From Snake’s elevator ride to the Shadow Moses cliffs in the rain to the student-mentor clash at the end of Snake Eater, Hideo Kojima and Konami’s acclaimed Metal Gear stealth action series is filled with iconic gaming moments. With a narrative that unfolded across console generations and stretched the creative possibilities of video games, Solid Snake and Big Boss’ adventures have reached legendary status, with many hailing them as landmark releases in the medium.
The 2015 release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain seemed to mark the end of the franchise, as Kojima departed Konami to establish his own studio, leaving the Metal Gear Solid IP behind. However, Konami has since begun reviving the series through re-releases and remakes, such as Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, slated for release later this year. With a wave of new players discovering this world of espionage, government intrigue, and gravelly-voiced heroes with distinctive eyepatches, we’ve compiled the chronological order of the Metal Gear Solid series to help newcomers and returning fans alike.
Excluding remakes, ports, and remasters, there are a total of 17 Metal Gear games: 11 core titles, five for handheld devices, and one for mobile. While this may seem like a substantial number, several are considered non-canonical, as their narratives diverge from the main storyline and present unique interpretations of the universe.
Metal Gear Survive, released in 2018, is set in an apocalyptic world overrun by a zombie virus, placing it outside the main canon. Similarly, the PSP titles Metal Gear: Acid and Metal Gear: Acid 2 break from the established timeline to present a fresh narrative, making them alternate-timeline spin-offs. Then there’s Metal Gear: Ghost Babel for the Game Boy Color, an alternate-universe Metal Gear sequel that disregards the events of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, thus removing it from the timeline. Lastly, Metal Gear Mobile and Snake’s Revenge have been deemed non-canon by both the community and Kojima in interviews.
This leaves 11 games within the main storyline. Each of these titles is considered part of the core Metal Gear Saga, spanning from a fictional alternate-history 1960s to the late 2010s. Let’s take a look at all the games in that saga.
We suggest two possible entry points for Metal Gear. For those aiming to experience the entire saga, we recommend 2023’s Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, which features the best available versions of Metal Gear Solid 1–3. Alternatively, for those who wish to sample the franchise (and those less tolerant of older games), we advise starting with the series’ most recent installment, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
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Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 (PS5)
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Metal Gear Games in Chronological Order
The following summaries contain minor spoilers for each game, including details about characters, settings, and key plot points.
1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
As the earliest point in the saga’s timeline and the next game to receive a modern remake, Snake Eater centers on Naked Snake, a US Special Forces operative, during the Cold War. Snake is tasked with locating and extracting a Russian scientist from the Soviet Union to prevent the construction of the Shagohod, a weapon of mass destruction. However, he is shocked to discover that his former mentor, The Boss, has defected to the Soviets.
After a fierce confrontation, Naked Snake is soundly defeated and left for dead in the jungle. Surviving the ordeal, he is ordered by his superior, Zero, to return to Russia, locate his mentor, and eliminate her, while also tracking down the Shagohod to avert nuclear war. By the story’s conclusion, Naked Snake assumes the name Big Boss, becoming a celebrated figure in the US Special Forces. Yet, his battle with The Boss and the truths he has uncovered throughout his journey leave him disillusioned with his duty and the government he serves.
Read our Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Review or see updates about the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake.
2. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Set six years after Big Boss’s pivotal battle with his former mentor, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops continues the legendary soldier’s story as he confronts his former unit, FOX. The game begins with Big Boss learning that FOX has gone rogue, betraying the CIA and launching a rebellion.
Captured and tortured at a Colombian base by FOX Unit, Big Boss manages to escape but discovers he has been accused of treason. To clear his name, he sets out to track down his former comrades and their ruthless leader, Gene. By the game’s end, Big Boss learns of Gene’s ambition to establish a nation of mercenary soldiers called Army’s Heaven and secures the funds and equipment earmarked for the project. Upon returning to the US, he later establishes FOXHOUND, a special operations squadron.
Read our review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.
3. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Four years after the events of Portable Ops, we find Big Boss, who has left FOXHOUND and the Patriots. He has since established a new mercenary group known as Militaires Sans Frontières (or MSF) with Kazuhira Miller. Employing their newfound army to protect nations that lack the resources to defend themselves, Big Boss and Miller wage war against an armed militia known as the Peace Sentinels after they invade Costa Rica.
During his investigation, Big Boss soon realizes that his former mentor, The Boss, is somehow tied to the Peace Sentinels’ plans. To make matters worse, they possess nuclear weapons and control a powerful mech called the Peace Walker. Operating from an offshore oil rig known as Motherbase, Snake and the Militaires Sans Frontières confront the Peace Sentinels, seeking to uncover their true motives and secrets. The game concludes with Big Boss battling his former ally Paz, who is revealed to be a secret agent of Zero’s shadowy government organization, Cipher.
Read our review of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
4. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Taking place a few months after Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes serves as a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, the fifth installment in the Metal Gear Solid series. The story follows Big Boss as he embarks on a new mission after learning that Paz survived their final battle in Peace Walker and is being interrogated by Cipher at Camp Omega, a clandestine military base. Aware that she possesses critical information about Cipher and could expose MSF’s secrets to the organization, he rushes to rescue her.
While infiltrating the base, he uncovers XOF, a mysterious Cipher cell led by Skull Face, a sadistic and heavily burned commander. The prologue culminates with Snake extracting Paz, only to witness Motherbase being attacked by XOF. The assault decimates the oil rig and eliminates Militaires Sans Frontières, leaving Big Boss near death.
Read our review of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.
5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Set nine years later, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain begins with a severely wounded Big Boss awakening in a Cyprus hospital. After surviving an assassination attempt by a man engulfed in flames, a telekinetic soldier, and a skilled sniper, Boss is rescued by Revolver Ocelot and returns to action, leading a new mercenary group known as the Diamond Dogs.
Vowing to dismantle XOF following their destruction of Militaires Sans Frontières, he adopts the alias Venom Snake and journeys to Africa to track them down, discovering that the former Cipher-affiliated group has gone rogue. Their leader, Skull Face, is now developing a devastating parasitic weapon capable of eradicating the Western world. The game concludes with Big Boss initiating his plans to create Outer Heaven, a military nation where soldiers are free to live without being exploited by corrupt government schemes.
Read our review of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.
6. Metal Gear
Eleven years later, the story aligns with the series’ first entry: Metal Gear. The game centers on Solid Snake, a rookie soldier and member of FOXHOUND, which is once again commanded by Big Boss, serving as Snake’s mentor and commanding officer. On his first mission, Solid Snake is dispatched to locate a weapon of mass destruction being constructed in Outer Heaven, a military nation.
During his mission, he encounters Grey Fox, another agent who was also sent to find the weapon. Grey Fox reveals that the mysterious weapon is a mech called Metal Gear, which has the capability to launch nuclear bombs. The game culminates in a confrontation between Solid Snake and Big Boss, with the latter admitting that he orchestrated Outer Heaven’s plans.
Read our review of Metal Gear.
7. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Four years later, Solid Snake returns to action after learning that Big Boss survived the events of the previous game and is currently constructing a new Metal Gear for Zanzibar Land, a fictional nation.
Teaming up with various characters, Snake infiltrates Zanzibar Land in an attempt to destroy the weapon of mass destruction, battling Big Boss and his army of soldiers along the way.
See more about Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.
8. Metal Gear Solid
Six years after Metal Gear 2, Solid Snake returns in a new mission. This time, he is tasked with confronting his former unit, FOXHOUND, which has turned against the US and seized control of a clandestine government facility on Shadow Moses Island. FOXHOUND claims that Shadow Moses is a test site for a secret Metal Gear and threatens to use its nuclear weapons unless they receive Big Boss’s corpse and a substantial sum of money.
Snake infiltrates the facility and battles various members of FOXHOUND, including Revolver Ocelot, Psycho Mantis, and a cyborg version of his former ally, Grey Fox. He also encounters the eccentric leader of FOXHOUND, Liquid Snake. The game concludes with Snake being declared killed-in-action by Colonel Campbell and presumed dead by the government, which intended to betray him. He escapes Shadow Moses alive.
