Nintendo Life has republished its ranked list of every mainline and spin-off Metroid game, timed to mark the 40th anniversary of the original Famicom Disk System release. The rankings are drawn from user ratings on the site's database, meaning the order can shift over time as readers add their own scores, and the list spans official entries, remasters, remakes and spin-offs while excluding a few titles detailed in an accompanying FAQ.

The lower end of the list, counting down from the least-loved entries, features several divisive spin-offs and experiments: Metroid Prime: Federation Force lets players control Galactic Federation marines rather than Samus and is praised despite past backlash; Metroid: Other M mixes 2D and 3D styles with a contentious control scheme; Metroid Prime: Hunters brought 3D first-person Metroid to the DS with local multiplayer; and Metroid Prime Pinball adapted Samus's Morph Ball ability into a dual-screen pinball spin-off.