With Metroid Prime 4: Beyond releasing on Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch later this year, there’s no better time than the present to play one of the very best games from Nintendo’s back catalog: Metroid Prime. Specifically, Metroid Prime Remastered, the superb modernization of the revolutionary GameCube classic. Metroid Prime Remastered is available for just $30 (was $40) at Walmart.
Walmart has offered this deal several times since February, and while it has sold out of copies on multiple occasions because of it, the retailer keeps bringing the deal back. Prior to Walmart’s first deal, Metroid Prime Remastered had been one of the notable Switch games that almost never received discounts. It took close to two years for the price to budge from $40. And it has only happened at Walmart. Prime Remastered remains $40 at Best Buy, Target, and GameStop. And Amazon, since it no longer carries Nintendo’s first-party games, doesn’t even have it in stock.
$30 (was $40)
Though it has “Remastered” in its name, the Nintendo Switch version feels more like a (faithful) remake of the brilliant first-person adventure game. Metroid Prime series developer Retro Studios implemented smart modernizations that improve the moment-to-moment gameplay while also enhancing the game’s unforgettable atmosphere.
The alien ruins and wilderness of Tallon IV were rebuilt with new models and high-resolution textures that align with the original art direction while enhancing the unforgettable atmosphere. And the remastered audio makes the minimalistic, haunting score even more immersive.
Metroid Prime series developer Retro Studios implemented smart modernizations to the control scheme to give players multiple options, including a standardized dual-stick layout found in most first-person shooter games. The original control scheme as well as a gyro-based mode similar to Metroid Prime Trilogy’s motion controls.
For newcomers, there’s a casual difficulty level that makes the adventure more approachable, but series veterans can still play on normal and unlock a harder difficulty for a second playthrough. Longtime fans will also appreciate the unlockable concept art as well as character art and soundtrack galleries.
While we still don’t know exactly when Metroid Prime 4 will arrive, we do know that fans will soon be able to distract themselves by flipping through the pages of an official Metroid Prime book.
Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective will be published June 24. This hardcover book includes commentary from Retro Studios developers as well as a wealth of artwork created during the development of the three numbered games as well as Metroid Prime Remastered. The foreword is written by Metroid Prime producer Kensuke Tanabe.
The book was created by the experienced team at Piggyback, the strategy guide publisher behind the official guidebooks for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective is a clothbound hardcover with a foil-etched silhouette of Samus on the cover. You can preorder the 208-page book for $46.49 at Amazon.
Amazon is also taking preorders for an official Metroid Prime 2026 wall calendar, which also includes a 2025 planner, so you can make use of it before the new year rolls around.
While 2025 is shaping up to be a banner year for Metroid Prime, the entire series has been enjoying some well-earned attention over the last few years. The latest game in the mainline side-scrolling series, Metroid Dread, launched on Switch in 2021 as the first all-new side-scrolling entry in the series since 2002’s Metroid Fusion for GBA. You can couple it with the Metroid Dread Amiibo 2-Pack, which includes figures of Samus Aran and the E.M.M.I. robot, for $18 (was $30).
And if you still have a Nintendo 3DS, we’d highly recommend the superb remake of Metroid II. You can get a new copy of Metroid: Samus Returns for $41 at Amazon.
For more Metroid figures, check out these Amazon listings for official World of Nintendo action figures: This Metroid Prime 3 Samus figure is available for less than $25, and you could pair it with a Metroid (the creature) figure for $22. Lastly on the merch front, if you want to show off your love of Metroid, Amazon has budget-friendly Metroid apparel themed around popular entries in the series, including the original NES adventure and the wildly influential Super Metroid.
