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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchChoose by perspective and access: start with Metroid Dread for modern 2D action on Switch, Metroid Prime Remastered for first-person 3D exploration, or Metroid: Zero Mission through Nintendo Classics for a redesigned introduction to the original mission. After any of those, Super Metroid shows the classic labyrinth-and-upgrade formula at its clearest. You do not need to play every older game before beginning.
Start with the kind of Metroid you want to play
The series has two distinct play styles that share the same basic rhythm: explore an interconnected world, find an upgrade, and use that new ability to reach places that were previously blocked. The most important first choice is whether you want a side-scrolling game or a first-person adventure.
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Choose 2D side-scrolling exploration
Metroid Dread, Metroid: Zero Mission, Super Metroid and Metroid: Samus Returns show Samus from the side. You run, jump, shoot, roll into a Morph Ball and revisit areas as your equipment expands. This is the traditional format, but the games differ greatly in age, presentation and availability.
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Metroid Prime Remastered puts the camera behind Samus’s visor. You navigate three-dimensional environments, scan creatures and machinery, solve environmental puzzles and use equipment such as the Morph Ball and Grapple Beam to open new routes. It is still an exploration game rather than a conventional corridor shooter, so reading the map and remembering locked doors matter as much as aiming.
#1 Best Overall
- 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
Then check how you can access it
On Switch, you can buy Dread or Prime Remastered directly. Nintendo’s current catalog also lists Metroid, Zero Mission, Super Metroid, Metroid II and Metroid Fusion through Nintendo Classics. The exact catalog, subscription requirements, languages and retail stock can vary by country, so confirm the listing for your Nintendo Account region before planning a route.
Quick comparison for a first game
| Game | Perspective | Best reason to start here | Modern access described by Nintendo | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metroid Dread | 2D side-scrolling | Current visuals, responsive movement and a free trial | Switch purchase; catalog page links a free demo | Large areas, secrets, revisiting and enemy-pattern learning |
| Metroid Prime Remastered | First-person 3D | Atmosphere, scanning and flexible modern controls | Switch digital release dated 8 February 2023 and Game Card release dated 3 March 2023 on Nintendo’s UK/Europe pages | Interconnected 3D regions, maps, upgrades, puzzles and environmental storytelling |
| Metroid: Zero Mission | 2D side-scrolling | A redesigned and more approachable version of the original mission | Nintendo Classics listing for Game Boy Advance | Compact classic structure with redesigned environments, new enemies and bosses |
| Super Metroid | 2D side-scrolling | The clearest classic example of exploration and upgrades | Nintendo Classics listing for Super Nintendo | Massive labyrinths, beams, bombs, missiles, Grapple Beam and large bosses |
| Metroid: Samus Returns | 2D side-scrolling | A modernized remake if you already own compatible 3DS hardware | Nintendo 3DS; Nintendo says eShop purchases ended on 27 March 2023 | Free aim, melee counters, teleport stations, a map and Aeion abilities |
Metroid Dread: the easiest modern 2D recommendation
Metroid Dread is the safest starting point when you want a current-looking, side-scrolling game that can be purchased for Switch and sampled with a free demo. Nintendo describes a 2D adventure on a remote alien planet threatened by a mechanical menace, with sprawling areas, danger and secrets. That gives you the series’ core loop without requiring knowledge of earlier plots.
Why it works for newcomers
- It uses contemporary presentation and movement, so you are not first learning the series through dated audiovisual conventions.
- The free demo lets you test the controls and tone before committing to the full game.
- Its map, ability gates and repeated return trips make the basic Metroid formula visible from the beginning.
- You can treat the story as a new chapter; earlier games add context but are not prerequisites.
What kind of player should choose it
Pick Dread if you enjoy precise 2D movement, platforming and learning enemy patterns. Exploration is central: doors, rooms and upgrades often make sense only after you have seen more of the map. The game expects you to revisit places and experiment with newly acquired abilities, so it is a poor fit if you want a purely linear action game that never asks you to backtrack.
Metroid Prime Remastered: the first-person route
Metroid Prime Remastered is the first Prime game, rebuilt for Switch as a first-person adventure. Nintendo’s product description highlights revamped graphics and sound, unlockable art, interconnected environments, scanning, upgrades, puzzles, the Morph Ball and Grapple Beam. The remaster also supports four control approaches: dual-stick, motion, classic and hybrid.
Why it works for newcomers
- Dual-stick controls behave like a modern first-person game, while motion, classic and hybrid schemes let you choose a different feel.
