Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater vs Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is an action-adventure game from Konami (2004) while Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is an action-adventure FPS game (2010).
Quick answer: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has the higher Metacritic, 91 to 89.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
What each one is
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker under Action-Adventure and FPS.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a 2004 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. It was released in late 2004 in North America and Japan, and in early 2005 in Europe and Australia. Written, produced and directed by Hideo Kojima, the game is the fifth mainline installment in the Metal Gear series and the first chronologically, serving as a prequel to the entire series. Set in 1964, 31 years before the events of the original Metal Gear, the story centers on the FOX operative codenamed Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue Russian rocket scientist Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, sabotage an experimental superweapon, and assassinate his defected former boss.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is a 2010 stealth game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami. It is the seventh Metal Gear game written, directed, and designed by Hideo Kojima, and the fifth installment of the Metal Gear Solid series, as well as the fourth Metal Gear game made specifically for the PlayStation Portable, following Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. A remastered version of the game titled Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker — HD Edition was later released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as part of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection in North America and Europe and as a stand-alone retail release in Japan. The HD Edition of the game was included in the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 compilation for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on August 27, 2026.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Setting Snake Eater takes place in an alternate history of events, set within the Cold War during the 1960s. The game's story acts as a prequel to the entire Metal Gear series, exploring the origins of several events covered by previous games, as well as being the first chronological chapter in an overarching story following Big Boss. Characters Main article: List of characters in the Metal Gear series The protagonist of Snake Eater , Naked Snake ( David… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: List of characters in the Metal Gear series The protagonist of Snake Eater , Naked Snake ( David Hayter / Akio Ōtsuka ), known as Big Boss in subsequent games, is a young former Green Beret assigned to the CIA unit FOX . During his mission, Snake is assisted by fellow FOX members over his radio: Major Zero ( Jim Piddock / Banjō Ginga ), commander of FOX and a former member of the British Special Air Service (SAS), who provides Snake with… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Snake Eater was a commercial success, selling 2. 38 million units in Asia and America by December 2004, and 3. 6 million copies worldwide by August 2005. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Peace Walker begins on November 4, 1974. Big Boss is running his own mercenary unit in Colombia after leaving the United States, following the death of The Boss during Operation Snake Eater ten years prior. A mysterious paramilitary group equipped with a startling quantity of quality weapons, called the "Peace Sentinels", has been deployed in Costa Rica . (Wikipedia)
Characters
The game's returning protagonist is Big Boss , otherwise known as Snake ( David Hayter / Akio Ōtsuka ), who is leading a new mercenary group called Militaires Sans Frontières (commonly abbreviated as MSF). He is assisted in this endeavor by MSF deputy chief Kazuhira Miller ( Robin Atkin Downes / Tomokazu Sugita ). They are eventually joined later in the game by Sandinista rebel leader Amanda Valenciano Libre ( Grey DeLisle / Romi Park ) and her younger… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker On Metacritic , the game holds a score of 89, indicating "generally favorable reviews". It was given a perfect score of 40/40 in the May 5, 2010 issue of Japanese magazine Weekly Famitsu ; making it the fourteenth game to achieve a perfect score, as well as the first title for the PSP. PSM3 awarded the game 91%, commenting on the game's ability to "take the best bits from every Metal Gear Solid game – the… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 91/100 | 89/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 2004 | 2010 |
| Developer | Konami | — |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater vs Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterAction-adventure gameMetal Gear Solid: Peace WalkerAction-adventure FPS gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterNo descriptive tagsMetal Gear Solid: Peace WalkerNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater ✓Metacritic 91Metal Gear Solid: Peace WalkerMetacritic 89Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake EaterUnknownMetal Gear Solid: Peace WalkerUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Metacritic 91)
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
Common questions
How different are Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in scope?
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater lists little scope data. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker lists little scope data.
Is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater or Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater or Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater or Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker?
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater has the higher Metacritic, 91 to 89. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.