The Metal Gear series snuck onto the scene in 1987. However, it wasn't until 1997's Metal Gear Solid that the tale of Snakes and giant (and nano) weaponized machines took off. After the release MGS, the Metal Gear series rose into a mainstream video game phenomenon for its intense stealth mechanics, engaging characters, and its deep and often philosophical narrative.

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Lately, the Metal Gear series has gone dormant. Hideo Kojima saw the Metal Gear story to its conclusion and has left Konami. Kojima has since formed his own independent Kojima Productions with their first title being 2019's Death Stranding. While the future of the series is unknown, Metal Gear has lived a fruitful life with games of varying quality and approaches. Anyone looking to begin their Metal Gear journey will have a long, compelling, and enjoyable journey ahead of them.

Note: This list only features games with Metacritic scores. The version used for each game is the one with the most reviews.

13 Metal Gear Survive Is The Epitome Of "Why Was This Game Made?" (60 Metacritic Score, PS4)

Player sneaking behind zombies in Metal Gear Survive

The latest Metal Gear title comes in the form of a non-canon spinoff called Metal Gear Survive. Despite being non-canon, it's meant to be set between the events of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and carries over the graphics engine and gameplay from those titles. The big twist is that Survive centers around an alternate dimension with a zombie infestation.

Survive was harshly criticized for its unoriginal approach, its microtransactions, and the decision for continuing the Metal Gear series in such a fashion after the controversial departure of Kojima.

12 Metal Gear Acid Played Its Cards Right (75 Metacritic Score, PSP)

Sneaking about in Metal Gear Acid

Just because a zombie-filled cooperative shooter couldn't succeed in the Metal Gear series doesn't mean other genres couldn't find success. Enter Metal Gear Acid, which is a tactical turn-based game where players use trading cards to control the action. Acid is one of many Metal Gear games released for the PlayStation Portable, debuting in 2004. Acid later saw a mobile version released in Europe in 2008.

Acid was praised for the depth in its combat and strategy as well as its adherence to the storytelling and themes of the Metal Gear series.

11 Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Was An Overpriced Demo (75 Metacritic Score, PS4)

Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes Rain Outdoors

Before Survive, Ground Zeroes was in strong contention for the title of most controversial Metal Gear title. Ground Zeroes acts as a prologue to The Phantom Pain and tasks Big Boss with infiltrating a compound to rescue two former allies: Paz Ortega Andrade and Ricardo "Chico" Valenciano Libre.

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Ground Zeroes does a fantastic job not only setting up The Phantom Pain but gives players a taste of what's to come in terms of gameplay. What made Ground Zeroes controversial was that it was released as an individual game for $40, which drew the ire of critics and fans alike for being what amounted to a really expensive demo.

10 There Were More PSP Spin-Offs In The Cards With Metal Gear Acid 2 (80 Metacritic Score, PSP)

Solid Snake in Metal Gear Acid 2

A year following the surprisingly successful Acid came a more impressive sequel in Metal Gear Acid 2. The first thing players will notice with Acid 2 is the new cel-shaded visuals making it easier to ascertain the action on the screen. Acid 2 also came with a peripheral for the PSP called the "Solid Eye Tobidacid," which allowed players to play Acid 2 in stereoscopic 3D.

Acid 2 received praise for how it built upon the original Acid by improving many of the original's flaws such as its visuals, menu system, and learning curve.

9 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Ramps Up The Energy And The Nanomachines (80 Metacritic Score, PS3)

Raiden in Metal Gear Rising

After Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots brought Solid Snake's story to a close, the Metal Gear series continued through Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. MGR was developed by PlatinumGames after a rocky development in original Kojima Productions. MGR brings Raiden back into the starring role as he seeks to take down a private military company that is plotting to create conflict for profit.

MGR received praise for its exhilarating sword combat, which allowed players to make precise slashes with Raiden's sword. Despite this, the combat also saw criticism for its lack of depth.

8 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Is A Worthy Remake Of Metal Gear Solid (85 Metacritic Score, GameCube)

Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes Stealth Gameplay

With how influential the original MGS was, it made perfect sense to remake it. Similar to the original Resident Evil, MGS saw a remake for the Nintendo GameCube titled Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. Twin Snakes utilizes Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty's engine and gameplay while adding new cutscenes and re-recorded voiced lines.

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Even though Twin Snakes was praised as a worthy remake of MGS, it's the game's reliance on MGS2 that received criticism. Twin Snakes did not alter MGS' maps and fights to better accommodate the new engine and first-person capabilities, which made certain sections and bosses trivial.

