Metal Gear tells its saga out of sequence. The story begins with Big Boss during the Cold War, jumps to Solid Snake’s missions, and later returns to Big Boss’s rise. Release order preserves the reveals; chronological order follows the events in the games’ fictional history.
This guide covers the core story games and labels the 2025 Snake Eater remake as another way to play the same chapter.
Choose order
Release order
Release order
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 (2026 • Game Collection) makes Metal Gear Solid 4 and Peace Walker available in a new collection. It is a re-release package, not a new story chapter.
- Metal Gear
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
- Metal Gear Solid
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Action Game spin-off
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater
Remake Game of Snake Eater
Story order
Portable Ops (2006 • Game) sits around 1970, but its status in the core continuity is debated. It is best treated as optional. The 2025 Delta remake takes the place of Snake Eater in a playthrough; playing both versions back-to-back is not needed for the story.
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004 • Game; 1964) or Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater (2025 • Remake Game; same story)
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Game; 1974
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Game; 1975
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Game; 1984
- Metal Gear
Game; 1995
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Game; 1999
- Metal Gear Solid
Game; 2005
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Game; 2007 and 2009
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Game; 2014
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Action Game spin-off; 2018; optional epilogue
No entries match this selection.
Peppermoon’s recommendation
Play in release order if you are new. The series was built around surprises, and starting with the 1964 chapter can reveal context the original games intended to unfold later. If you already know the plot, chronological order makes Big Boss’s arc easier to follow.
Sources: Konami on Snake Eater Delta (https://www.konami.com/games/corporate/en/news/topics/20250306/); Konami’s Master Collection Vol. 2 (https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/3378/); Metal Gear chronology guide (https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/all-metal-gear-games-in-order-by-release-date-and-chronologically/).