The Metroid timeline – how to play every game in chronological order

With Metroid Prime 4 out now, GameCentral looks back at the series’ timeline to try and make sense of its long-running storyline.

For hardcore gamers, Metroid is one of Nintendo’s most significant franchises. It was one of the first games to have a female protagonist, in bounty hunter Samus Aran, and helped create the Metroidvania genre, that inspired all manner of modern day indie games, like Hollow Knight: Silksong.

In reality, though, Metroid has never been as popular as Super Mario or The Legend Of Zelda, as evidenced by how in it’s nearly 40 year history, the series consists of only 15 games (and that’s including remakes and little known spin-offs).

That said, the gap between releases means it always feels like a big deal when a new Metroid does launch and that’s especially the case for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which was announced all the way back in 2017 and brings the series total to 16.

Since this is the first entry in the Prime sub-series since 2007 (well, technically 2016 but who’s counting Federation Force?) not only will new fans need help catching up but veterans are probably also wondering where the game sits in the franchise’s complex canon.

Although the storytelling has never been the main draw of the series, Metroid does have a lot of lore. And given how the games have hopped backwards and forwards through Samus’ personal timeline, it can almost feel as convoluted as the Zelda series.

If you truly care about this sort of thing or are looking for an excuse to play more Metroid games you missed out on, we’ve put together a comprehensive and (mostly) spoiler free list of every entry in chronological order, as well as explanations on where to play them.

Metroid (1986)/Metroid: Zero Mission (2004)

Until Nintendo decides to make an unnecessary prequel, the original Metroid game for the NES is Samus’ very first adventure, which sees her head to the planet Zebes to stop a band of space pirates from using the titular metroids (a sort of floating jellyfish) as bioweapons.

This game establishes the core formula for the rest of the series, with you exploring a 2D world, shooting enemies, and gathering power-ups that grant Samus abilities that allow her to reach new areas.

While you can play the original Metroid via the Nintendo Classics service for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, we’d recommend paying extra for the Expansion Pack, since that gives you access to the excellent Game Boy Advance remake Metroid: Zero Mission.

Aside from improved graphics, it adds a little more story context behind Samus’ mission and has an extended ending that includes a tense stealth section that wasn’t in the original.

Metroid Prime (2003)

The Metroid Prime sub-series may come from American developer Retro Studios, instead of one of Nintendo’s internal developers, but it’s an official part of the Metroid timeline and set after the first Metroid but before all the others.

Billed as first person adventures, rather than shooters, the Metroid Prime games still follow the core formula of the series, emphasising exploration and puzzle solving over gunplay.

Initially made for the GameCube, the first Metroid Prime saw an updated remaster for the Switch in 2023 and remains a near perfect video game. As for the plot, it’s a mostly self-contained affair but does kickstart a three-game storyline of Samus’ encounters with the mutant Metroid Prime and the corruptive substance known as Phazon.

Metroid Prime Hunters (2006)

Released for the Nintendo DS handheld, Metroid Prime Hunters is an actual first person shooter, since it removed the Prime games’ aim assist and even boasted online multiplayer, where you could play against friends as new rival bounty hunters.

With the Wii U eShop’s closure in 2023, it’s impossible to play this game legitimately, but lore-wise you’re not missing much. Its plot has little to no impact on the rest of the Prime games, with its sole contribution being the introduction of Sylux, a mysterious figure who holds an unexplained grudge against Samus and is the main villain of Metroid Prime 4.

Metroid Prime 2 and 3 (2004/2007)

The second and third entries in the main Metroid Prime trilogy, these two sequels aren’t quite as strong as the first game but are still very good and offer their own unique mechanics.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes has its own take on the Dark World concept from The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, with two parallel dimensions to explore, with the dark dimension draining Samus’ health whenever she enters it.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has you visiting multiple planets and gives Samus a new Hypermode that grants temporary invincibility and more powerful attacks, but risks her falling prey to Phazon corruption.

