Metroid Dread Bug Prevents Game Progression, But Nintendo Has A Workaround

Some Metroid Dread players are currently contending with a game-breaking bug that blocks progression. Even worse is the fact that this bug seems to surface in the later stages of the game when many players are likely approaching the end and want to see the Metroid Dread's finale. Nintendo is aware of the bug, and while a fix is coming up in the next couple of weeks, the company has shared a workaround that can be used until then.

As Nintendo explains on its support site, this bug surfaces near the end of Metroid Dread and forces the game to close, leaving players with a message that reads, "The software was closed because an error occurred." A fix for the bug will be included in a software update that "should be available in October 2021," but until that patch arrives, there's a workaround players can use to proceed to the end of the game.

Nintendo says this bug is caused by destroying a specific door while a map marker for that door exists on the map. If you encounter this bug, the way to fix it is to restart the game and remove the map marker before you play through the sequence that ultimately results in the crash back to the Switch's home menu.

Doing that should prevent the error from occurring, so thankfully, this seems like a relatively simple fix that should get players back to progressing through the final stages of the game. Outside of saying that the update should be available before the end of the month, Nintendo hasn't given us a specific idea of when the update fixing the bug should be available.

In any case, we'll let you know when that update launches and if it contains anything other than this particular bug fix. In the meantime, those of you who have encountered this crashing issue should try the fix Nintendo outlines above, as it could get you playing again a lot sooner than waiting for the update will.