Hideo Kojima guided the Metal Gear franchise from its inception in 1987 until 2015's Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. While the game designer departed with publisher Konami under bad circumstances, he has since released the incredibly unique Death Stranding, proving that he is not done sharing his art with the world.
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Even if The Phantom Pain was the last thing he did, the Metal Gear series has created an eternal legacy within the medium. The game's story spans six different decades. It can be hard to keep track of the Metal Gear chronology, so this list should clear up any confusion.
Updated on August 13, 2022, by Jason Wojnar: Even though a new game in the franchise has not come out since 2017's Metal Gear Survive, and the last celebrated game was 2015's Metal Gear Solid 5, the stealth-action series has cemented its place in video game history. Unfortunately, some of these titles are becoming harder to access as years go by. A whole slew of them were recently de-listed from numerous digital storefronts. Fortunately, Konami has at least put these back. While not all of these games are easy to play today, this list should at least help people keep them in chronological order. The update details what systems the games are available on.
- Available on PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, and PS Vita
This game, the first in the Metal Gear chronology, plants the seeds for what would become the overarching conflict between the major characters. Funnily enough, fans did not realize its importance in the canon upon release. Only when Metal Gear Solid 4 came out in 2008 did the series explain how characters like The Boss and Major Zero have an impact on the rest of the games.
Even though it is the third numbered entry, Metal Gear Solid 3 works well as a standalone title due to its prequel nature. The best way to play it these days is through the HD Collection of PS3 or Xbox 360, where it runs at a smooth 60 frames per second. As a novelty, the Nintendo 3DS version utilizes the handheld's gimmick for some 3D fun.
15 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Released In 2006, Set In 1970)
- Available On PSP
This portable spin-off is canon, but it is not vital to understanding the overall lore. It details the beginnings of Fox Hound and sees Big Boss meet a young Roy Campbell, so it is worth playing just for these two bits alone. Additionally, the gameplay introduces many elements later titles like Peace Walker and The Phantom Pain would expand upon. Unfortunately, Portable Ops was never brought to consoles, so one needs a PSP if they wish to jump back to this title.
- Available on PSP, PS3, and Xbox 360
The events of Peace Walker lead directly into Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. The game was re-released on PS3 along with Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 to ensure it reached the widest audience possible. It is here where we see Big Boss solidify his stance and philosophy to create an army without nations and start his shadow war with Major Zero.
Taking place in Costa Rica, most of the plot deals with colonialism and the Cold War. The game is rated T, so it is not as violent as other entries, but the story still hits hard and takes dark turns. Even though the game's structure lends itself to the PSP, it also plays excellently on the PS3 and Xbox 360.
13 Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes (Released In 2014, Set In 1975)
- Available on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC
This prologue to The Phantom Pain only takes about 90 minutes to complete, but there is about 20 hours worth of content in here for those seeking to do everything. Not only does it lead into the full game, but it also introduces a significant tonal shift. The series has always been dark, but Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain are oppressive in their tone, to the point of causing controversy.
While there was a small controversy due to the price, these days Ground Zeroes is often on sale for just a few dollars. There are even bundles with Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain available for cheap.
- Available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
This one hurts to even mention. Metal Gear Survive is a zombie survival game following a group of soldiers from Mother Base who are somehow sucked into another dimension after Skull Face attacks it at the end of Ground Zeroes. It adds nothing to the story, is clearly not canon, and Hideo Kojima was not involved in the production in the slightest.
A lot of negativity followed it leading up to release and the actual game did nothing to brighten these impressions. Metal Gear has always been absurd, but fighting zombies in another dimension is just absurd, random, and lacks any context to make it feel like a true Metal Gear game.
11 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (Released In 2015, Set In 1984)
- Available on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC
Had the Phantom Pain been given the development time to do all it set out to do, the series would have finally come full circle, connecting the prequel games to the original Metal Gear.
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While Phantom Pain is still incredible, it is missing some key ingredients during the ending. All the same, the narrative is top-notch. The themes regarding the Patriots and controlling people through language make it logical for the game to take place in 1984.
The release of Death Stranding's director's cut reminded fans that they want the exact same thing for The Phantom Pain. Numerous hanging plot threads are just begging for resolution.
- Available on MSX 2, NES, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Mobile, PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360
The debut entry in the franchise is quaint by today's standards, but the stealth-action seeds future entries would later water are still evident. Iconic characters like Solid Snake, Big Boss, and Gray Fox are here, but the others are never mentioned again. Fans dream of a remake to more closely solidify this game's place in the canon, referencing events from the other games. The Phantom Pain especially recontextualizes the debut entry.
The easiest way to play it today is through the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which is available on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Older versions released in the United States are drastically different and feature legendary typos and translation errors.
