Summary
Metal Gear Solidstarts and ends with the lineage of Big Boss, the first Snake. There have been many games in theMetal Gear Solidseries, and the mainline continuity has filled fans with intrigue, concerning predictions on the future, and a lot of love and fun for this tactical espionage action game series.
Metal Gear Solidmay beheavy on the cutscenes, but that’s only because it has a detailed story to tell, one, that when the controller is in the hands of the players, seems to get harder to play. EveryMetal Gear Solidgame features a difficulty that might deter or challenge players unfamiliar with the stealth mechanics, but some titles are much easier than others.
Updated on June 20, 2025, by Jake Fillery:Metal Gear Solid has had a rather big year already, thanks to the release of Solid Snake in Fortnite, the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake well on the way, and of course, Metal Gear’s father, Hideo Kojima, announcing a new tactical action espionage game in the works. It’s a good time to be a Metal Gear fan, yet, new players and old, might want to see which of the best Metal Gear games provides a hard enough experience to challenge players enough for the title of Big Boss himself. These entries include the mainline series, ranked by which is the hardest Metal Gear game.
Metal Gear Solid 5:Ground Zeroesis a strange case in theMetal Gear Solidseries. The game acts as a prologue to the mainMetal Gear Solid5and serves as essentially a playground for the new FOX Engine. InGround Zeroes, players can try out the new mechanics and gameplay that awaits them inThe Phantom Pain, whilst experiencing some fairly simple missions all set in the same location.
Ground Zeroesis a much more linear experience, as players will select a mission and be provided with a sandbox to try and fulfill it through any means.Ground Zeroesis perhaps the easiest, not only because it is so short, but because the gameplay is the smoothest it has ever been.
Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakesis the odd duck in the MGS family. Whilst the series has had many weird additions, Twin Snakes acts as a remake for the originalMetal Gear Solidand provides some more action-orientated cutscenes and some jokes that players might consider over-the-top and pretty corny when compared to the original’s smarter and patient level of jokes.
There are things to like aboutTwin Snakes, like the action, graphics, and controls, but it’s not as good as the original. In terms of difficulty, players are in for an easier time, as the sneaking mechanics are far easier, and boss health bars seem lacking, allowing players to easily wipe them out and continue to the next wild cutscene.
ConsideringGround Zeroesis the prologue to the main game ofThe Phantom Pain, it would make sense that this title is the second easiest in theMetal Gear Solidseries.Metal Gear Solid5has one of the best game engines that players would ever experience, withsuch attention to detailin not only its open world and mechanics but also in the smooth gameplay of stealth and action combined.
Players have intense freedom of movement with their controls, in which they can shoot in the third person, or first person, whilst diving and rolling. There’s also a large arsenal of loadouts to choose from, and if that’s not enough to make the game easier, then failing a mission multiple times will give players a chicken hat which makes enemies practically ignore them during stealth.
Theexploits of Big Bossemerge on the PSP withMetal Gear Solid:Peace Walker. In this game, players have a more linear story to experience, rather than the usual wide and open spaces of the otherMetal Gear Solidgames. In Peace Walker, players are mainly aiming to get from Point A to Point B, whilst killing, avoiding, or using a Fulton extraction on as many enemies as they desire to do so.
Peace Walkeris one of the easier titles of the franchise, considering it was originally released for the PSP, and later the Xbox 360 and PS3. The gameplay is more conserved thanks to its conception on a handheld device, making it easier and more accessible.
The conclusion to Solid Snake’s story,Metal Gear Solid4: Guns of the Patriotsis by no means an easy game, but when compared to the early iterations of theMetal Gearsaga, it’s up there as an easier title.Metal Gear Solid 4features better and more refined combat and gameplay, meaning players don’t have to stand still to shoot a gun.
The revision of gameplay and the extended camo system make gameplay more engaging for those who enjoy the thrill of combat, or just want to embark on a stealth mission. There are also more gadgets, and the third-person camera makes missions easier for more modern players.
The story that began it all,Metal Gear Solid3: Snake Eaterbrings the story of Naked Snake to life.Metal Gear Solid3is a fan favorite for a good reason, and the game takes a lot of care and craft to get everything just right.Players might find some difficultywith the game’s mechanics, as exploration and curiosity are recommended, as players can enhance and even skip certain boss fights with the right knowledge.
Metal Gear Solid3can still be a challenging experience, especially when players are on their own, and have to fend for themselves and discover secrets that they might not know about.Metal Gear Solid3is definitely a rewarding game to play, and theMetal Gear SolidDelta: Snake Eaterremake has many fans hopefulthat it can ignite the original’s charm once more.
The firstMetal Gear Solidgame wasa doozy and featured Solid Snakeembarking on his first mission in a 3D environment. As players enter Shadow Moses, they will find all manners of new and exciting mechanics and possibilities that were not available in theMetal Gearseries before. Yet, the fixed camera angles might be a bother to new players of the series who are used to third-person and over-the-shoulder POVs.
Despite the issues that some might have with the camera, the true difficulty lies within the boss fights, in which each boss and area plays slightly differently. Players have to commit to unique gimmicks to win, such is the way with Psycho Mantis.
A controversial entry at the time, but now one of the most beloved,Metal Gear Solid2: Sons of Libertytried something new, and it paid off.Metal Gear Solid2puts Solid Snake on the sidelines for a younger and more inexperienced operative known as Raiden. Fans at the time weren’t eager for this change of protagonist, but modern audiences are all the happier forRaiden and his story.
Yet, as a game,Metal Gear Solid2isn’t harder because of the discouragement of not playing as a Snake, but it’s harder due to the direction of its missions on Big Shell. Players might be aimlessly running around the large areas as they search for their next objective. Meanwhile, the fixed cameras might hurt some players’ stealth runs if they can’t see the whole area ahead.
