Ranking the Metal Gear Solid Games From The Original To The Phantom Pain

The Metal Gear Solid series has served as one of the most unique entities in the gaming world since it began back in 1998.

[aaronaton]

1. MGS3 - Everything aspect was refined (characters and 1st person aim for instance)
2. MGS2 - Amazing visuals and gameplay (everyone remembers that E3 trailer...GOAT)
3. MGS1 - Pioneering stealth gameplay and unique boss battles (breaking the 4th wall with Mantis etc)
4. MGS4 - Proper MGO, unique experience from the likes of COD etc (MGS3 MGO paved the way for MGO2)
5. MGS5 - Great replay-ability due to the sandbox based gameplay (hospital opening chapter is another GOAT contender) MGO3 lacked what made it great in MGS4, far too casual.

Can't comment on Peace Walker as i never played it, but i can imagine it fits in the top 3 in people's opinion.

[Steven87i]

I agree with you MGS3 is the best i love the camoflauge system so cool

[umair_s51]

There was a no wrong answer... they're all great. For me
3
4
1
5
2

I think ground zeroes was excellent. Phantom pain story was blah

[Gaming101]

It's difficult to judge because story is such a major factor in MGS games.
Let's just assume gameplay evolved and graphics got progressively better with each game, as we can all agree.

Story wise MGS1 was the most heavily influenced by Tom Clancy novels, as Kojima was reading a lot of those at the time, and it became the most classic story that made the most sense. It was also the most American story, being heavily influenced by American novels.

MGS 3 gets second place only because the motivations of a few key characters made absolutely no sense.

The rest are nonsensical Japanese anime levels of ridiculousness. They made zero sense, although I do see what greater themes Kojima was trying to convey that were more meta than just the plot.

[Asuka]

This is pretty much my take on the series as well

[Imalwaysright]

MGS3 still is the best game I ever played.

[TheSinsibleOne]

For me.
1. MGS 4
2. MSG 3
3. MGS 1
4. MGS 2
5. MGS 5
6. MGS Peace Walker

[jambola]

For me
2
peace walker
1
5
4
3

[JonTheGod]

3 at the bottom?!?!

[Newmanator]

Did you not play MGS3?

[jambola]

I just couldn't enjoy it as much
mostly the stealth was slowed down to a ridiculous level where you couldn't sneak up no matter how slow unless you were usuign the d-pad

[theshredded]

I'd rank em as 3, 5, 4, 1, 2, PW . I'd also want to mention that I started sometime in 2006 with MGS3 first so the graphics surely had a factor.

[MWH]

Each had its pros and cons but in the end nothing beats the first.

[Mr_Writer85]

Only really played from MGS.

But for me

MGS3
MGS
MGS2
MGS4
MGS5

I really disliked 5. A bit too open like 4.

[jeromeface]

Espionage sandbox was the whole point of 5....

[Mr_Writer85]

Yeah I didn't like it.

I liked the smaller linear gameplay. That's why 3 and 1 are so high.

[giovonni]

I agree, I really didn’t like it either. I think it was a big bland world and needless things to do in it. Base building was also almost pointless. I mean, what’s the benefit of having the option for my horse to sh!T?

[Mr_Writer85]

Yeah, I wanted to like it, but it just couldn't click.

Not that 5 is a bad game, I can understand why others would like it, even love it. Just not for me.

[jambola]

I think 5 was great when actually doing things, but yeah definitely too open with nothing in it

[DarXyde]

I hate this list.

It's hard to rank them. These games have such a level of balance between elements that you'd need to focus on one aspect and rank them accordingly. Each of them has something inherently excellent. In terms of gameplay, it's very hard to dispute The Phantom Pain being number one. In terms of narrative, I would give the nod to Snake Eater. For a game being extremely underrated and really ahead of its time, Sons of Liberty is my pick. For which one really broke convention about our understanding of games, Metal Gear Solid. I also don't like the criticisms of the portable entries. Those were mighty impressive, especially as PSP titles.

Which one balances them the best though, it really depends on where your priorities are. Overall, I suppose I would say Snake Eater balances everything the best. My opinion, of course.

[generic-user-name]

1. MGS 3 - Great self-contained story, best female character ever with The Boss, superb boss fights, great change of setting for the series. This is how you do a prequel.

2. MGS 1 - Groundbreaking, the first truly cinematic game, great boss fights, great stealth action plus action set pieces.

3. MGS 2 - This game got better with age, it's storyline turned out to be prophetic. Super meta, craziest twist of all time with Raiden. Super technically advanced for it's time.

4. MGS 4 - Refined gameplay, finally modernised control scheme, incredibly polished, octocamo was cool, somehow wrapped up nearly all of the loose ends of the previous game. Great end to a great series.

5. MGS PW - MGS on the go, building motherbase up was addictive. Intriguing storyline. Boss fights not great, comic book cutscenes also felt like a step back. Still a really great game.