9 Snake's Revenge (Released In 1990, Set In 1998)
- Available on NES
Some older gamers might have a fondness for Snake's Revenge, but in the Metal Gear timeline, the game is often pushed to the shadows and is clearly not canon.
It was billed as the sequel to the debut entry, but Hideo Kojimasoon made a sequel of his own with Metal Gear 2. Despite still being developed by Konami, it came out exclusively in the west. It was also never re-released, making it hard to find these days in any official capacity. Most would say people are not missing out on much by skipping this title.
- Available on MSX 2, Mobile, PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360
The true canon sequel to Metal Gear - the NES title Snake's Revenge is decidedly not a part of the continuity - better establishes the formula future games would follow and toy around with. It also has a more developed plot. Playing it today, one realizes that Metal Gear Solid is basically a 3D remake of Metal Gear 2, at least in terms of gameplay.
This game is also available on the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. It was not available in the west in any form until 2006 when it came with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.
7 Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (Released In 2000, Set In 2002)
- Available on Game Boy Color
Considering what Solid Snake was doing in 2012 in the main continuity, it is safe to say Metal Gear: Ghost Babel is in no way canon. All the same, it is worth playing because it feels like a continuation of the 2D gameplay from the first two entries. The gameplay translates to the limited buttons of the handheld with ease.
There are also 90 VR missions on the package to go through in addition to the main story. It might not be so easy to find a Game Boy Color and a copy of this game, however, and it has never been re-released.
- Available on PS1 and PC
Solid Snake retired after the events of Metal Gear 2 but was brought back into the fray after Fox Hound took over Shadow Moses Island and threatened to launch a nuclear warhead.
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It was this 1998 classic that truly skyrocketed the series to its legendary status. While future entries would expand upon the gameplay, Metal Gear Solid still holds up fantastically today. There is also a remake for the GameCube called The Twin Snakes, but many fans still prefer the original.
By taking place in the near future, the developers had an excuse to use slightly more advanced technology than what was available in 1998. All the same, much of the tech is based on real-world ideas.
5 Metal Gear Solid Mobile (Released In 2008, Set Between MGS 1 And MGS 2)
- Available on Mobile Phones and N-Gage
Metal Gear Solid Mobile is an early mobile game that is almost impossible to find through legitimate channels these days. Players are not missing out on any major plot revelations here, either. The game takes place between Metal Gear Solid and its sequel, so sometimes between 2005 and 2007.
It is unknown if it is canon, either, but nothing of consequence happens. It is more just an adventure Snake and Otacon have between the two mainline games.
- Available on PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS Vita, and PC
The first part of Metal Gear Solid 2 takes place in 2007 while the second part takes place in 2009. Hideo Kojima threw fans a curveball when the protagonist switched from Solid Snake to Raiden.
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This revelation was kept a secret until release. While this angered some fans, this move plays into the game's themes of manipulating digital information. The game's impact is easier to appreciate when players remember it came out in 2001.
If any fans are looking for reading material, books like Paul Auster's New York Trilogy heavily influenced Metal Gear Solid 2. Novels like Pattern Recognition and Bleeding Edge came out after the game, but deal with similar themes. The latter even directly references Hideo Kojima.
3 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots (Released In 2008, Set In 2014)
- Available on PS3
Solid Snake's final chapter sees him as an old man on the brink of decay. He has one last mission in him, however. This ambitious PS3 exclusive is still stuck on the console. Before release, many theorized Snake was to bite the dust by the game's conclusion.
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Hideo Kojima originally intended for him and Otacon to be executed for their crimes in the end, but the development team convinced him to drop this ending. Ultimately, Snake lives out his final days in peace. Even though it is Snake's last mission, there is still one more game in the Metal Gear chronology.
Metal Gear Solid 4's 2014 is radically different than the real world as a result of Metal Gear Solid 2. Where prior games resembled reality, Metal Gear Solid 4's multiple real-world locations showcase a warped reality the characters live in.
- Available on PSP
Metal Gear AC!D strays from the Metal Gear series not only with its gameplay but also because it is set in a completely different world. It is outlandish even by the series' standards.
It is also hard to definitively recommend to fans because of how different it is from everything else within the Metal Gear universe. Back in the early days of the PSP, however, it was easy to suggest, because it was one of the best games for the system for a while. And it was exclusive, too.
1 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Released In 2013, Set In 2018)
- Available on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC
This spin-off from PlatinumGames is also the last in the Metal Gear chronology. Despite the gameplay going down the character action game route, similar to Bayonetta or Devil May Cry, the story remains a distinctly Metal Gear tale. It is a shame the game was not more popular. Otherwise, we probably would have sequels by now.
Fans have been clamoring for a sequel for a while. PlatinumGames has its hands full now but it would be nice for them to make time for a new entry, assuming Konami would let them.
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