The best Metroid games, ranked

The Metroid saga is one of Nintendo’s oldest franchises, with the original Metroid debuting in 1986 (in Japan). Since then, numerous Metroid games have been released across various Nintendo consoles and handhelds, along with spinoffs and remakes.

Metroid has a reputation for being atmospheric, with satisfying gameplay that encourages exploration. Though the franchise has primarily been presented from a 2D perspective, the Prime subseries consists of first-person shooters, which was a major departure at the time. Either way, it’s one of Nintendo’s most beloved franchises, with most games garnering positive reviews from critics and fans. Metroid Dread received fantastic ratings across the board when it launched in 2021, the original Metroid Prime has made its way to the Switch, and fans are eagerly awaiting details on the development of Metroid Prime 4.

But which Metroid games are the best? Here’s our definitive ranking of the Metroid series in order.

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13. Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Predictably, Metroid Prime: Federation Force is our pick for the worst Metroid game. Truth be told, it isn’t terrible, but it prioritizes online co-op on the 3DS — a system that is not known for being a multiplayer device. This game left a bad taste in the mouths of many because — at the time — it had been six years since Metroid: Other M, the last game in the series. Other M was regarded as one of the worst in the series, so Federation Force was more of a disappointment than anything. If you can get past the fact that it doesn’t star Samus, but rather unnamed Galactic Federation Marines, you might have a good time with this one, but otherwise, you can definitely skip it.

12. Metroid Prime: Hunters

In keeping the theme of all the “bad” games in the series, Metroid Prime: Hunters was disliked because it didn’t feel like Metroid. Instead, it’s a first-person shooter,