Nintendo announces Metroid Ravenous, a 2D sequel to Dread for Switch 2 in January 2027

Nintendo announced Metroid Ravenous, a new 2D entry in the series, during Wednesday's Nintendo Direct. The game launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on Jan. 28, 2027, less than two years after Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. An announcement trailer narrated by Samus Aran shows her attacked on a moon by a mysterious group of hooded enemies who drop her into the depths below, from which she must escape through a subterranean, labyrinthian superstructure while fighting her assailants in one-on-one battles and other bosses along the way.

The trailer introduces a new mechanic built around feeding. Samus says she must "feed on" her enemies to survive, and the footage shows her using an energy-draining ability against foes. "It's eat or be eaten," she says. Throughout the trailer her suit appears to change based on what she absorbs, including a menacing green energy form, which could grant her additional attacks.

The game appears to be a direct sequel to 2021's Metroid Dread. The trailer flashes Samus in fully upgraded armor identical to the chitinous, alien-green suit she gained at the end of Dread, and the hooded pursuers recall the EMMI robots that chased her through that game. Nintendo has not confirmed the developer, but Polygon notes Ravenous looks incredibly similar to Dread's aesthetics and gameplay, making it safe to assume MercurySteam, which developed Dread and Metroid: Samus Returns, is behind the title.

Ravenous also marks a change for the notoriously silent Samus. She spoke briefly in Dread, sharing a short conversation in the Chozo language at the end of the game, but she has not narrated at length since Metroid: Other M. In the Ravenous trailer she explains her situation: "I was attacked by unknown assailants and sustained grave injuries. I don't know where I am. Getting back to the surface won't be easy. My chances of getting off this moon are slim at best. I will survive, and I will make it home, even if I have to feed on my enemies to do so."

Alongside the game, Nintendo will release a special edition that includes a SteelBook case and an amiibo showing Samus in one of her new forms. Two additional amiibo figures, one of Samus and another of a Chozo statue, will also launch on Jan. 28, 2027. VGC reports it is not yet clear whether the Metroid Suit Samus amiibo will be available as a standalone purchase or only through the special edition.

Ravenous arrives five years after Dread, which sold 3 million copies and became the best-selling Metroid game in the series. The game's existence leaked earlier this year when a Brazilian games rating board published its name and rating, including content details citing "violence (weapons, blood, death) and light sexual content," before the listing was removed. Kotaku noted the curiosity of that sexual content descriptor, particularly given the imagery in Metroid Prime 4.

Nintendo has not revealed who is developing Ravenous, and the full scope of its new feeding mechanic and how the suit's transformations will work remain unclear. More details are expected as the January 2027 launch approaches.