5 historic games to play on Nintendo Switch Online to celebrate legendary series' 40th anniversary
Gaming has a lot of major anniversaries in 2026, with the biggest names being the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, 30th anniversary of Pokemon, and 25th anniversary of Halo.
With well-known franchises like that it’s easy to miss some of the other important milestones, like Nintendo’s Metroid series turning 40.
Samus Aran has been kicking alien ass since 1986, and to celebrate her long list of intergalactic accomplishments here are 5 Nintendo Switch Online games to play on your Switch/Switch 2.
The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass will be needed for some of them.
Metroid (1986) - Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online
The game that started it all. Metroid launched on the Nintendo Entertainment System 40 years ago, taking inspiration from Ridley Scott’s Alien.
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It’s also half-responsible for the now enormous metroidvania genre, making this a historic title to play any time of year.
Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991) - Nintendo Game Boy - Nintendo Switch Online
Very few would hail this Nintendo Game Boy title as their favourite, but it still has its fans.
We’re still crossing our fingers that the Nintendo 3DS remake Metroid: Samus Returns gets a port to Switch one day.
Super Metroid (1994) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online
This is a must-play for just about anyone with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. It’s perfect.
Visuals still hold up, the power-ups and upgrades are iconic, and the final 30 minutes consists of one of the most peak finales in gaming.
Metroid Fusion (2002) - Nintendo Game Boy Advance - Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass
When debating on the best Metroid game, there’s certainly a case to be made for Metroid Fusion. Somehow, Nintendo managed to make a Game Boy Advance game one of the most-thrilling horrors of its time.
Samus is constantly stalked by the creepy SA-X and the story is quite the turning point for her character. It also directly leads into the events of Metroid Dread.
Metroid: Zero Mission (2004) - Nintendo Game Boy Advance - Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
Another game on this list that requires the Expansion Pack. For the extra money though this is definitely worth a playthrough.
It’s a remake of Metroid with updated visuals, controls and an expanded story, and it’s very, very good.
What’s next for Metroid on the Nintendo Switch 2?
There are still a fair few games currently unplayable on Nintendo Switch systems. Metroid Prime: Remastered launched in 2023, but there’s been no sign of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or Metroid Prime 3: Corruption getting similar treatment.
Metroid Prime 2 could pop up in the Nintendo Switch 2’s Nintendo GameCube library in the coming months, but we’re not holding our breath.
As for brand-new games, the disappointing release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the future of the series is looking a little grim.
With over a million copies sold it was a moderate success, but not the bombastic return gamers hoped for after the Prime series’ long hiatus.
Rumour has it that a new Metroid game from the developers of Metroid: Dread is on the way, which might be the return to form it sorely needs.
We’ll definitely see Samus again some day, so in the meantime you should brush up on your history with the above games.
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Topics: Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Retro Gaming, List