Despite spending most of the 2010s and 2020s on ice, the Metal Gear series remains one of the most iconic in gaming history. The games helped revolutionize storytelling in the industry, as they included cinematic cutscenes and excellent voice-acting performances before they became the norm.

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On top of that, Metal Gear helped popularise the stealth genre and introduced many of the conventions of those games that are still seen today. So, the series deserves to go down as one of the most influential in recent memory. However, not every title in the Metal Gear family deserves praise. After all, there are a bunch of mediocre spin-offs and mobile titles. The following ones are the instalments that do deserve the plaudits.

7 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker screenshot Of One Player Choking Guard While Another Aims Their Guns

Originally, Peace Walker was a handheld-exclusive title, but it has since been ported to home consoles. Because it was designed for handheld play, it's significantly different from the MGS games that came before. For example, missions are shorter and some mechanics, such as CQC, are simpler. Yet, this doesn't completely hurt the appeal of the game, as it's still a solid entry in the series. In fact, it's an important instalment, as it introduced the base management mechanic that is prevalent in The Phantom Pain.

The story takes place post-MGS3 and stars a Big Boss who isn't sure if he's worthy of the title. He's also unsure about the American government since they essentially tricked him into killing his mentor. Thus, he starts his own mercenary group, and they investigate a mysterious organization operating in Costa Rica. It's a classic Metal Gear tale, with the bonus that you can play through it with a friend.

6 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Metal Gear Solid Rising Revengeance Screenshot Of Raiden In Full Armor Holding Sword

Rising: Revengeance is definitely a unique Metal Gear game. This isn't too surprising since it wasn't developed by Hideo Kojima. Instead, PlatinumGames made the game. As a result, it's not a traditional stealth title. Revengeance is more of a high-octane, hack-and-slash game with minimal sneaking elements.

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While it's a significant departure for the series, it's actually a really good game. In fact, it's one of the best in the genre. And the change in style makes sense because Raiden, in all his cyborg ninja glory, serves as the protagonist. Four years after MGS4, he is working for a PMC and is trying to stop a rival company from disturbing peaceful nations. The story is surprisingly compelling, considering the main focus of the game is to provide exciting action set pieces and over-the-top boss battles, which it also accomplishes.

5 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain Screenshot Of Big Boss Standing With Kaz and Other Soldiers

The Metal Gear fanbase was concerned about The Phantom Pain long before it was released. This is because iconic Snake voice actor, David Hayter, wasn't returning to the role. He was replaced with a more Hollywood-friendly name in Kiefer Sutherland. While he wasn't quite Hayter, he did okay as Big Boss. The choice of voice actor ended up being a moot point anyway since the protagonist says a lot less than usual in this title.

The story revolves around him, Kaz, and Ocelot rebuilding their army after it was destroyed in Ground Zeroes. On top of that, they're dealing with a mysterious villain known as Skull Face and a deadly vocal parasite. This premise leads to several fantastic moments, but the overall storytelling isn't quite to the usual Metal Gear standards. But the game makes up for that by providing the best stealth gameplay the series has ever produced.

4 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 2 Screenshot Of Ocelot and Solidus Snake Talking

The second Metal Gear Solid title is most known for surprising everyone by putting Solid Snake into the role of a secondary character and introducing Raiden as the protagonist. It can't be considered a nice surprise, as fans weren't happy about it. Thankfully, though, MGS2 does a lot of other things right. It expands on the original's gameplay, making it a lot more polished and fun to play. Plus, the game contains an incredible number of fascinating hidden details.

In terms of story, the main portion of the game sees Raiden enter a big oil cleanup facility that has been taken over by terrorists who have kidnapped the president. So, the premise is simple enough, but the narrative quickly gets more complex in classic MGS fashion. In fact, this one takes the confusion levels to an all-time high. But if you pay close attention, you get to experience a smart and engaging tale.

3 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots

metal gear solid 4 screenshot Of Old Snake Aiming Pistol

By Metal Gear Solid 4, the series was already famous for its deep storytelling and abundance of cutscenes. MGS4 seems to double down on the concept, as the number of long cutscenes is ridiculous. So much so that by the time the credits roll, you feel like you've barely played the game. This is the biggest criticism of the title, as the actual gameplay is great, but there's just not enough of it.

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Thankfully, the story itself is an amazing one. At its core, it's about a rapidly aging Solid Snake attempting to stop Liquid Ocelot once-and-for-all. Unfortunately for him, his main rival has a few major tricks up his sleeve. That's not all that's going on, as the narrative takes all the dangling plot threads from the previous entries and brings them together. This helps bring the story of Solid Snake and Big Boss to a satisfying and conclusive end, which elevates the quality of this title significantly.

2 Metal Gear Solid

Gray Fox Holding Sword In Metal Gear Solid

While it wasn't the first Metal Gear game, the original Metal Gear Solid truly established the series as an amazing one. Plus, it is an early example of the sort of deep and compelling stories games are capable of producing. The said story is about Solid Snake attempting to infiltrate Shadow Moses to stop his brother Liquid and the rest of the terrorist group.

Anyone who knows Metal Gear knows that there is more to the tale than the premise makes it seem. And this is the game that truly created the series' reputation for having complex and emotional narratives where the characters aren't always who they initially seem to be. Yet, storytelling isn't the only thing about this game that was ahead of its time. The game also popularized the stealth genre and pioneered several mechanics that are now staples of those games. The best of all is that it holds up pretty well for a title that came out in 1998.

1 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid 3 Screenshot Of The Boss Firing Weapon

The first prequel in the series showed that Metal Gear doesn't need to be set in the present day. And Naked Snake doesn't need all the fancy tech his son/clone uses. Well, he does use some decent tech throughout the game, but he mostly relies on his wits and survival skills. The latter is a big part of what makes this game stand out. Along with sneaking around, the protagonist has to survive within the jungle, meaning he must heal injuries and find food. It adds an intriguing element to the traditional stealth gameplay.

What makes this title one of the all-time greats, though, is the story. Naked Snake has to enter Soviet Union territory to accomplish several things. Yet, the main one is to take down his old mentor, The Boss. Their closeness immediately makes this an emotional tale. But they aren't the game's only compelling characters. EVA, a young Ocelot, and Colonel Volgin also have large parts to play. The relationships between all these characters are what drive the narrative forward. They help make the chronologically first Metal Gear into the best one.

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