Read our review of Metal Gear Solid or see more of the best PS1 games.
9. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty opens two years later, with Solid Snake, now a rogue agent, infiltrating an oil tanker to intercept a new Metal Gear being transported to the US. There, he discovers a Metal Gear prototype called Metal Gear Ray, which is subsequently stolen by Revolver Ocelot. Ocelot scuttles the tanker and flees, while Snake is blamed for its destruction.
Two years later, we shift to a new protagonist: Raiden. As a FOXHOUND operative, Raiden is sent on a mission to Big Shell, an offshore decontamination facility built to clean up the oil spill from the tanker’s destruction during Solid Snake’s mission. Big Shell has been seized by the Sons of Liberty, a militant group that has taken the US president hostage.
While infiltrating the facility, Raiden discovers that things are not as they seem, investigating Big Shell’s secrets and meeting Iroquois Pliskin, a junior lieutenant who is clearly hiding something. By the game’s end, Solid Snake joins Raiden’s mission, revealing that he is pursuing Ocelot (who is revealed to be possessed by Liquid Snake) and the Patriots.
Read our review of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty or check out more of the best PS2 games.
10. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Marking the conclusion of the main story and Solid Snake’s final mission, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots finds Snake three years after the events of Sons of Liberty. Due to the cloning process used to create Snake and the FOXDIE virus in his system, his body is aging rapidly, and he is told he has only one year to live. Adopting the moniker Old Snake, he embarks on one last mission.
His objective is to assassinate Liquid Ocelot, who is leading a new Outer Heaven comprised of major private military forces in the Middle East. Equipped with nanomachines, Snake sets out to defeat Ocelot, learning that his nemesis intends to locate Big Boss’s corpse and execute a mysterious plan. As Snake battles his age and the mutating FOXDIE virus, he progresses toward a final showdown with his most formidable foe.
Read our review of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
11. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The most recent story in the Metal Gear timeline, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance focuses on Raiden, who has become a cyborg as revealed in Guns of the Patriots. Set four years after Metal Gear Solid 4, the story shows Raiden working with Maverick Security Consulting, a private military company.
During an operation in Africa, Raiden is attacked by Desperado Enforcement, a rival private military group. Wounded and left for dead by its commander, Jet Stream Sam, Raiden continues his investigation into Desperado, discovering dark secrets about the group and its allies. As the revelations surrounding the private military grow increasingly sinister, Raiden vows to bring them down, embarking on a quest for violent justice.
Read our review of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
How to Play the Metal Gear Games by Release Date
- Metal Gear (1987)
- Snake’s Revenge (1990)
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990)
- Metal Gear Solid (1998)
- Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel (2000)
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
- Metal Gear Solid: Acid (2004)
- Metal Gear Solid: Acid 2 (2005)
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (2006)
- Metal Gear Solid: Mobile (2008)
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013)
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)
- Metal Gear Survive (2018)
- Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater (2025)
What’s Next for Metal Gear?
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, revealed with a cinematic trailer during PlayStation’s 2023 summer showcase, will completely rebuild the original MGS game, offering fans a modern reimagining of Naked Snake’s legendary battle with The Boss.
The remake is scheduled for release on August 28, 2025, as announced at Sony’s February 2025 State of Play. IGN’s initial review of the game notes that “it often demonstrates how well stealth-action mechanics can age, and the political drama, complete with Kojima’s signature quirkiness, remains intact.” If you’re unsure, you can already view the first 50 minutes of gameplay.
The Future of the Franchise
Regarding potential new entries in the series, Konami has not confirmed any plans to create original Metal Gear games without Hideo Kojima. However, Virtuous Studios, the developer of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, has hinted that remakes of other Metal Gear games are possible. In an interview with IGN, the team stated, “Regarding remakes of previous games in the series other than Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, we will listen to player demand and consider accordingly.”
For more lists like these, also see Assassin’s Creed Games in Order and a list of Far Cry Games in order.
Callum Williams is a freelance media writer with years of experience as a game critic, news reporter, guides writer and features writer.
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