- Scanning rewards observation: creatures, machinery and environmental details provide information rather than serving only as decoration.
- Three-dimensional rooms create a different form of navigation from the 2D games; height, sightlines and spatial landmarks matter.
- The remaster presents the first Prime adventure without asking you to own earlier hardware.
Choose it if atmosphere matters more than speed
This is the right first game if you prefer environmental storytelling, quiet observation and a visor-level view of an alien world. You will spend time checking maps, reading scan entries and testing which beam, visor or movement ability interacts with a problem. Players who mainly want fast side-scrolling action should choose Dread instead.
Nintendo’s UK/Europe product page records a digital release on 8 February 2023 and a Nintendo Switch Game Card release on 3 March 2023. Those dates and formats are region-specific; check your local store for availability.
Metroid: Zero Mission: the redesigned introduction to the original
Metroid: Zero Mission retells the original Metroid with completely redesigned environments, enhanced features, and new enemies and bosses, according to Nintendo. It is available through the Nintendo Classics Game Boy Advance catalog. This makes it the most approachable way to experience the beginning of Samus’s first mission when you have the required Nintendo Switch Online access.
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Rank #2
- 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.
Why choose it first
The game establishes the original setting and objective in a compact 2D format while avoiding the roughest edges of the 1986 release. It is a good bridge between a modern game and the historical design that shaped the series. Choose it if you want the opening story in a version designed around clearer navigation and expanded content rather than the unmodified original.
Where it fits in a play order
You can play Zero Mission before Dread, after it, or as the second game in a modern 2D route. The chronology is useful for readers who like story order, but Nintendo does not publish a required beginner sequence. Do not delay starting because you have not played the original Metroid; Zero Mission is itself the redesigned entry point.
Super Metroid: the classic benchmark
Super Metroid returns Samus to Zebes after the last Metroid is stolen. Nintendo’s catalog description emphasizes massive labyrinths, the Grapple Beam, beams, bombs, missiles and enormous bosses. It is available through Nintendo Classics for Super Nintendo.
Why it remains important
This is the game to choose when you want to understand the classic exploration-and-upgrade structure directly. Rooms connect into a broad world, equipment changes what routes are possible, and progress comes from recognizing how a new ability interacts with an old obstacle. Its atmosphere and pacing are intentionally different from a modern release: the game gives you space to search, remember landmarks and infer solutions.
When to play it
Many newcomers have an easier first experience with Super Metroid after Dread or Zero Mission, because they already understand missiles, beams, bombs, save rooms, ability gates and map-based backtracking. You can absolutely begin here if you enjoy classic controls and are comfortable interpreting a game that offers less explicit direction than newer releases.
Metroid: Samus Returns: a 3DS legacy option
Metroid: Samus Returns is a complete reimagining of the 1992 Game Boy game Metroid II. Nintendo lists it for Nintendo 3DS with a 15 September 2017 release date. It modernizes 2D exploration with free aim, melee counters, teleport stations, a map and Aeion abilities.
Who should choose it
Choose Samus Returns if you already own compatible 3DS hardware and specifically want this remake. Free aim changes how you line up shots, and the melee counter adds a timing-based defensive option that is not the same as simply jumping or firing. Teleport stations and the map make long trips more manageable than in many older entries.
Rank #3
- STEP BACK INTO THE SUIT Become the bounty hunter Samus Aran once again in Metroid Prime Remastered. The critically-acclaimed, first-person adventure has been revamped for Nintendo Switch
- THE CLASSIC ADVENTURE, REBORN Calm and capable, Samus takes on this solo mission but she is far from alone. Step into her boots as you navigate the winding paths and interconnected environments of an
- With revamped graphics, sound, unlockable art, and updated control schemes, Samus’ 3D debut has reached even greater heights. Use new dual-stick controls, intuitive motion aiming, revert to classic
- EXPLORE THE ALIEN ENVIRONMENTS AND EERIE ISOLATION OF TALLON IV Journey through diverse biomes as you uncover the Space Pirates’ sinister experiments and gather information about the toxic substance
- Region-free compatibility: Region-free/unlocked game works on compatible systems; international version may differ in age rating, labeling or instructions
Why it is not the simplest current recommendation
Nintendo states that purchases in the Nintendo 3DS eShop ended on 27 March 2023. It therefore should not be presented as an ordinary current eShop purchase. Access depends on hardware and ownership circumstances in your region, while the Switch catalog offers other starting points with fewer hurdles.
