metroid Suit) amiibo figure. Nintendo’s official product art shows those three items together inside the collector’s box.
Two other figures—Samus and a larger-than-standard Chozo Statue—are announced separately. Nintendo says the figures provide in-game extras, but detailed functionality will be revealed later; it would be premature to assign items, cooldowns or unlocks to any figure.
The Special Edition page does not reliably expose a current US price in the checked public view. Retailer inventory and regional pricing can change, so those details should be verified at purchase time rather than copied from an inconsistent listing.
What technical features and languages are confirmed?
The US listing confirms one player on a single system, TV/tabletop/handheld modes, Save Data Cloud, amiibo support and linear-PCM surround sound. It also lists HDR output and 120 Hz output on compatible televisions.
A 120 Hz output flag is not the same as a confirmed 120-frames-per-second performance mode. Nintendo has not supplied a resolution chart, frame-rate mode breakdown or technical comparison, so the storefront feature should stay in its exact, narrower form.
The North American page lists American English, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish and ten additional supported languages. It does not separate interface, subtitle and voice support, and the current official pages do not announce a voice cast.
What is still unconfirmed?
The developer, download size, preload timing, exact US digital price, detailed amiibo rewards and complete accessibility options remain unconfirmed. Nintendo also has not named the moon, the five assassins or the game’s full supporting cast.
There is no announced demo, multiplayer mode, DLC plan, expansion pass or non-Switch 2 version. The January date, platform, single-player modes, ESRB descriptors and bundle contents are firm; the remaining blank spaces should wait for later first-party updates.
Metroid Ravenous FAQ
What is the Metroid Ravenous release date?
Metroid Ravenous launches January 28, 2027. Nintendo lists the standard game, Special Edition and amiibo lineup for that day.
Is Metroid Ravenous only on Nintendo Switch 2?
Yes, every current official page identifies Nintendo Switch 2 as the only platform. No original Switch, PC, PlayStation or Xbox release is announced.
What comes with the Special Edition?
It contains the physical game, a SteelBook case and the Samus (Metroid Suit) amiibo. Nintendo has not yet detailed the figure’s specific in-game reward.
The Metroid Ravenous game page keeps the title’s confirmed facts together. The September 2026 Nintendo Direct recap covers the rest of the showcase without duplicating this title-specific guide.
