Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Overview

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a 2004 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. 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, the story centers on the FOX operative codenamed Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue Russian rocket scientist Nikolai Sokolov, sabotage the experimental superweapon Shagohod, and assassinate his defected former mentor, the Boss. While previous games were set in a primarily urban environment, Metal Gear Solid 3 adopts a 1960s Soviet jungle setting. Multiple new gameplay elements are added to match the setting, most notably camouflage, a new CQC combat system, player stamina that can be replenished by eating scavenged food, and an injury and treatment system.

Initially supposed to be developed for the PlayStation 3, Kojima moved development to the PlayStation 2 due to the long wait for the console. The jungle setting was difficult to develop for the game, requiring a new collision engine and planned features to be cut. Harry Gregson-Williams and Norihiko Hibino returned from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) to compose the score, with the latter writing the game's opening theme, "Snake Eater". The game was released in late 2004 in North America and Japan, and in early 2005 in Europe and Australia. An expanded edition, titled Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, was released in Japan in late 2005, then in North America, Europe and Australia in 2006; this version notably added a third-person camera to the main game and the online multiplayer component Metal Gear Online.

Metal Gear Solid 3 was met with critical acclaim, with many considering it an improvement over Sons of Liberty. Critics praised the narrative, characters, survival elements, and graphics, but some of the new gameplay mechanics and dated camera system were met with a more mixed reaction; the later Subsistence version would be praised for rectifying these issues. The game was also a commercial success, selling more than four million copies worldwide, and has since been considered one of the greatest video games of all time. A numbered sequel, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, was released in 2008, while a narrative sequel, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, was released in 2010. A remaster was included in the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (2011), which was rereleased in the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 (2023) compilation. A remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, was released in 2025.

Official trailer

Gameplay Video. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Shooter, Tactical, Adventure

Developer

Konami Computer Entertainment Japan

Publisher

Konami

Series

Metal Gear Solid

Platforms

PlayStation 2

Age rating

ESRB M

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

ACB

MA 15+

PEGI

16

ESRB

M

CLASS IND

14

CERO

Z

Release dates

Editions

Buy this game

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single-player only, with no online features.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Credits

Publisher

Konami

Developer

Konami Computer Entertainment Japan

Released

2004-11-17

Age rating

ESRB M

Region

US

Time to beat

about 16.6 hours