Metal Gear Solid is a stealth action game developed and published by Konami, released for the PlayStation in Japan on 3 September 1998. Hideo Kojima directed, produced and wrote it. The project was conceived during Policenauts, first planned for the 3DO in 1994, and then moved to the PlayStation. Kojima used LEGO and toy figures to plan camera angles, the animation was done by hand without motion capture, and Yoji Shinkawa designed the characters. The ending song by Rika Muranaka is sung in Irish by Aoife Ní Fhearraigh.
The North American release followed in October 1998 and the European one in February 1999, dubbed into several languages. Japan received the expanded Integral edition in June 1999. The Windows version was ported by Digital Dialect and published by Microsoft in 2000.
Kojima later admitted that neither he nor anyone else expected the game to sell at all.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Metal Gear Solid | PlayStation | Oct 20, 1998 | Konami | 1 |
| NA | Metal Gear SolidPort by Digital Dialect; UK 20 October 2000; not released in Japan | Windows | Sep 22, 2000 | Microsoft | 1 |
| JP | メタルギアソリッドMetaru Gia Soriddo | PlayStation | Sep 3, 1998 | Konami | 1 |
| EU | Metal Gear SolidEnglish, French, Italian and German voice versions; Spanish dub followed on 1 May 1999 | PlayStation | Feb 22, 1999 | Konami | 1 |
| JP | メタルギアソリッド インテグラルIntegral edition | PlayStation | Jun 25, 1999 | Konami | 1 |
| JP | メタルギアソリッドPlayStation Network (PS3/PSP); North America 18 June 2009, Europe 19 November 2009 | PlayStation 3 | Mar 21, 2008 | Konami | 1 |
| WW | Metal Gear SolidIncluded on the PlayStation Classic | PlayStation | 2018 | Sony Interactive Entertainment | 1 |
| WW | METAL GEAR SOLID - Master Collection VersionAlso in Master Collection Vol. 1 for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch (October 2023); emulation by M2 | Windows | Oct 24, 2023 | Konami | 2 |
Also known as: メタルギアソリッド JP1Metaru Gia Soriddo JP1Metal Gear Solid: Integral JP1Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions NA1Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions EU1
Box art by region
NA Metal Gear Solid 
EU Metal Gear Solid 
JP メタルギアソリッド
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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ContentPS1 (NA)
The North American release added a selectable difficulty level, an alternate tuxedo outfit and a demo theater mode; Jeremy Blaustein wrote the English script.1
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AudioPS1 (EU)
The European release was dubbed into English, French, Italian and German, and a Spanish dub followed a few months later.1
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ContentIntegral (JP)
Integral replaced the Japanese voices with the English dub and added a Very Easy mode, Meryl's alternate sneaking suit, a first-person view, a Codec frequency with developer commentary and a third disc of 300 VR missions.1
Translations
Where to play legally today
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GOG Purchase
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Steam Purchase
METAL GEAR SOLID - Master Collection Version
PS1 game with VR Missions and Special Missions; regional versions as additional content
Checked: 2026-10-132store.steampowered.com
How to run it today
On PC the simplest option is the Master Collection Version on Steam, which emulates the PlayStation original. GOG sells the 2000 Windows port together with its VR Missions content.2
Reception
The PlayStation version received universal acclaim. Metal Gear Solid sold more than 6.6 million copies worldwide by 2002 and over 7 million by July 2009.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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