Series guide
All Metal Gear games in order
By Lenn Hodes · founder — every cartridge tested by hand
The game that came out third takes place first, the fifth one spans two discs and twenty years, and the best-known remake exists only on a GameCube. Below is every Metal Gear in release order, then the story order for a second run — with the NES, Game Boy Color, GameCube, 3DS and Switch versions marked, and buying notes on the cartridges and discs we stock and test.
The short answer
Play in release order: Metal Gear Solid (1998) → Sons of Liberty (2001) → Snake Eater (2004) → Guns of the Patriots (2008) → Peace Walker (2010) → Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain (2014–15). Chronologically it runs the other way — Snake Eater is the beginning. On Nintendo: Master Collection Vol. 1 on Switch holds the first five games; The Twin Snakes on GameCube is the remake of the first.
Tested Metal Gear games in stock
Game Boy Color and GameCube copies — every cartridge and disc play-tested on real hardware and listed exactly as it is.
Every Metal Gear game in release order
- Metal Gear · 1987 · MSX2; NES 1987 (Europe 1989) — Kojima’s original; the NES port is a reworked version with a different ending
- Snake’s Revenge · 1990 · NES — a Western sequel made without Kojima — not canon, but a real NES cartridge
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake · 1990 · MSX2 (Japan only; later in Subsistence and the HD Collection) — the true sequel, and the game Metal Gear Solid continues
- Metal Gear Solid · 1998 · PlayStation (Europe 1999); PC 2000 — Shadow Moses — the game that defined the series; Integral is the expanded Japanese version
- Metal Gear Solid (Game Boy Color) · 2000 · Game Boy Color — Ghost Babel in Japan — a separate 2D game on a Game Boy Color cartridge, not a port
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty · 2001 · PlayStation 2 (Europe 2002) — Raiden takes over on the Big Shell; Substance (2002–03, PS2, Xbox, PC) is the expanded edition
- Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes · 2004 · GameCube — the first game remade on the MGS2 engine by Silicon Knights and Nintendo — two discs, GameCube only, never re-released
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater · 2004 · PlayStation 2 (Europe 2005) — the 1964 prequel with Naked Snake; Subsistence (2005–06) adds the free camera
- Metal Gear Acid · 2004 · PSP; Acid 2 2005 — the card-based spin-offs for the PSP launch
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops · 2006 · PSP (Europe 2007) — set in 1970, after Snake Eater
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots · 2008 · PlayStation 3 — Old Snake and the end of Solid Snake’s story — still PS3-only
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker · 2010 · PSP; PS3 & Xbox 360 in the HD Collection — Costa Rica, 1974 — the bridge to The Phantom Pain
- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection · 2011 · PS3 & Xbox 360; Vita 2012 — MGS2, MGS3 and Peace Walker, with the MSX originals inside MGS3
- Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D · 2012 · Nintendo 3DS — Snake Eater with gyro aiming and a photo-camouflage mode — the only Metal Gear on a 3DS cartridge
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance · 2013 · PS3, Xbox 360 & PC — Platinum’s Raiden action game, set after MGS4
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes · 2014 · PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One & PC — the short prologue to The Phantom Pain
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain · 2015 · PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One & PC — Kojima’s last Metal Gear; the Definitive Experience disc (2016) bundles both halves
- Metal Gear Survive · 2018 · PS4, Xbox One & PC — a co-op survival spin-off without Kojima; needs an online connection
- Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 · 2023 · Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series & PC — Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, MGS1, MGS2 and MGS3 on one cartridge — the first Metal Gear on a Switch
- Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater · 2025 · PS5, Xbox Series & PC — the full remake of Snake Eater in Unreal Engine 5
- Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 · 2026 · Announced — the second collection — expected to carry MGS4 and Peace Walker; announced, no date
Story order — the in-universe timeline
For a second playthrough. The prequels reveal who Big Boss is and why; playing them first turns the reveals of the first two Solid games into old news.
