Which Metroid Games Are Available on Nintendo Switch? Complete 2026 List

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Nintendo currently lists seven Metroid games playable on Nintendo Switch: two standalone releases—Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered—plus five older titles in the Nintendo Classics libraries. The classics are Metroid, Metroid II – Return of Samus, Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission.

The two modern games are purchased separately. The five classic games require an active Nintendo Switch Online membership, and the two Game Boy Advance titles additionally require the paid Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier. Nintendo’s catalog is region-dependent, and a listing marked as a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition should not automatically be counted as an original Switch release.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Metroid Dread - Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]		Buy on Amazon
2		Metroid Prime Remastered - Nintendo Switch	$39.99	Buy on Amazon
3		Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition	$49.90	Buy on Amazon

Metroid games on Switch at a glance

The practical answer depends on what you mean by “available.” Nintendo identifies two games made as standalone Nintendo Switch products and five games delivered through its subscription-based Nintendo Classics apps. That gives Switch owners seven specifically named Metroid titles in the current overview, but they are not obtained in the same way.

Nintendo’s 2024 magazine and its 2026 Switch overview both identify five classic Metroid titles. That is a count of the titles currently named in those classic-service listings, not a claim that only five older Metroid games have ever been released.

#1 Best Overall

Metroid Dread - Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]

• Join Samus Aran in the first new 2D Metroid story in 19 years
• Explore planet ZDR’s many environments as you investigate a mysterious transmission
• Deadly E.M.M.I. robots, research machines, pose a threat more intense than ever
• Feel Samus’ power grow as you gain maneuvers and abilities like the new Spider Magnet
• Power up and return to previous areas to find new paths and secrets

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The two standalone Switch releases

Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread is a regular Nintendo Switch game rather than an item inside a Nintendo Classics app. Nintendo released it on October 8, 2021 and describes it as a side-scrolling adventure. You buy the game through the Nintendo eShop or a retail listing for the Switch version, then play it without maintaining a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

This makes Dread the straightforward choice if you want a current, Switch-built 2D Metroid experience and do not want your access tied to a subscription. Check the product page’s platform label before buying a digital or physical copy, particularly when browsing listings that also mention newer hardware.

Metroid Prime Remastered

Metroid Prime Remastered is also a standalone Nintendo Switch release. Its release date was February 8, 2023. Nintendo describes the package as having remastered visuals and audio, updated controls and bonus content. It is the first-person option in the current Switch lineup, in contrast to Dread‘s side-scrolling format.

Because it is sold as a game rather than streamed from a Classics library, an active Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required after you have purchased it. Verify that a store listing says Metroid Prime Remastered for Nintendo Switch; similarly named products for other systems are not interchangeable.

Purchase access versus subscription access

“Available on Switch” does not mean every title is included with the console or with one universal subscription. The two standalone releases are separate purchases. The five classics are software within Nintendo’s NES, Game Boy, SNES or Game Boy Advance applications, and access depends on the membership tier assigned to that library in your region.

The five classic Metroid games

Metroid — NES Nintendo Classics

The original Metroid is listed in the Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics collection. It is the NES-era entry in the current five-game classic count. Nintendo Switch Online membership is required to use the NES collection; the game is not a separate modern Switch purchase.

Rank #2

Metroid Prime Remastered - Nintendo Switch

• Become intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran and explore an alien planet in this critically-acclaimed first-person adventure
• Use and upgrade abilities like the Morph Ball, Missiles, and an array of beams to survive the harsh environments and lethal creatures of the planet Tallon IV
• Gain abilities and revisit areas to uncover the different routes and secrets hiding in a beautiful-yet-threatening interconnected world
• Scan your surroundings to gather information about the planet’s history and the creatures that call it home or to reveal enemies’ weak points
• Choose from multiple control options and experience revamped graphics, sound, and unlockable art in this remastered classic

$39.99

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Metroid II – Return of Samus — Game Boy Nintendo Classics

Metroid II – Return of Samus is identified in Nintendo’s overview as the Game Boy title. It is delivered through the Game Boy – Nintendo Classics library. Confirm that the Game Boy application and this title appear in your territory’s catalog, because Nintendo can vary classic selections by region.

Super Metroid — SNES Nintendo Classics

Super Metroid is the Super Nintendo Entertainment System entry in the list. Nintendo places it in the SNES – Nintendo Classics collection, which requires Nintendo Switch Online membership. It is accessed from the SNES application rather than purchased as an individual Switch download.

Metroid Fusion — Game Boy Advance Nintendo Classics

Metroid Fusion is one of the two Game Boy Advance games named in Nintendo’s Switch overview. Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance service page states that a paid Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership is required to use that service. A standard Nintendo Switch Online plan is therefore not sufficient for this title.