6. MGS V - Best stealth gameplay out there, sandbox allows for lots of replayability. Story was a mess, unfinished thanks to Konami/Kojima conflict. Skull Face was a joke.

[CDbiggen]

Couldn't agree more. They all had something special about them, not just more of the same each entry.

[Vanfernal]

Good list. It's crazy how MGS2 becomes even more relevant with age.

[G1L]

For me:
1 Mgs1 - incredibly advanced for its time. Memorable characters, intrincated narrative with lots of twists, innovative gameplay. All of this on the ps1. Marked an Era and was very ahead of any game out at the time.
2 Mgs3 - great characters, great story, curated gameplay and graphics pushing ps2 to the limit
3 Mgs4 - cool characters, super convoluted but deep narrative, gameplay further enhanced, graphics pushing ps3 to the limit
4 Mgs2 - part playing with rayden felt like a drawback, good story, good graphics (for the time), ok characters.
5 MGSV - ok characters, ok story, was in fact a "side story" to the whole mgs saga of the previous ones, innovative asymmetric online. Stealth gameplay super refined but repetitive activities and missions. Great narrative twist. Bad mp portion (the one that was made by a separate dev team).
6 Mgs peace walker - great mp fun, ok story and characters, pushed psp to the limits graphically and gameplay wise. Huge replayability.

Recently I achieved mgs5 plat and, after playing all msgs, felt like the end of an Era. Hope u guys like my montage ;)

https://youtu.be/BzmaUwrlAG...

[lellkay]

From Best to Worst for me

1. MGS
2. MGS 3
3. MGS 2
4. MGS 5
5. MGS4

[PS4Gamer1984]

MGS3 is not only the best in the series, it's also the best video game of all time period.

[Ninver]

Ranked by the ones I've played.

MGS3
MGS1
MGS2
MGS4

MGS5 an acquired taste.

MGS6 well screw konami!

[Fraggle1987]

For me:

Mgs 4
Mgs 2
Mgs 1
Mgs 3
Phantom pain

[Shane Kim]

1,4,3,2,5

[DragonWarrior19]

For me it's:
3
Peace Walker
4
1
5 (including Ground Zeroes)
2

[Petebloodyonion]

You just know that this article is a click and bait when you see the no logic of the list.

Personally, my #1 would still be the original MGS1 ( Can you name a flaw in the original?) but that is not my point.

The author named MGS5 the best one and even said that it would be a divisive choice now the problem lies that the Peace walker is #7 on the list.
If MGS5 is so great then MGS Peace walker should easily be #2 or 3 since MGS5 copy the core game of the PSP version minus the open world element. (PPL might have forgotten that Kojima used to call Peace Walker MGS5 when it was in development).

Now Unless MGS5 greatest strength is the bland open world It's basically the same game (Mission structure, capture soldier with futons, mother base, building a Metal Gear, etc)

So how Come Peace walker is barely last while MGS5 is top?
My answer: Click bait.

My list (I have put the best version to avoid double)

# 10 MGS Portable Ops Pus (PSP)
# 9 MGS Ground Zero (Pc version)
# 8 MGs portable ops (PSP)
# 7 MGS Ghost Babel (GBC)
# 6 MGS Peace Walker (PSP)
# 5 MGS V Phantom Pain (Ps4 version)
# 4 metal gear solid 2 substance (Xbox/PS2)
# 3 Metal Gears solid 3 Subsistance (Ps2)
# 2 MGS 4 Guns of the Patriots (ps3)
# 1 MGS The Twin Snake (GC)

[Chumdiddy]

For me, ignoring nostalgia and just ranking on quality of game:

3
1
2
4
5
PW

None being bad and the top 4 all being 90+/100 games. Five and PW are my least favorite but both were still very good in different ways. I just wasn't a huge fan of the base building stuff, despite loving sim/building games. It didn't click with me in MGS for some reason so the lack of story in 5 hurt a bit and PW has a great story (along with being a wonder technical achievement) but was mostly about the base building so I only played it the one time.

I love MGS1 the most but agree with many that MGS3 is the best game in the series.

[JRMVN]

MGS 4 (I enjoyed the story a lot and finished it numerous times and the online was just perfect.)
MGS 1 (perfect)
MGS 2 (good)
MGS 3 (good)
MGS 5 (I wouldn't even put this in the list if I could. One of the worst games I played. Story was just bland and Kojima just exploded with excuses of why it wasn't finished. If the game story went the way it was already showing, regardless it couldn't be saved.)

[franwex]

For me:
MGS3
MGS1
MGS5
MGS4
Peace Walker
MGS2
Portable OPs (did we all forget this was cannon-well, it was meh anyway).

[FRA85]

I liked big boss's character more than solid snake. Didn't like raiden. Apart from 2, I always considered solid as the bad guy. Was that just me? Also, I thought they should have just let liquid be dead after 1, thought ocelot was better as ocelot. But that's just me.

[FRA85]

Also don't think 5 was the finished article. Think hideo wanted to do a lot more with. Mgo on 4 was amazing.