How to Play the Metal Gear Solid Games in Chronological Order: The Full MGS Timeline

Metal Gear Games successful Chronological Order

These blurbs incorporate mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and communicative beats.

1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

The archetypal slot successful the saga’s timeline and the adjacent crippled to get a modern remake, Snake Eater follows a US Special Forces operative codenamed Naked Snake during the events of the Cold War. Sent to find and extract a Russian idiosyncratic from the Soviet Union to forestall him from gathering a limb of wide demolition known arsenic the Shagohod, Snake’s shocked to find his erstwhile mentor, The Boss, has betrayed the US authorities and sided with the Soviets.

After a heated battle, Naked Snake is brutally defeated and near for dormant successful the jungle. Surviving the encounter, he’s tasked by his commanding officer, Zero, to instrumentality to Russia, find his mentor and termination her, each the portion tracking down the Shagohod to forestall atomic war. By the extremity of the story, Naked Snake adopts the moniker of Big Boss, becoming a fable among the US Special Forces. However, his conflict with The Boss and the secrets he’s uncovered passim his escapade permission him disillusioned with his work and the authorities helium serves.

Read our Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Review oregon spot updates astir the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake.

2. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Set six years aft Big Boss’ climactic conflict with his erstwhile mentor, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops picks up the legendary soldier’s communicative arsenic helium goes caput to caput with his erstwhile squad, FOX Unit. The crippled begins with Big Boss learning FOX has gone rogue, betraying the CIA and staging a revolt.

Captured and tortured connected a Colombian basal by FOX Unit, Boss breaks escaped but learns he’s been accused of treason. In a bid to wide his name, helium decides to hunt down his erstwhile allies and prosecute their ruthless leader, Gene. By the extremity of the game, Big Boss learns of Gene’s tendency to make a federation of mercenary soldiers known arsenic Army’s Heaven and acquires the wide of funds and instrumentality saved for the project. Returning to the US, helium aboriginal forms a squadron of peculiar ops soldiers known arsenic FOXHOUND.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.

3. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Four years aft the events of Portable Ops, we drawback up with Big Boss, who has near FOXHOUND and the Patriots. Since leaving, he’s formed a caller set of mercenary soldiers known arsenic Militaires Sans Frontières (or MSF) with Kazuhira Miller. Using their newfound service to support countries that don’t person the forces oregon means to support themselves, Big Boss and Miller wage warfare against an equipped militia known arsenic the Peace Sentinels aft they invade Costa Rica.

During his investigation, Big Boss soon realizes that his erstwhile mentor, The Boss, is someway progressive successful the Peace Sentinels' plans. Worse, they person entree to atomic weapons, wielding a supremely almighty mech called the Peace Walker. Rallying connected an off-shore lipid rig known arsenic Motherbase, Snake and the Militaires Sans Frontières instrumentality the combat to the Peace Sentinels, attempting to observe their existent motive and secrets. The crippled ends with Big Boss battling his erstwhile state Paz, who turns retired to beryllium a concealed cause of Zero’s shady authorities organization, Cipher.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

4. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

A fewer months pursuing the events of Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes acts arsenic a prologue to the 5th introduction successful the Metal Gear Solid series: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The communicative sees Big Boss embark connected a caller ngo aft learning that Paz survived their climactic conflict during the last moments of Peace Walker and is being interrogated by Cipher astatine a mysterious subject basal known arsenic Camp Omega. Knowing that she has important accusation astir Cipher and could uncover secrets astir MSF to the shadowy organization, helium rushes to extract her.

While infiltrating the base, helium discovers a mysterious Cipher compartment known arsenic XOF, which is led by a sadistic, severely burned commandant called Skull Face. The prologue ends with Snake extracting Paz lone to recognize his allies are being attacked by the XOF backmost astatine Motherbase. The onslaught destroys the lipid rig and eradicates Militaires Sans Frontières, leaving Big Boss connected the cusp of 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 opens with a severely injured Big Boss waking up successful a infirmary successful Cyprus. Evading an assassination effort wherever he’s attacked by a antheral covered successful flames, a telekinetic worker and a maestro sniper, Boss is saved by Revolver Ocelot and returns to enactment arsenic helium leads a caller mercenary radical known arsenic the Diamond Dogs.

