A Metroid Dread demo is out now in celebration of Halloween
Turn up the Dread in time for the spooky season
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
A Metroid Dread demo has been released by Nintendo as a Halloween celebration.
Just earlier today on October 28, Nintendo announced that a brand new demo for Metroid Dread would be released immediately, through the tweet just below. There's a special Samus Aran-themed pumpkin carving to celebrate the release of the new demo, which is actually the first and only demo Nintendo's latest first-party game has seen so far.
Even the galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter enjoys the spooky season…No trick though, here’s a pre-Halloween treat: a demo of Metroid Dread is available now! Download it from Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch today: https://t.co/LKKsZ07mPm pic.twitter.com/0NAsixvu6MOctober 28, 2021
It's a little odd that Nintendo would launch a Metroid Dread demo a matter of weeks after the game first released earlier this month. That being said, it could provide a stellar opportunity for newcomers who aren't sure about the new game to try it out, and then purchase the full product if they're suitably impressed.
It's not clear right now how long the Metroid Dread demo will be sticking around for on the Nintendo Switch's eShop. It also hasn't been revealed how much of the game will be contained within the demo by Nintendo, or whether you're limited to a set amount of time with Samus Aran instead.
If the latter is the case, it might be hypothetically possible for speedrunners to beat Metroid Dread before the demo timer expires. Over the last few weeks, the speedrunning community has sunk their teeth into Nintendo's new game, reducing Samus Aran's latest adventure around the galaxy to a little under 90 minutes in total. There are some seriously impressive speedruns out there right now for Metroid Dread, and it'll be interesting to see whether the speedrunning community uncovers any exploits over the coming weeks.
If you're think about picking up Metroid Dread off the back of this new demo, head over to our full Metroid Dread tips guide for some essential info on how to face down the EMMI.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.


