Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection

• 1. Introduction

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  Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection traces its origins to a disappearance. In November 2021, Konami pulled Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater from digital storefronts, citing expired licenses. The publisher offered no timeline for their return. Seven months passed. In July 2022, Konami confirmed plans to bring the games back, tied to the series' 35th anniversary. A new compilation was in development, one designed to let players experience the games exactly as they were first released. Vol. 1 landed on the 24th of October 2023. Somewhere in the project's future lay an even larger challenge: finally releasing Metal Gear Solid 4 beyond the PlayStation 3.

• 2. Building the Archive

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  Bluepoint Games developed the HD Edition remasters of Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 for the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection in 2011. Those conversions form the backbone of the equivalent entries in Vol. 1. The collection launched across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. A PlayStation 4 release was confirmed in August 2023 and arrived the same day as the other versions. PS4 owners received a free upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version. Metal Gear (1987) and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990) share a single application covering their MSX2 releases. Metal Gear Solid (1998) and its two numbered sequels each receive their own standalone applications. Metal Gear Solid: Integral, the Japanese-exclusive expanded version, is included here; for North American players, it marks its first available release outside Japan. The NES versions of Metal Gear and Snake's Revenge are bundled as bonus content, exclusive to buyers of the full collection. M2, known for other Konami compilation work, handled emulation for the NES titles and Metal Gear Solid entries, covering their regional variants. In North America and Europe, the Switch physical release puts only the MSX2 and NES games on the cartridge. Remaining content requires a separate download. The Japanese physical release includes the original Metal Gear Solid on the game card as well.

• 3. Dossiers and Motion Comics

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  The motion comic Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel was originally released for the PlayStation Portable in 2006. Its companion piece, Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinée, launched exclusively in Japanese on DVD in 2008. Both had previously appeared with full English voice acting in the Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection in 2013. Vol. 1 includes both. Alongside these, each game in the collection comes with digital copies of its original box art and instruction manuals. The Master Book dossiers for each title compile character profiles, narrative details, and each game's place in the franchise's internal lore. Full game screenplays are included, giving players the complete text of each game's scripted events. An in-game music selection features twenty curated tracks from each game. Vocal tracks from the three main Metal Gear Solid games were remixed as pre-order bonuses. 'The Best is Yet to Come' from Metal Gear Solid received a remix, as did 'Snake Eater' from Metal Gear Solid 3. 'Can't Say Goodbye To Yesterday' from Sons of Liberty was also included as a remixed bonus. GameSpot writer Richard Wakeling specifically cited the Master Book dossiers and screenplays as standout elements of the package.

• 4. A Rough Launch

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  Before release, Konami announced that PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S versions would run all games at 1080p and up to 60 FPS. After release, the games proved to be locked at 720p across all platforms. The Nintendo Switch version's 30 FPS cap attracted scrutiny. The Shield TV version, derived from the same Nvidia Tegra X1 chip as the Switch, ran the same games at 60 FPS. This gap was described as 'bizarre.' The PC version launched without graphics or audio options.

  The Nintendo Switch version scored 78 out of 100 on Metacritic, the highest of any platform. Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions scored 74 out of 100. Critics praised the collection's comprehensive range and presentation but noted the technical shortcomings. Konami described the situation as a 'rough launch' and continued releasing patches throughout the collection's first year. Some reviewers felt that improvements implemented after launch should have been present from the start. In September 2024, Noriaki Okumura confirmed that Vol. 2 was in development. He acknowledged that Vol. 1 had launched in a state 'less desirable for players.'

• 5. Guns of the Patriots

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  Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was released for PlayStation 3 in 2008. Of all the main entries in the Metal Gear franchise, it was the only one never ported beyond its original hardware. Okumura noted that most Metal Gear titles released after Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater had not been developed for high-definition consoles. Few had been later ported to capable platforms. Those constraints shaped the curation choices for Vol. 2.

  Vol. 2 was announced in February 2026. Its contents include Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010). Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (2000), originally released for the Game Boy Color, joins as a bonus game. The collection is scheduled for release on the 27th of August, 2026, for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. Vol. 2 will also include a full restoration of the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, originally published on PlayStation 3. That application documented the entire series' canon lore through the events of Guns of the Patriots. For the first time, players will be able to access it on platforms beyond the PlayStation 3.