The last Nintendo exclusive and one of the last major releases of 2025 finally hits shelves next week. This year has been one of the best 12 months of gaming of the decade. While some delayed games could’ve cemented it as one of the best years of gaming ever, there was a lot to love, and that will make the Game of the Year race quite difficult for a lot of people. Nintendo has also had quite an impressive year with the long-awaited launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, which spawned a Game of the Year contender itself in Donkey Kong Bananza.
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The Nintendo Switch 2 has had a great first year on the market with the first truly brand new Mario Kart game in over a decade, an incredible new Donkey Kong game, a plethora of strong third-party ports, and some smaller, yet still impressive games to help round things out. However, fans have been awaiting one key game during this entire year, one they weren’t even completely sure they would get because they’ve been waiting so long for it.
Metroid Prime 4 Finally Releases on Nintendo Switch & Switch 2 Next Week
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will finally release next week on December 4th. It feels a bit surreal to even write that, as this game has been forthcoming for most of my professional career. Metroid Prime 4 was announced at E3 2017 as a Nintendo Switch game. This was literally just a few months after that console was released and fans were ecstatic, as it had been a decade since Metroid Prime 3 at that point. However, it looked like it was finally going to happen… and then it didn’t.
Metroid Prime 4 encountered a number of issues throughout its development, the extent of which we don’t really fully know or understand. However, the game essentially restarted in 2019 under Retro Studios. This was a development that no one expected and it wasn’t a decision made lightly by Nintendo. However, it seemed to be necessary as the platform holder wasn’t satisfied with how the game was shaping up. With that said, Metroid Prime 4 went dark for years, with many fearing its cancellation.
Metroid Prime 4 re-emerged after years of silence and no gameplay in the summer of 2024, giving players their first real look at the game as well as confirmation of a 2025 release window and the game’s full title. At the time, it seemed like it was all but confirmed to be a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title, but that didn’t happen either. The console released in June 2025 and Metroid Prime 4 was not part of the launch line-up. In fact, it wasn’t until September 2025 that Metroid Prime 4 got an actual, concrete release date.
That trailer also revealed a ton of new gameplay and features, such as a motorcycle for Samus to traverse the environment with. Now, after all this time, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally a week away as both a Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 title. Of course, we have no idea if it will be worth the wait, but it will undoubtedly be a big deal. Unfortunately, its release date means it isn’t eligible for any awards at The Game Awards this year. That’s not exactly new for Nintendo, which has had some big releases excluded thanks to this early December release window in the past.
However, if Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a really great game, it could be nominated next year. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is nominated for Best Performance this year, despite releasing last December. However, the Nintendo release will have to go up against some massive heavy hitters next year, so its odds are a bit more slim.
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