Metal Slug X is a run-and-gun game by SNK and a reworked version of Metal Slug 2 (1998), the entry that had doubled the playable characters from two to four and added transformations. It reached arcades on the Neo Geo MVS in March 1999, and in April 1999 Japan's Game Machine ranked it seventh among arcade games. The Neo Geo home cartridge followed on 27 May 1999.
X runs on an engine modified from Metal Slug 3, which removes the slowdown of Metal Slug 2. It remixes the music, adds a new announcer, shifts some stages to dusk or sunset and reshuffles enemies, bosses, vehicles and weapons.
The PlayStation version came out in Japan on 25 January 2001 as the last PlayStation title from the original SNK, and Agetec published it in North America and PAL regions the same month with an extra Combat School mode. DotEmu later ported the game to iOS and Android in 2013 and to PC in 2014.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Metal Slug XAlso released in PAL regions by Agetec. | PlayStation | January 2001 | Agetec | 1 |
| JP | メタルスラッグXNeo Geo MVS; English Wikipedia gives March 1999, Japanese Wikipedia the year only. | Arcade | March 1999 | SNK | 1 |
| JP | メタルスラッグXNeo Geo AES home cartridge. | Other | May 27, 1999 | SNK | 2 |
| JP | メタルスラッグXThe last PlayStation title from the original SNK. | PlayStation | Jan 25, 2001 | SNK | 2 |
| JP | メタルスラッグコンプリートCompilation of seven games; PS2 on 31 May 2007, Wii on 27 December 2007. In the West it appeared in Metal Slug Anthology (2006). | PSP | Feb 22, 2007 | SNK Playmore | 2 |
| WW | Metal Slug XSame day on Android. | iOS | Feb 7, 2013 | — | 1 |
| WW | METAL SLUG XPort by DotEmu. | Windows | Oct 2, 2014 | SNK | 3 |
| WW | ACA NEOGEO METAL SLUG XArcade version. | Switch | 2017 | — | 1 |
Also known as: Metal Slug X: Super Vehicle-001 WW1メタルスラッグX JP1
Box art by region
NA Metal Slug X
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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Gameplayall versions
Metal Slug X reworks Metal Slug 2 on an engine modified from Metal Slug 3, which removes the original's slowdown.1
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Audioall versions
The music is remixed or altered, and there is a new announcer.1
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Gameplayall versions
Enemy counts and placements, bosses and vehicles are changed, with more power-ups, POWs and hidden items, stronger versions of five weapons and new ones such as the Iron Lizard, Enemy Chaser and Drop Shot.1
Translations
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Spanish Official
SNK / DotEmu2014Windows · PC portReleased · complete
The PC version lists Spanish (Spain) among its interface languages on Steam and GOG.3
Where to play legally today
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GOG Purchase
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Steam Purchase
Reception
Eurogamer gave the PlayStation version 8/10 and GameSpot 8.2/10. The PlayStation version sold 95,103 copies in Japan and 69,035 in the US, and the PC port sold 229,374 copies on Steam.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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