Metroid: Zero Mission — Game Boy Advance Nintendo Classics

Metroid: Zero Mission is the second GBA title in the current classic list and has the same access rule as Metroid Fusion. You need the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics application through a paid Expansion Pack membership, subject to the catalog offered in your region.

Membership requirements explained

NES, Game Boy and SNES libraries

Nintendo’s service pages identify Metroid in the NES collection and Super Metroid in the SNES collection, with Nintendo Switch Online membership required for those libraries. Metroid II – Return of Samus is listed in the Game Boy collection. Membership access is different from ownership: if the subscription ends, the Classics applications and their games are no longer available through that account until the membership is active again.

Game Boy Advance requires Expansion Pack

The Game Boy Advance service has a higher membership requirement. Nintendo explicitly says, “A paid Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership is required to use this service.” That rule applies to both Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission. Do not assume that having the NES, Game Boy or SNES collections automatically unlocks GBA software.

Rank #3

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

• 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.

$49.90

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No subscription is needed for purchased games

Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered remain playable as purchased software without Nintendo Switch Online. Online membership may provide unrelated console features, but it is not the condition Nintendo lists for launching either standalone game.

How to find each game on your console

1. Decide which access model you want. Search the eShop for Metroid Dread or Metroid Prime Remastered if you want a standalone purchase. For classics, identify the original platform and its Nintendo Classics application.
2. Check the platform label. On a product page, confirm that the edition is marked Nintendo Switch. A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a separate platform designation and should not be counted automatically as an original Switch release.
3. Install the relevant Classics application. Open the Nintendo Switch Online area on your console and select the NES, Game Boy, SNES or Game Boy Advance application offered for your account and region.
4. Verify the membership tier before downloading. NES, Game Boy and SNES access uses Nintendo Switch Online. GBA access requires the paid Expansion Pack tier. If a title is not visible, check the membership attached to the Nintendo Account that is opening the application.
5. Confirm the catalog for your country. Nintendo’s Australia/New Zealand overview and US service pages support the list above, but classic catalogs can differ by territory. Use your local Nintendo page or eShop listing as the final availability check.

Choosing between the available options

This choice is mainly about format and access. Dread is a modern side-scrolling release, while Prime Remastered presents a remastered first-person experience. The five classics are useful when you specifically want the NES, Game Boy, SNES or GBA versions and already have the membership tier that unlocks them.

Switch and Switch 2 labels: avoid mixing editions

Nintendo’s current Metroid overview covers both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. That does not make every product shown there an original Switch game. Nintendo’s US store separately labels Metroid Prime 4: Beyond as a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Because the question is about games available on Nintendo Switch, that edition should be excluded unless a listing explicitly confirms an original Switch version.

The safest check is the platform line on the individual Nintendo product page, followed by the edition name shown on the eShop or retailer listing. Hardware compatibility, upgrade rights and catalog placement can change independently, so do not infer the platform from a screenshot, a search-result headline or a shared franchise page.

Common availability mistakes

• Counting only the two modern releases. The five Nintendo Classics titles are also named in Nintendo’s current overview, bringing the listed total to seven.
• Assuming the classics are free downloads. They are accessed through Nintendo Switch Online applications and require an active membership.
• Expecting a base membership to unlock GBA. Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission require the paid Expansion Pack tier.
• Treating every region as identical. Nintendo warns through its territory-specific pages and catalogs that availability can vary; check your country’s listing.
• Including a Switch 2 Edition in an original-Switch list. Read the platform label for the exact edition you intend to play.
• Confusing a classic listing with a permanent purchase. Classics access follows the membership status, unlike the two standalone games.

What can change over time

Nintendo Classics catalogs, product pages and retail stock are changeable. The seven-title list reflects Nintendo pages accessed October 13, 2026, including the company’s January 2026 Switch overview and its July 2024 Australia/New Zealand magazine. Before buying or renewing a membership, check the current Nintendo page for your country and confirm that the desired game still appears in the applicable application.

Nintendo does not provide a single worldwide catalog guarantee in the material supporting this list. The five-title count is therefore best read as the number named in the cited current overview, not as a promise that every country will display exactly the same selection on every date.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

Metroid Dread - Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]

Join Samus Aran in the first new 2D Metroid story in 19 years; Explore planet ZDR’s many environments as you investigate a mysterious transmission

Bestseller No. 2

Metroid Prime Remastered - Nintendo Switch

$39.99

Bestseller No. 3

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

$49.90

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.