All Metroid games in order, by release date and chronologically

For a company that is mainly focused on family-friendly franchises like Mario, Kirby, and Zelda, Metroid is notably dark for a Nintendo IP. The series began on the NES and has appeared on almost all of Nintendo’s consoles since in one form or another. The core series established a new template for games that would eventually inspire a whole new genre — the Metroidvania. Focused on exploration and acquiring new abilities and weapons to reach new areas of a sprawling map, Metroid has always been a cult hit with fans but never a premier series for Nintendo.

Another difference Metroid has from most Nintendo games is a stronger focus on the story. The first batch of games weren’t filled with dialogue or cutscenes, but there was a clear progression and narrative to follow. Once we got to the Prime games, however, story started to play an even greater role.

With games spanning back to the ’80s and across home consoles and handhelds, plus each entry not necessarily following the last in the timeline, Metroid can be a bit hard to follow. To help you understand the full tale of the legendary bounty hunter Samus, here is the entire Metroid series in release date and chronological order.

All Metroid games in release order

New Metroid games are generally spaced out by quite a few years, so there isn’t a ton to keep track of. There have also been plenty of remakes of older games sprinkled in that essentially replace the originals.

This is a list of all the Metroid games that have ever been released, by year.