Metroid 5, otherwise known as Metroid Dread, was unexpectedly revealed during Nintendo's E3 2021 Direct, and it's safe to say that many fans are very excited for the return of Nintendo's iconic bounty hunter. One of the only negatives of this reveal is that Metroid Prime 4 still seems to be a ways away, but at least Switch owners will have this new entry in the 2D saga to make the wait less painful.

Metroid Dread started being developed over a decade ago, originally planned to release on the Nintendo DS and follow up the narrative offered in Metroid Fusion, also known as Metroid 4. However, considering it is one of Nintendo's longest-running series, there are quite a few Metroid titles to play before the release of Dread later this year. With that being said, this article will go over how long it would take for a novice Metroid player to get through every single entry in the franchise.

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• Metroid: 6-8 hours
• Metroid 2: Return of Samus: 5 hours
• Metroid: Samus Returns: 11-15 hours
• Super Metroid: 7-9 hours
• Metroid Fusion: 5-8 hours
• Metroid: Zero Mission: 4-8 hours

Since Metroid Dread is a continuation of the 2D Metroid games, it's worth checking these titles out first so that players are up to speed with the story so far. Luckily, a majority of the 2D games are fairly short, with most of them taking less than 10 hours to fully complete. Unfortunately, it'll take almost 40 hours to see the end of all of the titles listed above. Still, players can feel free to skip the original Metroid 2 in favor of its recent remake, Metroid: Samus Returns, which launched for the 3DS a few years ago. The same goes for the first Metroid game, as Metroid: Zero Mission is a remake of that and certainly holds up more than the NES title.

• Metroid Prime: 14-18 hours
• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - 17-22 hours
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - 14-17 hours

The Metroid Prime series brought Samus and Ridley into the 3D space for the first time. Many fans weren't sure how the 2D series would translate to the first-person shooter genre, but Metroid Prime ended up being one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, and the series is still going with Metroid Prime 4 on the horizon. The three games released so far are available as part of the Metroid Prime Trilogy collection released on the Wii. The easiest way to play it now would be to grab the Wii disc and play it on the Nintendo Wii U. Unfortunately, the trilogy cannot be downloaded on the eShop, as the Wii U digital storefront shut down last year.

Players attempting to go through all of these games before Metroid Dread comes out are likely to spend at least 45 hours. And for the completionists out there, it could take upwards of 60 hours or more to collect every little thing.

• Metroid: Other M - 9-13 hours
• Metroid Prime Pinball: 1-9 hours
• Metroid Prime Hunters: 9-11 hours
• Metroid Prime: Federation Force - 10-19 hours

Not only are the Metroid spin-offs hard to play these days due to them not being re-released in any capacity, but they also tend to be looked down upon by the Metroid fanbase. Still, going through these games could prove beneficial to understanding all of the lore of the Metroid series. Completing these four games should take players about 30 hours, give or take.

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To finish off every single Metroid game before Metroid Dread launches, players are looking at spending at least 110 hours, and that's not counting completionist runs. Luckily, Metroid Dread comes out in about 4 months from now, giving gamers a good chunk of time to get the ultimate task done.

To save some time with these playthroughs, it might be worth skipping out on some of the more disappointing entries in the series, such as Metroid Prime: Federation Force and the titles that have little to do with the main storyline Metroid Prime Hunters and Metroid Prime Pinball. Unfortunately, the latter two are also hard to play these days, as they were not re-released for any modern systems, like the 3DS or the Switch.

For players that want to save even more time and just play the essentials, going through the 2D games is recommended, especially Metroid Fusion.

Metroid Dread launches on October 8, 2021, for the Nintendo Switch.

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