Metroid Ravenous has made its first Famitsu most wanted games appearance, landing at No. 30 on the October 18, 2026 chart as Nintendo Switch 2 titles dominate Japanese reader interest.
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Samus slips onto Famitsu’s chart, but Nintendo’s bigger machines are already roaring
Metroid Ravenous has appeared on Famitsu’s most wanted games chart for the first time, according to Nintendo Everything’s October 18, 2026 report, entering at No. 30 on a list based on Japanese reader votes. That is the concrete development: Nintendo’s upcoming 2D Metroid is now visible in one of Japan’s recurring anticipation snapshots. The tension is where it landed.
Famitsu’s chart, as relayed by Nintendo Everything, is crowded with Nintendo Switch 2 listings near the top. The No. 1 game is Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo Switch 2 with 636 votes, followed by Pokemon Winds / Waves for Nintendo Switch 2 with 594 votes. Metroid Ravenous, also labeled as a Nintendo Switch 2 title in the chart excerpt, only just enters at No. 30.
That does not make the debut meaningless. In a list led by Zelda, Pokemon, Persona, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Grand Theft Auto 6, Xenoblade, Kirby, Professor Layton, and Monster Hunter, a new Metroid entry finding any space suggests there is at least measurable Famitsu reader interest in Samus’s next mission. It also shows how steep the climb is inside Nintendo’s own upcoming slate, where nostalgia-heavy giants and mass-market pillars are setting the pace months before Ravenous is scheduled to arrive.
What Famitsu’s October 18 list actually confirms
Nintendo Everything describes the Famitsu most wanted games chart as a reader-vote ranking of what Japanese gamers are looking forward to. The October 18 post covers the week of October 11, 2026, with votes cast between September 30 and October 6. Within that frame, Metroid Ravenous is identified by Nintendo Everything as making its first appearance and “just making the list” at No. 30. Danganronpa 2×2 also debuts, listed at No. 28 with 58 votes.
The supplied chart excerpt includes vote totals through No. 29, where Final Fantasy 7 Revelation for Nintendo Switch 2 has 56 votes. The No. 30 line is cut off after “[NS2] Metroid Raven,” while Nintendo Everything’s headline and intro identify the game as Metroid Ravenous. Because the provided excerpt is truncated, the exact Metroid Ravenous vote count is not available from the supplied source text.
That distinction matters. The ranking is confirmed by the Nintendo Everything report, but a precise vote total is not. The platform label attached to the Famitsu entry is NS2, matching the public listing information elsewhere in the supplied material that describes Metroid Ravenous as a Nintendo Switch 2 game. The chart does not, by itself, confirm price, editions, file size, storefront availability, or whether any Switch 1 version exists.
Nintendo Switch 2 interest is the real story around Metroid Ravenous Famitsu data
The top of the October 18 Famitsu most wanted games chart is unusually useful for reading Japanese reader attention around Nintendo’s next wave. Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Pokemon Winds / Waves hold the first two spots as Nintendo Switch 2 entries, while Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World places at No. 7 on Switch 2 and No. 8 on Switch. Xenoblade Genesis appears at No. 9 for Switch 2, Final Fantasy Resonance is No. 10 on Switch 2 and No. 16 on Switch, Persona 4 Revival and Persona 6 both have Switch 2 placements, and Kirby and the World Beyond sits at No. 15.
That context keeps Metroid Ravenous’s No. 30 debut in proportion. Famitsu readers are clearly tracking Nintendo hardware, especially Switch 2, but their first wave of voting energy is gathering around broader Japanese-market heavyweights and familiar tentpoles. Metroid Ravenous has entered the room, not taken command of it.
For Nintendo upcoming games, that creates an interesting shape. The Switch 2 slate in this chart is not relying on one franchise to carry reader interest. It has legacy remakes, monster-collecting, RPGs, action-adventure, platforming, and third-party releases competing in the same visible lane. Ravenous is joining a lineup where the audience has plenty to anticipate before January 2027, and its initial Famitsu placement suggests curiosity rather than runaway demand.
What is known about Metroid Ravenous beyond the chart
The supplied public listing for Metroid Ravenous describes it as an upcoming action-adventure game developed by MercurySteam and Nintendo EPD, published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch 2, and scheduled for January 28, 2027. That listing identifies Ravenous as the sixth main Metroid game and a sequel to 2021’s Metroid Dread. It also says Nintendo announced the game during a Nintendo Direct presentation on September 9, 2026.
