Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots might very well be the most overlooked entry in the Metal Gear franchise, and a big reason for that is its PS3 exclusivity. Indeed, while countless classic games from the PS3 and Xbox 360 era have either been ported or remastered for modern platforms, Metal Gear Solid 4 is one of very few titles that are completely landlocked to the PlayStation 3, unplayable through any other means besides PS3 emulation, which is notoriously rocky.
To make matters worse, Metal Gear Solid 4 isn’t even available via PS Plus streaming, unlike so many other PS3-only titles incompatible with PS4/PS5.
That all changes now, though, as Konami has just officially announced Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2., a bundle of remastered Metal Gear games following 2023’s Master Collection Vol. 1. That first volume features the first five Metal Gear titles, starting with 1987’s Metal Gear for the MSX2 computer system, up to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. This bundle was welcomed by most gamers with open arms, although it was rather disappointing that it only included the most easily accessible Metal Gear games, for the most part. But as the Vol. 1 part of the name suggested, Konami had plans for Kojima’s other iconic stealth-action games, which were confirmed in this month’s State of Play.
Every other Metal Gear game, up to and including Metal Gear Solid 5 (and Metal Gear Solid Survive, for that matter), is relatively easy to access on modern hardware. Even before the release of the first Master Collection, the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on PS3 and Xbox 360 made playing MGS1, MGS2, MGS3, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker a fairly straightforward affair. MGS1, MGS2, and MGSV all have native PC versions as well, though these are widely considered inferior to the improved Master Collection editions.
The point is, all the games in the Kojima Metal Gear canon have been accessible, making it easy to play the entire franchise from start to finish on a single platform—with the exception of Metal Gear Solid 4. This is an even bigger issue than it may first appear, since MGS4 is by no means an irrelevant or “skippable” entry in the franchise. In some ways, it’s actually the entry that brings the entire, convoluted story together.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Metal Gear Solid 4 Is the Series’ Most Narratively Dense and Ambitious Game to Date
As many, even those unfamiliar with Metal Gear, are aware, the franchise’s release order is not the same as its chronological order. Here are the mainline Metal Gear games, listed in order of their place on the timeline:
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes
- Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
- Metal Gear
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
- Metal Gear Solid
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
It’s obviously a bit complicated, and I won’t attempt to make sense of the overarching Metal Gear story here, but it should go without saying that Metal Gear Solid 4 is the culmination of everything that came before it. The game follows Solid Snake in the mid-2010s, while he is rapidly deteriorating due to his accelerated aging, as he resolves his relationships with central figures like Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, and Meryl Silverburgh from MGS1. It’s a swansong for the Metal Gear franchise in more ways than one, making great efforts to both explain its convoluted sci-fi lore and offer emotional send-offs for big characters.
As of February 2026, Metal Gear Solid 4 still holds the record for longest-ever video game cutscene, at 71 minutes. This is a good example of the game’s focus on narrative.
I would go as far as to say that, if you want to really understand the Metal Gear timeline, and in a satisfying way, Metal Gear Solid 4 is more important than just about any other game in the series. Despite being the last entry chronologically, it functions much like a puzzle piece, as there are many aspects of MGS5 and Ground Zeroes that make little to no sense without the context of MGS4. This is why the game’s absence from modern platforms has been so frustrating, and why its inclusion in the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2 is so exciting, overdue as it may be.
- Released
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June 12, 2008
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Crude Humor, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Engine
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Havok
