Despite consisting of primarily singleplayer games, the Metal Gear series hasn’t hesitated to pursue various multiplayer ventures since it launched over 30 years ago. It should go without saying that many of these efforts lack the scripted, cinematic flair seen in the games' campaigns, as such an element isn’t easily emulated online.
Many of these games try to adapt Metal Gear's intense stealth-action gameplay to a multiplayer environment with varying levels of success. They’re not all winners, but the series’ consistent attempts at multiplayer over the years have given rise to a few diamonds in the rough.
Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel
This hidden gem exclusive to the Game Boy Color is among the best Metal Gear spin-offs out there, and it was also the first to introduce multiplayer to the series. Players could use a link cable to engage in versus battles, where two Snakes could duke it out, not unlike the climax of the first Metal Gear Solid game.
Metal Gear Acid/Acid 2
Metal Gear Acid and its sequel are notable for being some of the few instances where the Metal Gear series has branched out into an entirely different genre. This duology of turn-based tactical games allowed two players to face off in Link Battles, where each player is tasked with collecting a set amount of items faster than their opponent can, all while staying under enemies' radars.
Metal Gear Online 1
The Subsistence re-release of Metal Gear Solid 3 saw the inclusion of a behind-the-back camera that would go on to revolutionize how players viewed Snake, literally. However, the game also included a brand new online mode: Metal Gear Online. Players could take each other on in traditional multiplayer game types with gameplay functionally identical to MGS3. The servers for this game were eventually taken down ahead of the launch of MGO’s sequel, which came packed in with Metal Gear Solid 4.
Portable Ops/Portable Ops Plus
The Metal Gear Solid series’ first outing for Sony’s iconic handheld system made an apparent effort to emulate the gameplay of MGS3, right down to including a multiplayer mode. Players recruit soldiers in the singleplayer campaign that they can use in the game's online mode, but there's a catch.
Depending on the ruleset being used, should one’s soldier die, players run the risk of losing said individual forever. Players can also interact with each other through more civil means, such as trading soldiers like Pokemon. An expansion, Portable Ops Plus, was later released for the PSP, which featured even more playable characters like Raiden, Old Snake, and a young version of Colonel Roy Campbell.
Metal Gear Online 2
Debatably the most well-known iteration of MGO, Metal Gear Online 2 came packaged with MGS4, and like its predecessor, plays very similarly to the game it’s bundled with. The game boasts myriad improvements over MGO1. For starters, the controls this time around are more in line with what one might expect from a multiplayer third-person shooter, making the gameplay much smoother than before. Furthermore, the available game types are much more varied; Sneaking Mission casts one player as Snake against a team of players out to get him, while Stealth Deathmatch is nearly identical to a Battle Royale, just on a much smaller scale.
Players are also afforded a greater degree of choice when it comes to who they play as, as one can customize their avatar with a variety of stylish and/or silly cosmetics, as well as outfit them with various skills and specialties to make their own unique Metal Gear character. MGO2’s servers were unfortunately shut down back in 2012, but fan-run servers have since launched to keep this fondly remembered multiplayer Metal Gear game available for all to play.
Peace Walker
This entry is a first for the franchise in many regards. It’s the first mainline Metal Gear title directed by Hideo Kojima to launch on a handheld, it introduces many of the core ideas regarding base management that would go on to permeate the remainder of the series, and it’s also the first to feature cooperative multiplayer. A squad of up to four players can take on the game’s various challenges, which certainly helps balance things out when it comes to the bullet-sponge boss battles. More familiar multiplayer modes like team deathmatch and capture the flag are present, too.
Metal Gear Arcade
This Japan-exclusive Metal Gear title brought the action of Metal Gear Online to a VR-equipped arcade cabinet, which also makes this the series' first foray into virtual reality. However, the game has since been shut down after failing to strike a chord with Japanese audiences. What footage exists of this title showcases gameplay similar to that of MGO2 and MGS4, albeit significantly less refined.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
The final game in the main Metal Gear saga took the base building mechanics of Peace Walker one step further by allowing players to invade each other’s forward operating bases (FOB). Successfully invading one’s FOB didn’t just net players another tally in the “win” column, but also rewarded them with various in-game resources that could be used to further strengthen one’s own base. But should an infiltrator be caught by the base's defenses, players could come face to face with the base’s leader, who is controlled by another player.
Metal Gear Online 3
A tale as old as time, Metal Gear Online 3 was included with Metal Gear Solid 5, and borrows heavily from the mainline title. Like its immediate predecessor, it features highly customizable characters, various weapon load-outs, and locations modeled after areas from the single-player game. However, besides a few new modes and additions like drivable in-game mechs, the jump from MGO2 to this version isn’t all that impressive, especially considering the game's lack of prolonged post-launch developer support compared to the prior iteration.
Metal Gear Survive
The first Metal Gear game following series creator Hideo Kojima's split from Konami saw former members of Big Boss' private army fighting against hordes of zombies. Yes, this is a Metal Gear game. This entry marked the series’ first cooperative outing since Peace Walker, but its reception wasn't quite as warm. Survive is commonly regarded as one of the worst games in the series not only due to its inexplicably large departure from the series' roots, but also because of how poorly said departure was executed.