It looks like Nintendo is getting closer to announcing a proper release date for the highly-anticipated Metroid Prime 4. While no new announcements regarding the title have been made yet, the Nintendo eShop page for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond now sports an ESRB rating for the US. For context, ESRB ratings are typically good indicators when a game is getting released soon.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has been rated T for Teen by ESRB, with the ratings board citing that the game features animated blood and violence. The rating also points out that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will also feature in-game purchases. However, the nature of these purchases are currently unknown, and could simply mean that there might be a way to pick up planned expansions for it down the line directly from the game itself.
Back in July, it was also discovered that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond had been rated for release in South Korea by the Game Rating and Administration Committee (GRAC). In Korea, the game has been rated to be playable for those “12 years old and up”. The belief at the time was that Nintendo is gearing up for a Direct, and that we will likely end up with a proper release date for the game sooner rather than later.
Considering the fact that Nintendo hasn’t made any announcements during Gamescom 2025, however, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s release date announcement is either slated for an incoming Direct later this month, or at Tokyo Games Show in September.
June saw a bit of controversy thanks to some advertisements for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond being spotted at the Oxford Circus tube station of the London Underground. Billboard ads for the title indicated that it was already available. This ad was flanked by others regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 and its GameChat feature. In a statement, Nintendo confirmed that these advertisements were “incorrect”.
“We can confirm that the ‘Out Now’ message on this advert is incorrect,” said the company in its statement. “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition are not yet available and are scheduled for release in 2025.”
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was originally announced all the way back in 2017, back when the original Nintendo Switch came out. Since then, the title has seemingly gone through troubled development cycles. These problems seem to have been sorted out since then, however, with developer Retro Studios recruiting industry veterans that have previously worked on major games like Halo, God of War and Mirror’s Edge to help complete development of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
The game will once more put players in the role of franchise protagonist Samus Aran. The bounty hunter has this time around infiltrated a Galactic Confederation Research Facility, with her timing coinciding with an attack on the facility by Space Pirates. The game is set to feature similar ground-breaking gameplay as the original Metroid Prime games, which blend first-person action with an intense focus on exploration, puzzle solving, and environmental storytelling.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be coming to Nintendo Switch and the Switch 2.