A Metroid Dread demo is out now in celebration of Halloween

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.

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.