“In order” can mean two different things: the order the games first came out, or the order of the events in the fictional story. Below are both: a year-by-year list of notable distinct releases, followed by the central saga in story order. The release list separates new games from remakes, enhanced editions, ports, and collections; it is not a day-by-day catalogue of every regional release or mobile version.
Metal Gear games in release order
The years below are the release years recorded in Konami’s official archive, with platforms and labels to distinguish story entries from spin-offs and remakes. Multiple games share some years; without verified day-level dates, their order within those years should not be read as a precise sequence.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Metal Gear Solid The Board Game | $119.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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METAL GEAR SOLID | MASTER COLLECTION Vol. 2 - PlayStation 5 | $49.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1 | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 (NSW) | $38.79 | Buy on Amazon |
| Year | Game | Original platform listed | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Metal Gear | MSX2 | First game in the series. |
| 1990 | Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake | MSX2 | Story sequel to Metal Gear. |
| 1990 | Snake’s Revenge | NES | A separate side story, not the MSX sequel. |
| 1998 | Metal Gear Solid | PlayStation | Main story entry. |
| 2000 | Metal Gear: Ghost Babel | Game Boy Color | Spin-off. |
| 2001 | Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | PlayStation 2 | Main story entry. |
| 2004 | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | PlayStation 2 | Main story entry and the original version of the story remade in Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater. |
| 2004 | Metal Gear AC!D | PSP | Tactical, card-based spin-off. |
| 2004 | Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes | GameCube | Remake and retelling of Metal Gear Solid, not a new story chapter. |
| 2005 | Metal Gear AC!D 2 | PSP | Tactical, card-based spin-off. |
| 2006 | Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops | PSP | Story side entry; its precise canon status is qualified. |
| 2008 | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | PlayStation 3 | Main story entry. |
| 2010 | Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | PSP | Main story entry. |
| 2013 | Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance | Not stated in the cited archive summary | Action spin-off and later sequel. |
| 2014 | Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes | Not stated in the cited archive summary | Prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. |
| 2015 | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | Not stated in the cited archive summary | Main story entry. |
| 2018 | Metal Gear Survive | Not stated in the cited archive summary | Survival spin-off set in an alternate scenario. |
| 2025 | Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater | Not stated in the cited archive summary | Remake of the 2004 Snake Eater, not a new chronological chapter. Konami announced its release for Aug. 28, 2025. |
The list is intentionally a guide to notable distinct games, not a claim that every regional, mobile, online, and rereleased version is covered. Metal Gear Online, for example, was an online multiplayer component associated with Metal Gear Solid 4; it is not counted here as a separate central story game.
Metal Gear story chronology
This order follows the fictional setting, not the dates the games were made. Konami describes the Snake-led saga as spanning from the 1960s into the 2010s. Chronology is useful for following in-world events, but it starts with prequels and does not preserve the sequence of reveals players encountered in release order.
#1 Best Overall
- EPIC CAMPAIGN MODE: Dive into a 14-mission campaign filled with stealth, strategy, and iconic boss battles, bringing the Metal Gear Solid experience to your tabletop.
- FLEXIBLE VR MISSIONS: Choose from 6 free-to-play VR Missions for a quick, intense gaming experience. All gear earned is unlocked for future missions.
- UNIQUE BOSS FIGHTS: Each boss requires different strategies to defeat, offering a diverse and challenging gameplay experience.
- ASYMMETRIC CHARACTER ABILITIES: Play as Solid Snake, Meryl, Otacon, or Gray Fox, each with unique abilities that provide new tactical options in every game.
- SAVE THE WORLD: Assume the role of legendary characters to infiltrate enemy bases and sabotage prototype weapon systems, preventing world-ending threats.
- 1964 — Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This is the earliest central saga entry by setting. Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater retells this story and does not add a new point to the chronology.
- 1970 — Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. A side entry often placed here, but its precise status in the central canon is qualified rather than settled in the cited official overview.
- 1974 — Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
- 1975 — Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes.
- 1984 — Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
- 1995 — Metal Gear. The Outer Heaven incident.
