Metal Gear Solid vs Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Metal Gear Solid is an action-adventure game from Konami (1998) while Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is an action-adventure FPS game (2010).
Quick answer: Metal Gear Solid has the higher Metacritic, 94 to 89.
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
What each one is
Metal Gear Solid is filed under Action-Adventure. In contrast, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker under Action-Adventure and FPS.
Metal Gear Solid is a 1998 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation. Directed, produced, and written by Hideo Kojima, the game is the third mainline installment in the Metal Gear series, the seventh chronologically, and serves as a sequel to the MSX2 game Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990). The game's story follows Solid Snake, a former Special Forces operative who is pulled out of retirement by the U.S. government to infiltrate Shadow Moses, a nuclear weapons facility that has been taken over by rogue unit FOXHOUND, led by Liquid Snake. Solid Snake must liberate hostages and prevent FOXHOUND from using Metal Gear REX, a mecha capable of delivering a nuclear warhead anywhere in the world, while confronting his own origins.
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 Metal Gear Solid takes place in an alternate history in which the Cold War continued into the 1990s, ending at some point near the end of the 20th century. The game takes place in 2005, six years after the events of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake , and form the third chapter in an overarching plot concerning the character of Solid Snake. Characters Main article: List of Metal Gear characters § Introduced in Metal Gear Solid The protagonist is Solid… (Wikipedia)
Characters
Main article: List of Metal Gear characters § Introduced in Metal Gear Solid The protagonist is Solid Snake ( Akio Otsuka / David Hayter ), a legendary infiltrator and saboteur. During the mission, Snake receives support and advice via codec radio. Colonel Roy Campbell , Solid Snake's former commanding officer , supports Snake with information and tactics. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Prior to release, the game's demonstrations at several trade shows between 1996 and 1998 had received a positive response. This had generated significant worldwide interest in the game prior to its release in 1998. Critical reception Metal Gear Solid received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator website Metacritic . (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 | Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 94/100 | 89/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 1998 | 2010 |
| Developer | Konami | — |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Metal Gear Solid 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 SolidAction-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 SolidNo 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 ✓Metacritic 94Metal Gear Solid: Peace WalkerMetacritic 89Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
Metal Gear SolidUnknownMetal Gear Solid: Peace WalkerUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Metal Gear Solid 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 (Metacritic 94)
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Metal Gear Solid 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 and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in scope?
Metal Gear Solid lists little scope data. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker lists little scope data.
Is Metal Gear Solid 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 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 or Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker?
Metal Gear Solid has the higher Metacritic, 94 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.