The two games continue the Phazon plot thread established in the first game, while introducing wisted doppelganger Dark Samus – who made it into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

There’s been frequent rumours of both games getting remasters on the Switch or Switch 2, with one insider claiming the remasters were finished some time ago and Nintendo is just sitting on them (which it does sometimes), but so far there’s been no evidence of that.

With any luck, Prime 2 will eventually be added to the Switch Online’s GameCube library, but that still leaves Prime 3, which was a Wii game, unaccounted for.

If you still have a Wii or Wii U lying around, you could try grabbing a copy of the Metroid Prime Trilogy (a compilation of all three games) at a second-hand shop or eBay. Its rarity means you’re not going to find it cheap, though. The best offer we could find was a CeX listing for £70.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force (2016)

The red-headed stepchild of the Metroid Prime series, Federation Force was an ill-conceived co-op adventure made for the Nintendo 3DS, where you don’t play as Samus but as faceless Galactic Federation soldiers.

With the 3DS eShop shut down, you need a second-hand physical copy to play this, but the loss of the 3DS’s online features means you can only experience local co-op – which requires everyone have their own copy of the game.

Honestly, you can comfortably skip this one. Aside from not being very good it has zero bearing on the series’ plot, outside of one scene explaining why Sylux has metroids accompanying him in Metroid Prime 4.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (2025)

At the time of writing, Nintendo hasn’t explicitly stated where in the timeline Metroid Prime 4: Beyond takes place and there are fan debates online about its placement.

Some have argued it’s set a little bit further along the timeline but it’s largely irrelevant because the plot has no connection to the first three Prime titles and it’s only the presence of Sylux which ties it to any other entry – although he’s barely in the game anyway, so not even that matters.

Although the story is self-contained, Prime 4 retains the sub-series’ first person adventure formula, with Samus and a band of Galactic Federation soldiers stuck on the planet Viewros.

Samus gains new physic powers with which to explore the planet, as well as a fancy new motorbike, but overall it’s the weakest of the Prime games and nowhere near as good as the peerless Metroid Prime Remastered.

Metroid 2: Return Of Samus/Metroid: Samus Returns (1992/2017)

While none of these subsequent games are required to understand or enjoy Metroid Prime 4, we’d still highly recommend them if only because, with one glaring exception, they’re all top quality adventures.

Metroid 2: Return Of Samus was released for the original Game Boy and follows a similar structure to the original Metroid. Only this time, Samus is sent to the planet SR388 to hunt down and wipe out the last remaining metroids.

It’s available to play through the Nintendo Classics service but, if you can find a copy, we’d recommend playing the superior 3DS remake, Samus Returns, which Nintendo worked on alongside Spanish studio MercurySteam.

It offers a lot of new mechanics, some fantastic visuals, and, like Zero Mission, expands on the ending with a new final boss that bridges the gap between the mainline games and the Metroid Prime sub-series.

Super Metroid (1994)

Super Metroid is an all-time classic and, along with Metroid Prime 1, one of two entries in the franchise we’d describe as literally perfect. It directly follows on from Metroid 2’s plot, with Samus having exterminated all the metroids, except for a newly hatched baby that imprints on Samus, viewing her as its mother.

Things quickly go to hell when Samus’ archenemy Ridley (the original Metroid was heavily influenced by the movie Alien) returns to steal the baby, prompting Samus to chase him back to Zebes, where the space pirates have rebuilt their base.

In a way, Super Metroid is a pseudo-remake of the first Metroid (even sharing some of the same boss fights) although it has aged far better and remains a shining example of the Metroidvania formula the series helped popularise.

Nintendo probably would’ve remade it by now, if it wasn’t for the fact that it doesn’t really need it. If you’ve yet to play it, it is easily accessible through the Nintendo Classics service and its SNES library.

