Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread is a 2021 action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch on October 8, 2021. It is the ninth main installment in the Metroid franchise, and is set after Metroid Fusion (2002). Players control the bounty hunter Samus Aran as she investigates the source of a mysterious transmission on the planet ZDR. It retains the side-scrolling gameplay of previous 2D Metroid games and incorporates stealth elements.

The Metroid producer, Yoshio Sakamoto, conceived Dread for the Nintendo DS in the mid-2000s, but development ended due to technical limitations. Industry commentators expressed interest in a new 2D Metroid game, and listed Dread in their "most wanted" lists. After their work on Metroid: Samus Returns (2017), Sakamoto appointed MercurySteam to develop Dread, the first original side-scrolling Metroid game since Fusion. It was announced at E3 2021.

Metroid Dread was named one of the best games of 2021 by multiple outlets. At The Game Awards 2021, it received two nominations, including Game of the Year and winning for Best Action/Adventure Game. It became the fastest-selling Metroid game in Japan, the UK and the US, and has sold more than three million copies, making it the best-selling Metroid game. Metroid Dread has a Metacritic score of 88%, based on 124 critic reviews.