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Every candidate above is built around ability-driven exploration rather than a sequence of disconnected stages. Understanding that loop will help you decide whether the series suits you.
Explore an interconnected map
Rooms and regions connect through doors, elevators or passageways. A blocked route is usually a sign to remember the location rather than a permanent dead end. Maps show your explored spaces, but they do not remove the need to notice unusual walls, unreachable ledges or doors that require a particular weapon.
Find an upgrade
Missiles, beams, bombs, movement abilities and suit or visor upgrades expand both combat options and movement. The important question is not only what the item does in a fight; it is which previously inaccessible spaces it makes reachable.
Return with new abilities
Backtracking is part of the design, not a failure state. Revisit marked rooms, test the new ability against suspicious surfaces and use the map to choose the most promising route. Prime Remastered adds scanning and three-dimensional orientation to this process, while the 2D games emphasize jumps, door types and visible environmental clues.
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Combat protects exploration rewards and teaches patterns. Dread focuses on responsive movement and enemy-pattern learning; Samus Returns adds the timing of melee counters; Prime Remastered asks you to combine first-person aiming, scanning and equipment selection. None of these systems requires knowledge of a previous game.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Three practical beginner routes
Modern 2D route
- Start with Metroid Dread and use its free demo if you want to test the style.
- Play Zero Mission through Nintendo Classics to see the redesigned version of the original mission.
- Move to Super Metroid for the classic labyrinth-and-upgrade structure.
- Continue with Metroid Fusion through Nintendo Classics if it is available in your region and subscription catalog.
This route begins with current controls, then moves backward toward the series’ historical design. It is best for readers who want 2D games and convenient Switch access.
Rank #4
- 10009824
First-person 3D route
- Start with Metroid Prime Remastered.
- Continue to other Prime games only when they are available through your hardware, region and current catalog.
- Try the 2D route afterward if you want to see how the same exploration principles work from a side-scrolling perspective.
The first Prime game stands alone as an introduction. You do not need to complete a 2D entry first.
Chronological 2D route where access allows
- Zero Mission
- Metroid II through Nintendo Classics, or Samus Returns if you already own suitable 3DS hardware
- Super Metroid
- Metroid Fusion
- Metroid Dread
This follows the broad story sequence, with the remake serving as an alternative presentation of Metroid II. It is a practical order, not an official required beginner order, and access differs by country.
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A decision checklist before you start
- Want a current Switch game and 2D action? Choose Metroid Dread.
- Want first-person exploration, scanning and flexible controls? Choose Metroid Prime Remastered.
- Want the original mission in a redesigned form and have Nintendo Classics access? Choose Zero Mission.
- Want to experience the classic formula directly? Choose Super Metroid, preferably after you know you enjoy deliberate exploration.
- Own a 3DS and specifically want a modernized Metroid II? Choose Samus Returns, while remembering that new 3DS eShop purchases ended in 2023.
- Unsure whether you like Metroid’s backtracking? Try the Dread demo or begin with a game available through your existing Nintendo Classics access rather than buying several titles at once.
Common first-time mistakes
Assuming every game is a linear shooter
Metroid games use combat to support exploration. If you rush from fight to fight without reading the map or checking newly reachable spaces, progression can appear to stop. Mark blocked doors mentally or on the map and return after major upgrades.
Starting with the oldest release only because it is first chronologically
The original Metroid is historically important, but chronological order does not automatically make it the easiest introduction. Zero Mission preserves the opening mission while redesigning environments and adding features, so it is the more approachable historical starting point.
Treating access as universal
Nintendo’s catalog and subscription libraries are region-specific. The UK/Europe pages used for the listed release information do not guarantee the same dates, languages, subscription availability or retail stock elsewhere. Check the Nintendo eShop and Nintendo Classics catalog attached to your own account before committing to a route.
Expecting one control style to fit every game
Prime Remastered offers dual-stick, motion, classic and hybrid schemes. Samus Returns uses free aim and melee counters. The classic games have older control assumptions. If aiming or movement feels wrong, inspect the available control options before deciding that the series is not for you.
The short answer
For most new players, Metroid Dread is the best first purchase if you want modern 2D action, while Metroid Prime Remastered is the best first purchase if you prefer first-person 3D exploration. Choose Zero Mission when Nintendo Classics access and the original mission appeal to you, then use Super Metroid to experience the classic formula. Older games enrich the series, but none is a required prerequisite for starting.
Quick Recap
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