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (1964) — or Delta, its remake
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (1970)
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (1974)
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (1975)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (1984)
- Metal Gear (1995)
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1999)
- Metal Gear Solid (2005) — or The Twin Snakes
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2007–09)
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2014)
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2018)
Which Metal Gear should you buy now?
- The series on one cartridge: Master Collection Vol. 1 on Switch — five games, region-free.
- The collector’s remake: The Twin Snakes on GameCube — the first game rebuilt, never re-released.
- The handheld original: Metal Gear Solid on the Game Boy Color — a 2D game of its own, and it fits a Game Boy Advance.
- Snake Eater today: Delta on PS5 for the remake, or Snake Eater 3D on the 3DS to carry it.
Buying Metal Gear second-hand
The Twin Snakes is GameCube-only and stays that way
The 2004 remake of Metal Gear Solid was a Nintendo co-production and has never appeared in any collection — the two GameCube discs are the only way to play it. It runs on a European GameCube or on the first Wii models with GameCube ports. A complete copy with both discs, the manual and the box is the one collectors want; check that disc 2 is there.
The Game Boy Color game is not a port
Metal Gear Solid on the Game Boy Color — Ghost Babel in Japan — is a 2D game in the style of the MSX originals, with its own story and 180 VR missions. It has never been re-released. The cartridge is region-free and plays on any Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance or SP.
Snake Eater: 3DS cartridge, HD Collection or Delta
Snake Eater 3D is the whole game on a 3DS cartridge (region-locked: a European copy for a European 3DS) with gyro aiming and the photo-camouflage feature. The HD Collection has the Subsistence version; Delta (2025) is the ground-up remake. Pick by console — the story is the same.
One Switch cartridge holds the first five
Master Collection Vol. 1 on Switch carries Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid, Sons of Liberty and Snake Eater, plus the NES versions and Snake’s Revenge as extras. It is region-free and plays on a Switch Lite and a Switch 2. MGS4 is still PS3-only until Vol. 2 arrives.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, label and disc condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested GameCube gamesQuestions we get asked
In what order should I play the Metal Gear games?
Release order: Metal Gear Solid → Sons of Liberty → Snake Eater → Guns of the Patriots → Peace Walker → Ground Zeroes → The Phantom Pain, with the MSX games as a prologue if you want the full picture. The story is written to be discovered in that order; playing it chronologically (starting with Snake Eater) removes several twists.
What is the chronological order of Metal Gear?
Snake Eater (1964) → Portable Ops (1970) → Peace Walker (1974) → Ground Zeroes (1975) → The Phantom Pain (1984) → Metal Gear (1995) → Metal Gear 2 (1999) → Metal Gear Solid (2005) → Sons of Liberty (2007–09) → Guns of the Patriots (2014) → Rising (2018). Ghost Babel, Snake’s Revenge, the Acid games and Survive sit outside the timeline.
How many Metal Gear games are there?
Eleven games in the main story — Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Solid, Sons of Liberty, Snake Eater, Portable Ops, Guns of the Patriots, Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain and Rising — plus the spin-offs (Snake’s Revenge, Ghost Babel, Acid 1 and 2, Survive), the remakes (The Twin Snakes, Delta) and the collections. This page lists twenty-one releases.
Which Metal Gear games are on Nintendo consoles?
Metal Gear and Snake’s Revenge on the NES, Metal Gear Solid on the Game Boy Color, The Twin Snakes on GameCube, Snake Eater 3D on 3DS, and Master Collection Vol. 1 on Switch — which also contains the NES games.
Which Metal Gear should I start with?
Metal Gear Solid — on the Master Collection cartridge for Switch, or The Twin Snakes on GameCube if you want the remake with the MGS2 controls. Delta is the modern-looking one, but it is the prequel; save it for after MGS1 and 2.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the first release; European dates where they differ are in the notes. Onze GameCube-collectie in het Nederlands.