Nintendo Direct dates Metroid Ravenous and a Switch 2 winter slate
Nintendo's 9 September Direct dated Metroid Ravenous for 28 January 2027 and filled the Switch 2 calendar from Fire Emblem this month to Kirby next spring.
Nintendo held a Nintendo Direct on 9 September and used it to put release dates on most of the Nintendo Switch 2 software it had been holding back. Metroid Ravenous, a new 2D adventure starring Samus Aran, arrives on 28 January 2027. Kirby and the World Beyond, a 3D adventure that lands in the series' 35th anniversary year, follows in spring 2027. Between those two reveals Nintendo dated five more first-party Switch 2 releases and shipped two free updates to games already on the system.
The presentation ran 47 minutes and 12 seconds on Nintendo of America's YouTube channel and was trailed in advance as a show about Switch 2 games launching this winter. That framing held up: the bulk of the runtime went to software shipping between now and March, with the two new first-party reveals sitting at the far end of the schedule as 2027 business.
The dates Nintendo committed to
The hard first-party facts from the broadcast, all for Nintendo Switch 2:
- Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave — 17 September 2026, $69.99, Switch 2 exclusive, 29.5 GB
- Nintendo Switch Sports Resort — 22 October 2026, $49.99, Switch 2 exclusive, 1-4 players on one system
- Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy — 12 November 2026, with a paid upgrade pack for existing Switch owners
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition — 3 December 2026, also with an upgrade pack
- Metroid Ravenous — 28 January 2027, $59.99 digital, 20.2 GB
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Definitive Edition — 25 February 2027
- Kirby and the World Beyond — spring 2027, no price announced
Nintendo did not announce a price for Kirby and the World Beyond, and it did not give a firmer window than "spring". Pikmin 4's and Xenoblade Chronicles 3's upgrade pack prices were likewise left off the broadcast.
Metroid Ravenous arrives in January
Metroid Ravenous is a 2D game, not a follow-up to the first-person line. Nintendo's eShop listing describes Samus as ambushed by unknown attackers and marooned on an unfamiliar moon, gathering an arsenal, navigating corridors and using "newly awakened Metroid instincts" against her enemies. It is single-player, 20.2 GB, and supports HDR and 120 Hz output on Switch 2.
The amiibo line goes out alongside it. Individual Samus and Chozo Statue figures release on the same day, and a third figure, Samus (Metroid Suit), is bundled only with a Special Edition that also includes a steel game case. Pre-orders for both the standard and Special Edition opened on the day of the Direct.
Kirby, Fire Emblem and the Switch 2 Editions
Kirby and the World Beyond is the more open-ended of the two reveals. Nintendo described a large 3D world to explore freely, with Copy Abilities used to solve the environment rather than just to fight through it. The spring 2027 window coincides with the Kirby series' 35th anniversary, which is the only anniversary hook Nintendo attached to the slate.
Closer in, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is out on 17 September, which is six days from now. It is set in the Dagdan Empire and built around a tournament called the Heroic Games, with four heroes whose stories run from past to present. Pre-orders are already live on the eShop.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort follows on 22 October with 12 motion-controlled sports on Wuhu Island, plus free exploration of the island itself, collectible Spocco Photos, and an offline Island Crown mode in which you climb each sport's ranks towards Island Champions and Legends. Points earned in any mode buy cosmetics for a Mii or a Sportsmate.
The two Switch 2 Editions are the clearest examples of Nintendo reworking existing games for the new hardware rather than porting them. Pikmin 4 gains voice commands for Oatchi through the console's built-in microphone and a Dandori Academy mode with timed treasure runs, online leaderboards, three difficulty levels and weekend exams; 72 stages will be added over time. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 gains a Heroes' Vault wave mode and a new Hero, Shimmer, whose Foresight ability reads ahead in combat. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Definitive Edition bundles all Expansion Pass content, raises the visual and frame-rate targets, puts more enemies on screen and adds a Calamity Mode; Switch save data transfers, and owners can buy the digital Switch 2 version at a discount.
“Fans got their first look at brand-new games featuring two iconic Nintendo heroes: Samus Aran in Metroid Ravenous, an intense new 2D action adventure, and Kirby's journey through the expansive 3D landscapes of Kirby and the World Beyond.”Nintendo, official Nintendo Direct press release, 9 September 2026
Free updates and third-party dates
Two updates were not scheduled but shipped. The Mario Kart World update went live on the day of the Direct and pulls 10 Super Mario Kart courses out of the open map and into VS Race as standalone tracks, complete with the SNES original's ? Panels. It also adds two Knockout Tour routes, Propeller Rally and Turnip Rally, and a Spectator Mode for online and LAN play. Star Fox gets its free update on 29 September, expanding Battle Mode to four players on a single system for local matches and team-based online play, with new stages set on Katina, in Sector X and on Venom. Star Fox Adventures joined the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics library the same day for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members.
The third-party run is dense between October and spring. Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition, Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition all arrive digitally on 16 October with an early-adopter discount running to 7 November. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is digital on 22 October and physical in January 2027. Monster Hunter Wilds lands on 4 December with cross-platform multiplayer and all Title Update content included, and its Ascendance expansion is slated for 2027. Further out sit Danganronpa 2x2 on 14 January 2027, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis on 12 February, Final Fantasy VII Revelation on 8 April and Persona 4 Revival on 20 May. Persona 6 was confirmed for the system without a date.
Where the hardware stands
Nintendo's own sales unit data puts Switch 2 at 23.68 million consoles and 58.17 million pieces of software sold worldwide life-to-date as of 30 June 2026. That is the most recent figure the company has published; it predates this Direct and everything dated in it.
The hardware side has been moving in parallel. Nintendo announced two bundles on 25 August: a Switch 2 with Mario Kart World and a three-month Nintendo Switch Online individual membership at $549.99 for late September, and a Switch 2 with Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on the same membership terms at $529.99 for 22 October. Pre-orders for the Sports Resort bundle opened this week. Taken together with the Direct, that gives Nintendo a paired hardware and software push running through the whole of the fourth quarter.
Join us today for a new Nintendo Direct presentation at 7am PT. The livestream will last roughly 45 minutes and focus on Nintendo Switch 2 games launching this winter.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) on X
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Theo covers the business of games for Gamers6: studio moves, platform strategy and the press releases nobody else finishes reading. He files most days before the coffee is cold.
