Nintendo just dropped big news. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond launches December 4, 2025. The long wait is almost over.
A new trailer came with the announcement. And wow, Samus is riding a motorcycle. The bounty hunter cruises across vast desert landscapes on what looks like a futuristic hoverbike. This is new territory for the Prime series.
But don’t panic. The trailer quickly shifts to classic Prime gameplay. Samus dismounts and enters underground facilities. First-person shooting returns. Environmental puzzles are back. The familiar visor HUD fills the screen. Everything fans love about Prime remains intact.
The motorcycle appears to connect different zones. Think of it as a playable loading screen. Previous Prime games used elevators and ship menus to move between areas. Now players can ride through open spaces to reach the next dungeon-like section.
This makes sense for Retro Studios. The Texas developer created the original Prime trilogy. They know what makes these games special. Tight level design. Atmospheric exploration. Carefully gated progression. The bike simply adds a new layer to area transitions.
Samus takes the scenic route
Prime 4 has been through development hell. Nintendo announced the game in 2017. Then in January 2019, they scrapped everything and restarted with Retro Studios. Six years later, we finally have gameplay and a release date.
The December launch puts Prime 4 in prime holiday shopping season. Nintendo clearly wants this to be a major release. After Metroid Dread‘s success in 2021 and Prime Remastered‘s warm reception in 2023, the franchise has momentum again.
