Metal Gear Solid is one of the most beloved franchises of all time. From the moment of its debut on the MSX2 in 1987 all the way through to 2018’s somewhat ill-advised Metal Gear Survive, Hideo Kojima’s stealth-action series has experienced incredible highs and controversial moments alike. Many gamers cut their teeth on 1998’s seminal Metal Gear Solid, a PlayStation game that honed the concept of cinematic gaming and showed a generation of gamers that it was possible to play a game that really felt like a movie.
With that legacy secured, then, many gamers are looking to the future and asking whether we will see a Metal Gear Solid collection on PS5. It’s not outside the realms of possibility, after all; there are some Metal Gear experiences that are either difficult or impossible to experience on current-gen console hardware. Whether or not this happens is down entirely to Konami, the company that owns the Metal Gear IP. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons there could be a Metal Gear Solid pack on the PS5 (and some of the reasons this might never happen).
Metal Gear Solid got a PC re-release
One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for a Metal Gear Solid collection on PS5 is the fact that the first game in the series was re-released for PC in 2020. True, the re-releases aren’t particularly inspired; they’re fairly bare-bones ports of the games that won’t set any PC gamers’ hearts alight. Still, it shows that Konami remains interested in maximising the potential of the Metal Gear IP, and it’s hard to imagine the company passing up on the potential profit involved in re-releasing the rest of the games in the series, especially on a console as popular as the PS5.
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection exists
We already know Konami is capable of re-releasing Metal Gear Solid titles thanks to the existence of 2012’s Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. This pack includes Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, all of which have been remastered for the seventh console generation. Since this collection exists, we know that Konami is interested in preserving its past; whatever the company does with other properties, it’s clear that Metal Gear Solid is staying on Konami’s radar. We’re sure more re-releases are incoming.
Rumours are swirling of a Metal Gear Solid remake
Back in October 2021, an Irish musician revealed that she’d written a song for a “big” PlayStation announcement, which she said would be unveiled around Christmas 2021. Unfortunately, Christmas has come and gone without an announcement, although it’s possible Sony is still planning to announce something soon. Eagle-eyed viewers quickly spotted that the credits song for Metal Gear Solid, “The Best Is Yet To Come”, has lyrics in Irish, suggesting that the game in question is a Metal Gear Solid remake. Of course, this would need Konami’s approval as well, but it’s not entirely impossible.
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is no longer available
In November 2021, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection was removed from the PlayStation Store. This means that unless you’ve got a PS3 or a PS Vita and a physical copy of the game (or the game is downloaded onto your system), it’s currently impossible to play these games. Konami should surely seek to rectify this situation as soon as possible; it won’t want to waste potential new players discovering the games, which they currently can’t do unless they begin some way into the story. The collection being unavailable to play feels like a crime to us.
You can play Metal Gear Solid 4 on PS Now
While Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots isn’t available to buy on the PlayStation Store right now, you can stream the game if you happen to have a PS Now subscription. Sony’s PlayStation streaming service is doing a decent job of preserving some of the games that are no longer available to buy, but the selection isn’t big enough by far. A Metal Gear Solid collection on PS5 would go a long way towards rectifying this situation; right now, the series is only playable in a piecemeal fashion, and only if you play the games on various different platforms.
Prior rumours didn’t materialise
One rumour that got its start via 4Chan (so, you know, pinch of salt) posited that a Metal Gear Solid collection was on its way to PS5 in September 2021. Obviously, that didn’t happen, thereby demonstrating that 4Chan isn’t a reliable source for gaming leaks (who knew?). However, there’s a good chance that Sony and Konami could have agreed on the terms for this collection and simply deferred the release date without announcing it, so the failure of the collection to appear in September doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t exist at all.
2023 could be the year
Metal Gear Solid will be 25 years old in 2023. It stands to reason, then, that if there’s going to be a Metal Gear Solid PS5 collection, it would probably debut in 2023 to mark the anniversary of the first game in the series (not counting Metal Gear, of course). As such, although a Metal Gear Solid collection isn’t out of the question, it’s not likely that a collection like this would materialise in 2022. We can likely expect to wait another year before we get to play the games we loved as kids and younger gamers, but until then, there’s always Metal Gear Solid V.
