Brazil's ratings board has apparently done what Nintendo wouldn't: reveal the next Metroid game before its time. A listing spotted in Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security database names Metroid Ravenous as an unannounced Nintendo Switch 2 title, strongly suggesting the game exists and could be targeting a 2026 release window. If you're into atmospheric 2D action games or Ritual of Raven-style dark adventures, this one is worth watching closely.
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What the rating actually reveals
The Brazilian listing doesn't just confirm a name. It comes with context. Brazilian journalist Felipe Lima noted the rating documents were based on approximately 41 minutes of gameplay footage, which suggests this is well into development, not a paper filing for a vague future project. The recommended age classification of 12 was attributed to violence (weapons, blood, and death) and light sexual content, which tracks with the tone Metroid Dread established back in 2021.
That's a meaningful detail. Ratings boards don't typically receive footage for games that are years away from release.
Why Ravenous points to a Dread follow-up
The subtitle does a lot of heavy lifting here. "Ravenous" carries obvious horror-adjacent weight, and Metroid Dread leaned hard into that atmosphere with the EMMI robots and Samus's increasingly desperate situation throughout the game. The word could reference the parasitic Metroids themselves, a new antagonist faction, or, given where Dread's story left Samus, it might even describe her own state after the events of that game.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond launched in 2025 after a famously troubled development. The likelihood of Nintendo turning around another 3D entry this quickly is low. A 2D sequel developed separately from the Prime team fits the timeline far better.
The MercurySteam question
Here's the thing: MercurySteam developed both Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread, making them the obvious candidate for Ravenous. But the studio has had a rough stretch recently. Following Dread, the developer faced serious allegations about its workplace culture, including reports of enforced 10-hour workdays and terminations for employees who took planned time off. Its most recent release, Blades of Fire, underperformed commercially, leading to layoffs.
Whether MercurySteam is behind Ravenous, or whether Nintendo tapped a different team entirely, hasn't been confirmed. The rating doesn't name the developer.
A packed 2026 calendar just got more complicated
Nintendo already has a Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake slated for 2026. Fitting Metroid Ravenous into the same release window would make for one of the publisher's most loaded years in recent memory. The broader industry calendar isn't helping either. Grand Theft Auto 6 is locked in for November 19, which has pushed a significant number of titles away from the traditional fall window.
If Ravenous is real and targeting 2026, Nintendo will need to find a gap that doesn't bury it. The good news is that Metroid has historically performed well when given space to breathe, and Dread proved the series still has genuine mainstream appeal.
Nintendo hasn't commented on the listing. For now, keep an eye on any upcoming Nintendo Direct announcements, since a game this far along in the ratings process rarely stays unannounced for long. In the meantime, check out our gaming guides for coverage across Nintendo's current Switch 2 lineup.