- 1999 — Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. The Zanzibar Land incident.
- 2005 — Metal Gear Solid. The Shadow Moses incident.
- 2007 and 2009 — Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The game opens with events in 2007 and its main events take place in 2009; listing only one year would flatten its two-part timeline.
- 2014 — Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
- 2018 — Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. A later action spin-off/sequel.
Games outside the central chronology
Separate continuity and spin-offs
- Snake’s Revenge is a separate NES side story, rather than the sequel to the MSX2 Metal Gear. It belongs in a broad release-order list, but not in the central saga chronology above.
- Metal Gear: Ghost Babel is a Game Boy Color spin-off, not a central chronological chapter.
- Metal Gear AC!D and Metal Gear AC!D 2 are tactical card-based spin-offs. They should be kept apart from the Snake saga timeline.
- Metal Gear Survive is a survival spin-off set in an alternate scenario, not the next central story chapter after The Phantom Pain.
Remakes, editions, ports, and online releases
These releases matter to the franchise’s history, but they are not all new story entries. Konami’s archive records Metal Gear Solid Integral (1999), Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (2002), and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (2005) as expanded editions; The Twin Snakes is a remake of Metal Gear Solid. Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater (2012), mobile versions, ports, HD editions, and the 2013 Legacy Collection are also distinct releases or packages, not additional chapters in the main story.
Metal Gear Online is best understood as an online multiplayer component rather than a separate mainline narrative game. Treating online modes, remakes, editions, ports, and collections as if each were a new story game produces a misleading “all games” order.
Rank #2
- GAME LIST: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (HD Collection version), Metal Gear: Ghost Babel. Versions for other regions of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (HD Collection version) can be downloaded separately from the store. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker supports online play for up to 6 players.
- DIGITAL BOOKS: Metal Gear Solid 4: Screenplay Book, Metal Gear Solid 4: Master Book, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Screenplay Book, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Master Book. All are accessible via the in-game Start Menu.
- METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.1 SAVE-DATA BONUS*: If a user has saved data for any title included in METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.1, you can receive in-game items usable in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (HD Collection version) respectively. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Bonus: Gold Camouflage. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (HD Collection version) Bonus: GOLD Uniform.
Which order should you play?
| Approach | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Release order | Players who want the intended sequence of story reveals and the series’ original progression. | It jumps between eras in the fiction, and older releases may feel different from later games. |
| Chronological order | Players who want events arranged by fictional setting year. | It starts with prequels developed later, so it does not preserve release-order reveals; it also requires a choice about qualified or alternate-continuity entries. |
For the central saga, release order is the clearer first playthrough: begin with Metal Gear, then Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, followed by Metal Gear Solid and the later numbered and lettered story entries. Use the chronology above if you already know the series or specifically want to trace the in-world timeline. For a broad franchise tour, add the marked spin-offs separately rather than forcing them into that central sequence.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Collections that cover parts of the series
Konami’s Master Collection releases provide access to subsets of the franchise, not every Metal Gear game.
Rank #3
- Play at home and on the go
- An ideal gift idea for a loved one
- Game is simple to understand and quick to play
- Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1: Konami’s announcement lists Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid (including VR/Special Missions), Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, the NES Metal Gear, and Snake’s Revenge, alongside digital graphic novels and digital books. The announced launch date was Oct. 24, 2023.
- Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2: Konami announced Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker as its principal games, with Ghost Babel as bonus content, and scheduled release for Aug. 27, 2026. Ghost Babel’s inclusion as bonus content does not make it a central saga chapter.
Check the edition and region for platform support and included content; neither collection is a complete catalogue of every release.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- This innovative game series was born from the idea of avoiding combat and infiltrating enemy territory undetected
- Title line up: Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear (NES/FC version), and Snake’s Revenge
- Digital books: Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear, and Metal Gear; Screenplay and Master Books included
- Video: Metal Gear Solid; Digital Graphic Novel and Metal Gear Solid 2; Digital Graphic Novel
- Includes Metal Gear Solid: Digital Soundtrack
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