Metal Gear
Metal Gear is a 1987 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the MSX2. Originally released in Japan and parts of Europe in July 1987, it is the first mainline game in the Metal Gear series, the fifth chronologically, and the first video game developed by Hideo Kojima. Players control Solid Snake, an operative of the U.S. special forces unit FOXHOUND, who is sent on a solo infiltration mission into the fortified state of Outer Heaven to destroy Metal Gear, a bipedal mecha capable of launching nuclear missiles to anywhere in the world, as well as rescue a number of fellow agents who have been taken hostage by the enemy.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1987
- Developer
- Konami
- Platforms
- 3 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 7 July 1987 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Konami |
| Publisher | Ultra Games, Konami |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation Vita |
| Genres | Action Adventure |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q6552947, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Metal Gear? How long to beat it
Total play time for Metal Gear is about 5.3 hours to do everything, and around 4.1 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 4.1h | 310 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 5h | 96 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 5.3h | 90 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Metal Gear sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Metal Gear lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 39ahead of 2% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 52ahead of 90% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Metal Gear
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where Metal Gear appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Metal Gear qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Part of the Metal Gear series
Metal Gear is one of 10 Metal Gear games we track. See the whole series ranked by the GamingPickz Score, plotted on the grid, and listed in release order:
Common questions about Metal Gear
What platforms is Metal Gear on?
Metal Gear is available on Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation Vita. It first released in 1987.
Who made Metal Gear?
Metal Gear was developed by Konami and published by Ultra Games, Konami.
How long does it take to beat Metal Gear?
about 4.1 hours for the main story, 5 hours with the main extras, 5.3 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.