Swearing to halt the XOF aft they destroyed Militaires Sans Frontières, helium adopts the codename Venom Snake and heads to Africa to prime up their trail, learning that the former-Cipher-affiliated radical went rogue. Their leader, Skull Face, is alternatively moving connected a devastating parasitic limb with the powerfulness to eradicate the Western world. The crippled ends with Big Boss mounting successful question his plans to make a subject federation known arsenic Outer Heaven, wherever soldiers are escaped to unrecorded without being utilized to further shady authorities plans.

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

6. Metal Gear

11 years later, the communicative catches up with the archetypal introduction successful the series: Metal Gear. The crippled follows Solid Snake: a rookie worker and subordinate of FOXHOUND. FOXHOUND is erstwhile again tally by Big Boss, who acts arsenic Snake’s mentor and commanding officer. On his archetypal mission, Solid Snake is sent to way down a limb of wide demolition being constructed successful a subject federation known arsenic Outer Heaven.

During his mission, helium finds different cause codenamed Grey Fox, who was besides sent to way the weapon. Grey Fox reveals the mysterious limb is simply a mech codenamed Metal Gear, which has the powerfulness to motorboat atomic bombs. The crippled ends with Solid Snake and Big Boss coming to blows, with the second revealing helium was down Outer Heaven's plans.

Read our review of Metal Gear.

7. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Four years later, Solid Snake returns to enactment aft helium learns Big Boss survived the events of the erstwhile crippled and is presently constructing a caller Metal Gear for the fictional federation of Zanzibar Land.

Teaming with assorted characters, Snake infiltrates Zanzibar Land and attempts to destruct the limb of wide destruction, battling Big Boss and his service of soldiers on the way.

See much astir Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

8. Metal Gear Solid

Six years aft Metal Gear 2, Solid Snake returns successful a caller mission. This clip he’s sent to conflict his erstwhile unit, FOXHOUND, which has gone rogue, turned against the US and taken implicit a mysterious authorities installation connected an land known arsenic Shadow Moses. Shadow Moses is allegedly a trial tract for a concealed Metal Gear, with FOXHOUND threatening to usage its atomic weapons if they aren’t supplied with Big Boss’ corpse and a ample sum of money.

Snake heads to the installation and fights assorted members of FOXHOUND, including Revolver Ocelot, Psycho Mantis and a Cyborg mentation of his erstwhile ally, Greyfox. He besides meets the eccentric person of FOXHOUND, Liquid Snake. The crippled ends with Snake being declared killed-in-action by Colonel Campbell and presumed dormant by the authorities aft they intended to double-cross him. He flees Shadow Moses alive.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid oregon spot much of the best PS1 games.

9. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty opens 2 years later, with a now-rogue Solid Snake infiltrating an lipid tanker portion hunting down a caller Metal Gear being transported to the US. There helium discovers a prototype Metal Gear known arsenic Metal Gear Ray, which is subsequently stolen by Revolver Ocelot. Ocelot sinks the tanker and escapes, portion Snake is blamed for the tanker’s destruction.

Two years later, we displacement to a caller protagonist: Raiden. An cause of FOXHOUND, Raiden is sent connected a ngo to an off-shore decontamination installation known arsenic Big Shell, which was constructed to wide the crude lipid spill caused erstwhile the lipid tanker was destroyed during Solid Snake’s mission. Big Shell has been hijacked by a militant radical known arsenic the Sons of Liberty, which has taken the US president hostage.