Metroid: Other M (2010)

Easily the most contentious mainline entry in the series, Metroid: Other M was a joint project for the Nintendo Wii, between Nintendo and Team Ninja – the studio responsible for Ninja Gaiden and Dead Or Alive.

Although the Prime games introduced a more cinematic, slightly more story driven approach, Other M goes several steps further. Not only is it stuffed with cut scenes but, for the first time, Samus herself speaks at length, although mostly through inner monologues.

The gameplay itself is a 2.5D take on the traditional Metroid formula but it is far more linear, disincentivising exploration to the point where certain doors would lock themselves, preventing any backtracking. It also makes very awkward use of the Wii’s controls, as you’re forced to control Samus’ movement using the D-pad.

However, Other M is most infamous for its poor story, dialogue, and its depiction of Samus. In an attempt to flesh out her personality, Other M turned the stoic space warrior into a subservient soldier with daddy issues. It’s tempting to blame Team Ninja for this, but the story was written by Nintendo’s Yoshio Sakamoto.

This highlighted the fact that Nintendo never really seems to have understood the franchise’s appeal, especially in terms of non-gameplay elements, since while it’s a cult favourite in the West it’s not even really that in Japan.

Other M’s never seen a re-release but, like Federation Force, you’re not missing much by skipping it. Aside from continuing a couple of plot threads from Super Metroid, its only real contribution is providing backstory for the character of Adam, Samus’ former superior officer who was mentioned in Metroid Fusion and is an unlikeable git in Other M.

Metroid Fusion (2002)

Initially released for the Game Boy Advance, Metroid Fusion introduced a significant change to the series’ lore, with a new threat instead of the metroids: the X parasite. In fact, Fusion revealed that the metroids were specifically created to eradicate X.

Fusion’s story begins with Samus becoming infected with X and requiring metroid DNA to stave it off, becoming part metroid herself. She is then sent to investigate a space station that has become overrun by the parasite.

X has managed to replicate itself as numerous alien creatures, with one turning into a clone of Samus. Dubbed the SA-X, it’s a Resident Evil-esque predator that stalks the halls and is too powerful to be fought directly. If it spots you, you need to run and hide.

Fusion is much like Other M, in that progression is more linear and there’s more story, with Samus having occasional inner monologues and one-sided banter with an AI assistant that Samus names after Adam.

As a result, it’s easily the weakest of the 2D games, despite its importance to the overall canon. It’s available to play through the Nintendo Classics service but, again, Game Boy Advance games are exclusive to the more expensive Expansion Pack.

Metroid Dread (2021)

The final game, chronologically, in the series, fans had to wait nearly 20 years for a direct sequel to Metroid Fusion and, at last, the once mythical Metroid 5 surfaced as Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch.

Clearly impressed with MercurySteam’s work on the Metroid 2 remake (and no doubt their involvement with the Castlevania series as well) Nintendo brought the studio back for Dread and the result was one of the best Metroid games ever made – as well as the most financially successful.

The story sees Samus being sent to the planet ZDR, where it’s suspected the X parasite still exists, despite her attempts to wipe it out in Fusion. There, she is immediately attacked by a member of the Chozo (which have typically been absent in the rest of the series) and is left stranded on the planet.

Aside from all manner of alien threats, she must contend with E.M.M.I.s, which are inspired by SA-X from Fusion, as these robots are near indestructible and will pursue Samus whenever they spot her.

Dread was billed as the end of a five game saga (Metroid, Metroid 2, Super Metroid, Other M, and Dread) chronicling Samus and her ties to the metroids, with series producer Yoshio Sakamoto suggesting a new story arc will follow.

‘We just want people to know that there is some kind of new episode that is waiting in the works, and we want you to look forward with what we do with that next — but there are no specifics now,’ said Sakamoto in a 2021 Polygon interview.

There’s still no clue as to what that new episode might be, but he was almost certainly not referring to Metroid Prime 4, which, apart from anything else, he had no major involvement with.

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