MGS Timeline: How to Play Metal Gear Solid Games Chronologically

From the thrilling ascent of Snake up an elevator to the rain-soaked cliffs of Shadow Moses, to the intense showdown between student and mentor in the concluding scenes of Snake Eater, Hideo Kojima and Konami's epic spy thriller franchise, Metal Gear, has gifted gamers with some of the most memorable moments in video game history. The saga, which spans multiple console generations, has pushed the boundaries of what video games can achieve narratively and technically. The adventures of Solid Snake and Big Boss are not just legendary; many consider them to be among the most pivotal releases in the gaming industry.

In 2015, it seemed as though the franchise had reached its conclusion with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, especially with Kojima's departure from Konami to establish his own studio. However, Konami has since breathed new life into the series through re-releases and remakes, such as the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater set to launch later this year. As a fresh wave of players delves into the world of covert operations, shadowy government conspiracies, and tough-as-nails characters sporting iconic eyepatches, we've prepared a guide to the chronological order of the Metal Gear Solid series. This will help both newcomers and veteran fans get up to speed.

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How to play in chronological orderHow to play by release orderHow Many Metal Gear Solid Games Are There?

Every IGN Metal Gear Review

19 ImagesExcluding remakes, ports, or remasters, the Metal Gear series boasts a total of 17 games: 11 mainline entries, five for handheld devices, and one for mobile. While this is a substantial number, many of these are considered non-canon, branching off from the main storyline into their unique interpretations of the universe.

Metal Gear Survive from 2018, set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by a zombie virus, does not fit into the main canon. Similarly, the PSP titles Metal Gear: Acid and Metal Gear: Acid 2 diverge from the established timeline, offering alternate storylines. The Game Boy Color's Metal Gear: Ghost Babel presents an alternate-universe sequel that disregards the events of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, thus standing outside the main timeline. Lastly, Metal Gear Mobile and Snake's Revenge have been officially declared non-canon by both the community and Kojima in various interviews.

This leaves us with 11 games that form the core of the Metal Gear Saga, covering a fictional alternate history from the 1960s to the late 2010s. Let's dive into each of these games in chronological order.

Which Metal Gear Should You Play First?

For those looking to embark on the entire saga, we suggest starting with the 2023's Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, which includes the definitive versions of Metal Gear Solid 1–3. For those who prefer a more modern entry point or have less patience for older games, we recommend beginning with the latest iteration, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

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5See it at AmazonMetal Gear Games in Chronological Order

These summaries include mild spoilers, detailing characters, settings, and key plot points.

1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

As the first entry in the saga's timeline and the next to receive a modern remake, Snake Eater follows a US Special Forces operative codenamed Naked Snake during the Cold War. Tasked with rescuing a Russian scientist from the Soviet Union to prevent the construction of the Shagohod, a weapon of mass destruction, Snake is shocked to find his former mentor, The Boss, has defected to the Soviets.

After a fierce confrontation, Naked Snake is left for dead in the jungle. Surviving the ordeal, he's instructed by his commander, Zero, to return to Russia, confront his mentor, and destroy the Shagohod to avert a nuclear catastrophe. By the end of the story, Naked Snake adopts the moniker Big Boss, becoming a legend within the US Special Forces. Yet, his battle with The Boss and the truths he uncovers leave him disillusioned with his mission 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 epic battle with his mentor, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops continues the saga. Big Boss faces off against his former squad, FOX Unit, after they go rogue and betray the CIA. Captured and tortured on a Colombian base, Big Boss escapes and sets out to clear his name by hunting down his former comrades and their leader, Gene.

Throughout the game, Big Boss discovers Gene's plan to create a nation of mercenary soldiers called Army's Heaven. After securing the necessary resources, Big Boss returns to the US and forms a new special ops unit, FOXHOUND.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.

3. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Four years post-Portable Ops, we find Big Boss having left FOXHOUND and the Patriots to form Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF) with Kazuhira Miller. Their mission is to defend nations lacking the means to protect themselves, leading them into a conflict with the Peace Sentinels, who have invaded Costa Rica.

As Big Boss investigates, he uncovers the Peace Sentinels' connection to his former mentor, The Boss, and their possession of nuclear weapons through a powerful mech, the Peace Walker. Operating from an offshore oil rig named Motherbase, Big Boss and MSF confront the Peace Sentinels, uncovering their hidden motives. The game concludes with Big Boss facing Paz, revealed to be a Cipher agent.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

4. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Shortly after the events of Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes serves as a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Big Boss learns that Paz survived their final battle and is being interrogated by Cipher at Camp Omega. Determined to extract her and prevent Cipher from learning about MSF, Big Boss infiltrates the base.

During the mission, he encounters XOF, a Cipher cell led by the sadistic Skull Face. The prologue ends with Big Boss extracting Paz, only to learn that Motherbase is under attack by XOF, leading to the destruction of MSF and leaving Big Boss near death.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.