Infiltrating the facility, Raiden soon discovers things aren’t rather what they seem, looking into Big Shell’s secrets and gathering a inferior lieutenant named Iroquois Pliskin, who’s intelligibly hiding a large secret. By the extremity of the game, Solid Snake joins Raiden’s mission, telling him he’s going aft Ocelot (who it’s revealed is possessed by the volition of Liquid Snake) and the Patriots.

Read our review of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty oregon cheque retired much of the best PS2 games.

10. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Marking the extremity of the main communicative and Solid Snake’s last mission, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots catches up with Snake 3 years aft the events of Sons of Liberty. Due to the cloning process utilized to make Snake and the rampant FOXDIE microorganism inactive coursing done his veins, we observe that his assemblage is rapidly aging, with the protagonist being told helium lone has a twelvemonth near to live. Donning a caller nickname, Old Snake, helium returns for 1 last mission.

He’s to assassinate Liquid Ocelot, who is presently moving a caller mentation of Outer Heaven which is comprised of immoderate of the biggest backstage militaries successful the Middle East. Equipping his assemblage with nanomachines, Snake sets retired to bring Ocelot down, learning that his nemesis intends to erstwhile again find Big Boss’ corpse and execute a mysterious plan. As Snake battles his property and the lingering FOXDIE mutating successful his body, helium makes his mode towards a last confrontation with his astir ruthless enemy.

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

11. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

The last communicative successful the existent Metal Gear timeline, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance focuses connected Raiden who, arsenic we learned during Guns of the Patriots, has transformed into a cyborg. The communicative picks up 4 years aft Metal Gear Solid 4, revealing that Raiden present works with a backstage subject institution called Maverick Security Consulting.

During an cognition successful Africa, Raiden is attacked by a rival backstage subject radical known arsenic Desperado Enforcement. Wounded and near for dormant by its commander, Jet Stream Sam, Raiden continues his probe into Desperado and learns immoderate sinister secrets astir the radical and its allies. As the revelations astir the backstage subject turn darker, Raiden swears to bring them down, mounting disconnected connected his ain to present convulsive justice.

Read our review of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

How to Play the Metal Gear Games by Release Date

1. Metal Gear (1987)
2. Snake’s Revenge (1990)
3. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990)
4. Metal Gear Solid (1998)
5. Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel (2000)
6. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
7. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
8. Metal Gear Solid: Acid (2004)
9. Metal Gear Solid: Acid 2 (2005)
10. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (2006)
11. Metal Gear Solid: Mobile (2008)
12. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)
13. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)
14. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013)
15. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014)
16. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)
17. Metal Gear Survive (2018)
18. Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater (2025)

What’s Next for Metal Gear?

Shown with a cinematic trailer during PlayStation’s 2023 summertime showcase, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater volition rebuild the archetypal MGS crippled from the crushed up, giving fans a modern reimagining of Naked Snake’s legendary conflict with The Boss.

The remake is acceptable to merchandise connected August 28, 2025, arsenic revealed successful Sony's February 2025 State of Play. IGN's aboriginal reappraisal of the crippled says "it often shows however bully stealth-action mechanics tin property well, and the governmental play with Kojima's signature marque of campiness is intact." If you're connected the fence, you tin already cheque retired the archetypal 50 minutes of gameplay.

The Future of the Franchise

As for imaginable caller entries successful the series, Konami hasn’t confirmed whether they program to marque archetypal Metal Gear games without Hideo Kojima. That being said, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater developer Virtuous Studios did tease that remakes of different Metal Gear games aren’t disconnected the table. Speaking with IGN, the squad said, “Regarding remakes of erstwhile games successful the bid different than Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, we volition perceive to subordinate request and see accordingly.”

For much lists similar these, besides spot Assassin's Creed Games successful Order and a database of Far Cry Games successful order.

Callum Williams is simply a freelance media writer with years of acquisition arsenic a crippled critic, quality reporter, guides writer and features writer.

Originally posted:

Aug 22, 2025 4:57 pm