Used to identify the game, unaltered. Metal Slug wordmark, trademark of its owner, from the publisher's Steam store listing

Metal Slug

Catalogue entry · not reviewed · store data read 30 August 2026

“METAL SLUG ”, the very first title in SNK’s legendary 2D run & gun action shooting game series where all began, returns to the missions on the Steam gaming platform!

Player score

8.9/10

5,258 reviews

Released: 1996
Developer: Nazca Corporation
Platforms: 3 systems
Critics: Not scored
Steam Deck: playable
Download: 0.49 GB

We have not written a full review of this game.This is a catalogue entry: everything below comes from a source we can link, checked on a stated date. There is no score and no verdict here, because we only publish those after a reviewer has played the game and written it up properly. Our team may well have played this one. Until someone writes the review, we are not going to imply a verdict we have not put our name to.

What is Metal Slug?

“METAL SLUG ”, the very first title in SNK’s legendary 2D run & gun action shooting game series where all began, returns to the missions on the Steam gaming platform!

Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.

The record

Catalogue facts
First released	18 May 1996
Developer	Nazca Corporation
Publisher	SNK
Platforms	Arcade, PlayStation, Steam Deck
Genres	run and gun
Languages	8 supported

Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q14942984, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.

How was Metal Slug received?

Players89%positive of 5,258 · Very Positive

Achievements15on Steam

Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.

Accessibility

1 declared features

Method. Features the publisher declared on its own store page. A declaration is a floor, not a review.

What does it support?

Technical support
Capability	Support
Controller	full support
Cloud saves	No
Cross-platform play	No
Mod support	No official workshop
Online play	Yes
In-game purchases	No
Steam Deck	playable
Download size	0.49 GB
Add-on content	1 DLC listed
Age gate	None

Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.

What does it cost?

$7.99

Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.

Problems players report

We read the 219 most recent negative Steam reviews of Metal Slug on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.

Performance and stutter63 of 219 (29%)
Slowdowns, particularly in sound and music, plus irregular input latency make this port so very, very disappointing.
Steam review, 30 October 2020 · 2 hours played · 123 readers marked it helpful
I'm hesitant to say it's not worth your cash but know this before you buy - You are not getting anything other than a barebones, unoptimised and fundamentally graceless version of one of the best arcade shooters of the 90s.
Steam review, 26 June 2015 · 1 hours played · 43 readers marked it helpful
Controller and input25 of 219 (11%)
It runs poorly and has TERRIBLE input lag.
Steam review, 20 March 2026 · 0 hours played · 11 readers marked it helpful
metal slug 1 is the most sluggish of the series (pun intended) control wise, but with the added input lag of this port, its nearly unplayable for someone whos familiar with the real game.
Steam review, 9 December 2015 · 2 hours played · 11 readers marked it helpful
Crashes and freezes7 of 219 (3%)
Trying to get a friend to connect would sometimes crash the entire game, and performance is just downright awful.
Steam review, 13 April 2020 · 0 hours played · 8 readers marked it helpful
Frankly, the slowdowns and freezes are entirely inexplicable.
Steam review, 11 February 2023 · 0 hours played · 6 readers marked it helpful

A further 6 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.

Games like Metal Slug

24 games overlap with Metal Slug on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are METAL SLUG 3, Metal Slug 2 and Sonic Mania.

All 24 games like Metal Slug

Common questions about Metal Slug

What platforms is Metal Slug on?

Metal Slug is available on Arcade, PlayStation, Steam Deck. It first released in 1996.

How much does Metal Slug cost?

$7.99 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.

Do players recommend Metal Slug?

89% of 5,258 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Very Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.

Does Metal Slug work on Steam Deck?

Valve rates Metal Slug as playable on the Steam Deck, from its own testing.

How big is the Metal Slug download?

0.49 GB on PC, from the storage requirement on its Steam listing. Console versions differ.

Who made Metal Slug?

Metal Slug was developed by Nazca Corporation and published by SNK.