Nintendo · Metroid · 11 Sep 2026
Metroid Ravenous Makes Samus the Predator — And It’s Switch 2-Only
Nintendo’s next 2D Metroid is real, dated for January 28, 2027, and built around a different Samus: one who survives by draining energy directly from her enemies.
Nintendo officially revealed Metroid Ravenous during its September 9 Nintendo Direct. Nintendo describes it as the latest entry in the 2D Metroid series and lists it for Nintendo Switch 2 on January 28, 2027.
Samus is attacked by unknown assailants, badly injured and stranded on an unfamiliar moon. To reach the surface, Nintendo says she must unlock new abilities — including using latent Metroid powers to feed on enemies and recover energy.
28 January 2027
Nintendo Switch 2
2D action-adventure
Drain enemy energy
Dread’s ending is becoming the entire game
Metroid Dread pushed Samus’s Metroid DNA from background lore into a physical transformation. Ravenous appears to turn that consequence into a central gameplay system. Nintendo explicitly says Samus must use newly awakened Metroid instincts to devour her foes.
The combat loop is more aggressive
Nintendo says enemy attacks can be countered to stun opponents, opening a short window for Samus to absorb their energy. That makes feeding more than a cinematic flourish: it is part of the moment-to-moment combat loop.
Five attackers give Samus a personal enemy
Nintendo says five attackers who ambushed Samus are waiting inside the labyrinthine world. They are described as individual opponents carrying powerful weapons, suggesting recurring duels rather than one anonymous invading force.
Switch 2 exclusivity matters
Nintendo’s official listing names only Nintendo Switch 2. There is no Switch version listed. That makes Ravenous a clear signal that flagship 2D Metroid is now part of Nintendo’s new hardware generation rather than a cross-generation release.
Why Ravenous has more to prove than Dread
Dread’s job was to prove classic 2D Metroid could still feel modern. Ravenous has to justify a sequel without simply producing “more Dread.” The devour mechanic is the clearest answer so far. If it changes exploration, combat and progression rather than acting as a glorified health refill, Ravenous could push the formula somewhere genuinely new.