The same listing describes the game as a side-scrolling entry in which Samus Aran explores an alien moon. Listed abilities include warping through walls, running on water, and siphoning energy from enemies, with the parry system from Metroid Dread returning. It also says the Switch 2 release supports HDR and 120 Hz displays.
Those details, if they reflect Nintendo’s announced materials accurately, point to a sequel designed around speed, aggression, and traversal pressure. A wall-warping Samus changes how rooms can be staged. Running on water opens chase design, escape routes, and combat arenas built around momentum. Energy siphoning suggests enemy contact could become part of the resource rhythm instead of a simple hazard. The returning parry, meanwhile, keeps the blade-edge timing that helped define Dread’s close-range encounters. That is interpretation based on the listed mechanics, not a review or hands-on assessment.
A smaller Famitsu debut follows signs of renewed Metroid attention
Metroid Ravenous did not arrive on the Famitsu list in isolation. NewsBreak’s supplied excerpt, pointing to Nintendo Switch eShop charts for the week of September 19, 2026, says Metroid Dread resurfaced on the rankings after the announcement of Metroid Ravenous and then climbed to No. 1 the following week. That report is about eShop chart movement rather than Famitsu voting, but it indicates the reveal had an immediate back-catalog effect among Switch shoppers.
The Verge also reported on September 23, 2026 that Metroid Prime Remastered was discounted to $27.99 digitally during Nintendo’s “Customer Appreciation” sale, available in digital format for Switch and Switch 2 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, with the physical version around $42 at those retailers. The Verge said that sale continued through September 26, so it should be treated as recent context rather than current buying advice for October 18.
Together, those pieces frame the Famitsu entry as part of a broader visibility moment. Ravenous’s announcement appears to have pushed at least one previous Metroid game back up an eShop ranking, while another Metroid title was being promoted through a temporary retail discount. Famitsu’s reader chart then gives the upcoming game its first placement, but at the very edge of the list. Interest is present. The scale of that interest remains modest compared with the names above it.
The caveats around one chart appearance
A Famitsu most wanted games placement is a signal, not a sales forecast. Nintendo Everything’s report says the chart is based on reader votes from September 30 to October 6, which means it reflects a specific audience during a specific voting window. It does not measure preorder volume, wishlist totals, Nintendo eShop traffic, or worldwide demand.
There is also a source-text wrinkle. Nintendo Everything’s headline and article text refer to Metroid Ravenous making its first appearance, but the supplied chart line for No. 30 is truncated as “[NS2] Metroid Raven.” The most reasonable reading, given the headline, topic, and article intro, is that this is the Metroid Ravenous entry, but the excerpt itself does not show the full line or vote count. A clean reading of the evidence should preserve that limitation instead of filling in missing data.
The chart also separates platform versions for some games, such as Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World on Switch 2, Switch, and PS5, and Final Fantasy Resonance on Switch 2, Switch, and PS5. Metroid Ravenous appears only with an NS2 label in the supplied Famitsu excerpt, and the public listing likewise describes it as a Nintendo Switch 2 game. Based on the provided material, there is no confirmed Switch 1 version.
Release timing, platform expectations, and the reader takeaway
For players tracking October 2026 games coverage and Nintendo’s early 2027 lineup, the practical facts are narrow but useful. Metroid Ravenous is listed for Nintendo Switch 2, with a scheduled release date of January 28, 2027 in the supplied public listing. Famitsu reader interest has now registered through a No. 30 debut on the October 18, 2026 most wanted chart, while larger Switch 2 releases are commanding far more votes at the top.
If you are deciding how closely to follow Ravenous, the chart suggests it is worth keeping on the radar but not yet behaving like Japan’s consensus next obsession. The stronger indicators to watch next are whether it climbs in future Famitsu most wanted games rankings, whether Nintendo publishes a dedicated gameplay breakdown, and whether store pages clarify price, editions, language support, performance modes, and any upgrade or compatibility details.
For now, Metroid Ravenous Famitsu placement tells a measured story. Samus has entered the chart late and low, but in a field stacked with Nintendo Switch 2 heavy hitters, even that first appearance gives Nintendo another action-adventure thread running through its upcoming slate.