5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Nine years later, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain begins with a gravely injured Big Boss waking up in a Cyprus hospital. Surviving an assassination attempt by a man on fire, a telekinetic soldier, and a sniper, Big Boss is rescued by Revolver Ocelot and leads a new mercenary group, the Diamond Dogs.

Swearing vengeance on XOF for the destruction of MSF, Big Boss, now known as Venom Snake, tracks them to Africa. He learns that XOF, led by Skull Face, is developing a parasitic weapon capable of devastating the West. The game concludes with Big Boss setting the stage for Outer Heaven, a military nation where soldiers can live free from government manipulation.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

6. Metal Gear

Eleven years later, we encounter the first game in the series: Metal Gear. Solid Snake, a rookie and member of FOXHOUND, is sent on his initial mission to investigate a weapon of mass destruction in the military nation of Outer Heaven.

During his mission, he meets another agent, Grey Fox, who reveals the weapon to be a mech called Metal Gear, capable of launching nuclear bombs. The game culminates in a confrontation between Solid Snake and Big Boss, who is revealed to be behind Outer Heaven's plans.

Read our review of Metal Gear.

7. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Four years after the first game, Solid Snake returns to action upon learning that Big Boss survived and is now constructing another Metal Gear for the fictional nation of Zanzibar Land.

Infiltrating Zanzibar Land, Snake works to destroy the weapon, clashing with Big Boss and his army along the way.

See more about Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

8. Metal Gear Solid

Six years following Metal Gear 2, Solid Snake is dispatched to combat his former unit, FOXHOUND, which has turned rogue and seized a government facility on Shadow Moses Island. The facility is a testing ground for a secret Metal Gear, with FOXHOUND threatening to launch nuclear strikes unless they receive Big Boss's body and a substantial ransom.

Snake battles various members of FOXHOUND, including Revolver Ocelot, Psycho Mantis, and a cyborg version of Grey Fox, before confronting the unit's eccentric leader, Liquid Snake. The game ends with Snake declared dead by Colonel Campbell after a government double-cross, but 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

Two years later, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty opens with a rogue Solid Snake infiltrating an oil tanker to track a new Metal Gear. He discovers a prototype, Metal Gear Ray, which is stolen by Revolver Ocelot, who sinks the tanker and frames Snake for its destruction.

Two years on, the story shifts to Raiden, a FOXHOUND agent sent to the Big Shell decontamination facility, built to clean up the oil spill from the tanker incident. The facility is hijacked by the Sons of Liberty, who hold the US president hostage. As Raiden infiltrates, he uncovers the facility's secrets and meets Iroquois Pliskin, who harbors a significant secret. The game concludes with Solid Snake joining Raiden, revealing his pursuit of Ocelot, now possessed by Liquid Snake's will, 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 end of the main storyline and Solid Snake's final mission, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots picks up three years after Sons of Liberty. Due to the cloning process and the FOXDIE virus, Snake is rapidly aging and has been given a year to live. Now known as Old Snake, he embarks on his last mission: to assassinate Liquid Ocelot, who leads a new Outer Heaven formed from private militaries in the Middle East.

Equipped with nanomachines, Snake confronts Ocelot's plan to find Big Boss's body and execute a mysterious agenda. As he battles his aging body and the mutating FOXDIE, Snake heads toward a final showdown with his greatest foe.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

11. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Concluding the current Metal Gear timeline, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance focuses on Raiden, now a cyborg as revealed in Guns of the Patriots. Four years later, Raiden works for Maverick Security Consulting, a private military company.

During an operation in Africa, Raiden is attacked by Desperado Enforcement and left for dead by their commander, Jet Stream Sam. Continuing his investigation, Raiden uncovers sinister truths about Desperado and its allies, vowing to bring them down and deliver 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?

Despite appearing to have concluded in 2015, the Metal Gear series is far from over. Konami has announced a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, showcased with a cinematic trailer during PlayStation's 2023 summer event. Titled Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, this remake will reimagine Naked Snake's iconic battle with The Boss from the ground up. It's slated for release on August 28, 2025, as announced during Sony's February 2025 State of Play.

As for new entries in the series, Konami has not confirmed plans for original games without Kojima's involvement. However, the developers at Virtuous Studios, working on Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, have hinted that remakes of other Metal Gear games could be considered based on player demand.

Metal Gear Games: Complete Playlist

Here is a comprehensive list of all standalone Metal Gear games and spin-offs, ordered by their release. Log in to rank them, mark games as owned or completed, or create a personalized game plan for your next playthrough. See All1Metal Gear (MSX)Konami2Metal GearKonami3Snake's RevengeKonami4Metal Gear 2: Solid SnakeKonami5Metal Gear SolidKonami6Metal Gear Solid: VR MissionsKonami7Metal Gear Solid [2000]Konami OSA (KCEO)8Metal Gear Solid IntegralKonami9Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyKCEJ10The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2KonamiFor more lists like these, also see Assassin's Creed Games in Order and a list of Far Cry Games in order.