7 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Introduced A Traditional Metal Gear Solid To The PSP (87 Metacritic Score, PSP)

Naked Snake holding an enemy hostage in Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops

The PSP didn't see just card game spinoffs of Metal Gear. It also saw fully-fledged Metal Gear titles. The first of these was Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. Portable Ops takes places years after the events of MGS3: Snake Eater, and pits Naked Snake (Big Boss) against his old FOX Unit in South America.

Portable Ops would later receive an expansion in the form of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus adding a host of new improvements, primarily geared toward the recruitment and army system. The game received praise for its engaging story and its addicting recruiting system. Though, the lack of a second analog stick created numerous gameplay hurdles.

6 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Was Big Step Up From Portable Ops (89 Metacritic Score, PSP)

Naked Snake hiding behind a truck in Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker

Not to be outdone, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker expanded on much of what made Portable Ops so entertaining to create the ultimate portable Metal Gear experience. Peace Walker focuses primarily on Naked Snake's attempt to build a mercenary faction Militaires Sans Frontières in the country of Costa Rica. Peace Walker later saw a console release as a part of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection.

The large scale of Peace Walker, both in terms of gameplay and story, resulted in some critics believing Peace Walker was worthy of the originally planned Metal Gear Solid 5 moniker.

5 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Was Well-Received Despite Its Glaring Flaws (93 Metacritic Score, PS4)

Miller and Venom Snake on Mother Base in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

After the destruction of Militaires Sans Frontières, Big Boss awakens from a nearly decade-long coma. Now utilizing the codename "Venom Snake," his pursuit of revenge takes him to Afghanistan. MGS5: The Phantom Pain features a fully open world and a mission structure similar to Peace Walker.

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While The Phantom Pain's stealth gameplay received an overwhelming amount of praise, many critics and fans felt the story didn't reach a satisfying conclusion. This criticism was amplified upon the discovery of a cut mission showcased in the Blu-ray shipped alongside The Phantom Pain's Collector's Edition.

4 Metal Gear Solid Put The Metal Gear Series On The Map (94 Metacritic Score, PS1)

 Solid Snake hiding behind a tank in PlayStation's Metal Gear Solid.

The original MGS was a revolutionary game, one that set an incredibly high bar for video game stories by featuring long-winded cinematic cutscenes with full voice-acting. It wasn't just the story that drew players into MGS. There was stealth gameplay and memorable boss fights. One boss, in particular, Psycho Mantis, is still cited as creating one of the most mind-blowing moments in video game history.

MGS was an immediate critical and commercial success and is frequently brought up as one of the greatest video games of all time. MGS' legacy extends far beyond its own walls by influencing numerous stealth and cinematic games in the decades that followed.

3 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Is Top Notch (91 Metacritic Score, PS2)

Naked Snake (Big Boss) saluting The Boss' grave in Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater

All good stories have a beginning, and for Metal Gear the true beginning was told in MGS3. MGS3 tells the story of Naked Snake on his first major mission: to rescue rocket scientist, Nikolai Sokolov, and demolish whatever weapon the Soviet Union is working on. Naked Snake is also tasked with assassinating his mentor, The Boss, who is labeled a traitor by the United States for aiding Colonel Volgin of the Soviet Union.

MGS3 was praised for its simpler story that was much easier to digest compared to MGS2. MGS3 was also praised for its outdoor environments that provided a refreshing take on stealth gameplay.

2 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots Taught An Old Snake New Tricks (94 Metacritic Score, PS3)

Metal Gear Solid 4's Old Snake

MGS4 was faced with the monumental task of wrapping up Solid Snake's story and any other potential loose threads. For the most part, it succeeded. Although, that did require the longest cutscenes in video game history. Due to rapid aging in his genome, Solid Snake, taking on the name Old Snake, is in a race against time to stop Liquid Ocelot's grand scheme.

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MGS4 sported some of the most gorgeous console visuals at the time, which may still wow players even today. Critics also praised MGS4 for its camouflage system and vast level of replayability.

1 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty Was Far Ahead Of Its Time (96 Metacritic Score, PS2)

Konami Metal Gear Solid 2 was hotly anticipated at E3

The first thing that comes to many players' minds when they think of MGS2 is the infamous bait-and-switch that saw players playing a majority of the game as a new character, Raiden. Over time, many players began viewing this decision as a genius move and felt MGS2's story wouldn't function without it.

Some critics found MGS2's story to be on the confusing side while other critics appreciated its deep philosophical nature. Today, MGS2's story is credited for being ahead of its time with a storyline that has continually found relevance through modern events. Combine that story with tight stealth gameplay, it's easy to see why MGS2 is such a timeless game.

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