The Best Metal Gear Games of All Time

Snaaaaaake! Just when we had given up on getting another Metal Gear game, Konami released Metal Gear Survive. An open-world, action-adventure title, Survive pits you as a soldier against zombies as you scavenge to build a base. Oh, there are also wormholes.

In honor of the latest addition to the Metal Gear series, here are our favorite titles in Konami's long-running, often-ridiculous stealth-action franchise, ranked from worst to best.

Credit: Konami

9. Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008)

Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't the last game in the series, either by release or chronologically (that goes to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance), but this game brought protagonist Solid Snake's story to a close. As Old Snake, he's rapidly aging due to the Foxdie virus and has one last mission: to assassinate his brother, Liquid Snake. This brings him to a part of the Middle East caught in a war between private military companies, and he becomes a soldier in a war where AI and nanomachines are just as much weapons as humans are. The game tackles the hero learning to deal with growing sick and preparing to die, and draws his story to a satisfying close. — Andrew E. Freedman

Play it now: PS3

Credit: Konami

8. Metal Gear Solid 2 (2001)

After the heady success of MGS, gamers were eager for more Solid Snake. And Konami delivered –– sort of. On a mission to do reconnaissance of a new Metal Gear, Snake arrives just in time to see his old foe Revolver Ocelot stealing the new Metal Gear and revealing he's being possessed by Snake's brother, Liquid Snake. Afterward, gamers are shocked to discover that the true protagonist is Raiden, a rookie operative who's on the hunt for the Sons of the Patriots and the terrorist organization Dead Cell. As the plot unfolds, nothing is what it seems in the notorious scene of the Colonel seemingly having a mental breakdown. As the scene gets increasingly more erratic, it's revealed that the "Colonel" is actually an artificial intelligence under the control of the Patriots, the shadow organization that rules the world via information control. It's a mind-bending tale of stealth, betrayal and intrigue that makes you question the world around you. — Sherri L. Smith

Play it now: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360)

Credit: Konami

7. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014)

While some would call it a glorified demo, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a fun, bite-size and fairly essential piece of the full Metal Gear Solid V experience. This prologue establishes both the story and revered open-world gameplay of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, offering a dynamic sandbox of a map that you can tackle any way you see fit. Featuring a roughly 2-hour campaign and a healthy amount of side challenges, Ground Zeroes is a solid no-filler slice of Metal Gear and an inexpensive way to gauge whether The Phantom Pain is for you. — Mike Andronico

Play it now: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Credit: Konami

6. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013)

Set after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Revengeance leans into the weirdness of the Metal Gear Solid franchise and never looks back, focusing on speed, action and over-the-top characters. Rising trades in the series' standard stealth-espionage action for in-your-face, energetic swordplay against an army full of cybernetic super-ninjas. Blade Mode is a surprisingly deep gameplay mechanic that allows you to slice and dice anything and anyone that gets in Raiden's way. — Jorge Jimenez

Play it now: Xbox One (via backward compatibility), PC

Credit: Konami

5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

After the events of MGS: Ground Zeroes and before the original Metal Gear, Big Boss, known as Punished Venom Snake, goes on a mission to hunt down his attackers from Ground Zeroes. In addition to the close-quarters combat (CQC) and stealth that fans have become accustomed to, Phantom Pain adds a base-building mechanic from Peace Walker to help you get stronger weapons and gear. You're going to need all those toys as you go against XOF, a rogue military faction intent on releasing a parasite designed to kill all English speakers while disseminating nuclear weapons to every country to ensure world peace. With a story that's equal parts spy thriller and sci-fi action movie, The Phantom Pain is a must-play title in the series. — Sherri L. Smith

Play it now: PS4, Xbox One, Steam

Credit: Konami

4. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004)

In 2004, what's old was new again. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes was a remake of the original Metal Gear Solid, made exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube. This title offered better graphics, rerecorded voice acting by the majority of the game's original cast, some new cut scenes (because Metal Gear Solid always needs more cut scenes) and a few features that were introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2. The retelling introduced the series to a whole bunch of new players, though some die-hard gamers believe that the additions weren't necessary in an already-great game. — Andrew E. Freedman

Play it now: GameCube

Credit: Konami

3. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker shows the origin story of Big Boss and his army, Militaires Sans Frontieres. The most impressive thing about Peace Walker was that it had so much content for a PlayStation Portable game (though you can now play the title on PS3 and Xbox 360). The game features four-player, online co-op against dinosaur-size Metal Gears, along with base management, troop recruitment, item crafting and an incredible soundtrack. Peace Walker's design also influenced a lot of Metal Gear Solid V's mission structure, and the game feels like like a proper lead-up to the events of The Phantom Pain. — Jorge Jimenez

Play it now: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360)

Credit: Konami

2. Metal Gear Solid (1998)

This is the title that got many gamers onto the MGS bandwagon. Ditching the top-down action of the first two Metal Gear games, Metal Gear Solid is a third-person, action-stealth game that pits Snake against the terrorist group Foxhound in an attempt to stop a nuclear threat. As Snake infiltrates a remote base in Alaska, he encounters new allies and foes, as well as some uncomfortable acquaintances from the past. Metal Gear Solid is highly regarded, seen as the game that revolutionized the stealth genre and gave us memorable boss fights such as the Psycho Mantis battle. In that contest, you could fool the mind reader by plugging your controller into the other port, but not before he read your memory card. — Sherri L. Smith

Play it now: PS3, Vita

Credit: Konami

1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)

Metal Gear Solid 3 ditched military bases for open-air jungles in the Soviet Union, focusing on Naked Snake during a Cold War nuclear crisis. The game brought a new level of stealth to the franchise, with camouflage, and also introduced close-quarters combat, or CQC, for attacking enemies without using firearms. Snake Eater is also distinguished by the emotional boss fight at the game's climax and a catchy theme song that plays in its entirety while Snake climbs one very long ladder during the game.

Snake Eater also spawned a second branch of the franchise that takes place before the original Metal Gear Solid; that branch includes Metal Gear Solid V and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Factor in this game's much-improved Subsistence rerelease, and you've got one of the best-playing Metal Gear games in the series — and without a doubt the most impactful. — Andrew E. Freedman

Play it now: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360), Snake Eater 3D (Nintendo 3DS)

Credit: Konami