The Metal Gear series is one of gaming’s most influential stealth franchises. It became super popular instantly after the first game, Metal Gear, released in 1987 and when Metal Gear Solid dropped in 1998, gamers just went crazy for the story, gameplay and characters. Many games followed and now Metal Gear Solid is one of the best action stealth series out there. If you wanna play those solid titles but wonder where to start, we’ve summed it up all for you. So, let’s talk about all the Metal Gear Solid games in order and then rank them.
All Metal Gear Solid Games in Order
- Metal Gear (1987)
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990)
- Metal Gear Solid (1998)
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (2006)
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014)
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)
- Metal Gear Survive (2018)
Mainline MGS Games
- MGS (1998)
- MGS2 (2001)
- MGS3 (2004)
- MGS4 (2008)
- MGS5: Ground Zeroes (2014)
- MGS5: The Phantom Pain (2015)
Metal Gear Solid Games Ranked
| Rank | Game | Release | Why it fits this position |
| 1 | Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | (2004) | This is the most complete MGS game and it blends a strong story with likable characters, brutal boss fights, survival mechanics and stealth that feels really grounded. |
| 2 | Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | (2001) | The gameplay and its ideas are unusually layered, especially the talk around information, AI, and society, like it was quietly ahead of its time. |
| 3 | Metal Gear Solid | (1998) | This one’s a classic that set the tone for the series cinematic storytelling, stealth mechanics, unforgettable boss fights, and all those legendary characters gamers still quote. |
| 4 | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | (2015) | It’s got easily the best gameplay loop and open world freedom of the bunch but the story and that unfinished feeling at the end comes for you. |
| 5 | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | (2008) | A super satisfying wrap up for Solid Snake with great set pieces and tight moments yet it leans on cutscenes so heavily that the pacing gets slowed now and then. |
| 6 | Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | (2010) | This one’s surprisingly deep for a handheld game with real good base building stuff, missions too and a pretty strong Big Boss line of events. |
| 7 | Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake | (1990) | A notable early stealth experience that pulled in a lot of ideas that later got polished in Metal Gear Solid and honestly it feels like the template in some ways. |
| 8 | Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes | (2014) | Incredible stealth mechanics, and the replay angle is strong, but the campaign is extremely short. It comes off more like a prologue than a complete game. |
| 9 | Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops | (2006) | The story is engaging and the lore matters, though the controls and the mission flow are weaker compared to the core mainline games. |
| 10 | Metal Gear | (1987) | Historically groundbreaking and wildly influential but because it’s so old it can be a pain to really enjoy next to the later entries. |
Metal Gear Solid Collections
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 1
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a bundle of the classic Metal Gear games and it released in 2023. In this you get Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3. It is a solid pick for players who want to see the early chapter vibe of the series plus understand how the games and even the characters grew over time. It’s still a fan favorite too because you can experience a bunch of the best entries in the franchise in one place without juggling a lot.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 2
So the newest game in the Metal Gear Solid franchise is Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 2 and it’s up on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and also PC. Metal Gear Master Collection Vol 2 is made and released by KONAMI, and it’s an action adventure game and you get that stealth vibe most of the time. In the collection, you basically have three playable titles, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (HD Collection version) and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel.
Final Takeaway
So, here are the Metal Gear Solid games in order. The Metal Gear Solid games give players a whole bunch of some of the best stealth, action, and story moments across all of gaming. Each entry has its own strengths and they all are enjoyable in some way or the other. Of course, not every release is flawless, sure, but the series keeps its shine anyway because of the cast you actually remember, the inventive ideas, and honestly the narratives that just stick with you, for a while. So go on ahead and take a look, and yeah don’t forget to play Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 2.
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