Should you play the other Metal Gear games before Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater?

The question of whether you need to play the older Metal Gear games before diving into Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater comes up a lot. The simple answer? No, you don’t have to. And the reason is pretty straightforward, as Delta is a remake of MGS 3, which happens to be the very first story in the series’ timeline. So even if you’ve never touched a single Metal Gear before, you can start here and not feel lost.

But that doesn’t mean the older Metal Gear games are irrelevant. Playing them gives you a richer context for the characters, the lore, and all those little nods that longtime fans instantly recognize. It’s just that Delta has been designed so that newcomers can jump right in without needing homework beforehand.

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Why Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater works as a starting point in the Metal Gear games

Stealth is core in Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater (Image via KONAMI)

Chronologically, MGS3 is at the very beginning. You play as Naked Snake before he becomes the infamous Big Boss, and this game establishes the foundation for the entire series. That makes Delta the clearest entry point. Konami has retained the original voices and story while updating the gameplay with modern improvements, such as smoother combat, sharper visuals, and a better camera system.

So, if you’re worried about getting confused, don’t be. The story is self-contained enough that you’ll understand Snake’s mission, the villains, and the jungle survival gameplay without needing any prior experience.

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What you miss if you skip the older Metal Gear games

That said, veterans of Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2 will definitely catch things new players won’t. Characters like Revolver Ocelot, who shows up in MGS3 as a young soldier, hit harder if you already know him from later games where he’s a major antagonist. You also gain a deeper appreciation for how Big Boss’s story connects to Solid Snake, the iconic protagonist of other entries.

There’s also a recurring structure across the Metal Gear games: sneaking missions, betrayals, tortured protagonists, strange villain squads with supernatural elements, and the constant nuclear threat. If you’ve played the earlier games, you begin to notice these themes and links right away. Without that background, you’ll still enjoy Delta, but you won’t experience the extra “oh damn, that’s why!” moments.

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The gameplay angle

Even mechanically, MGS3 was a turning point. It added survival elements, such as treating wounds, stamina management, camouflage, and a stronger focus on Close Quarters Combat (CQC). If you’re coming straight from Delta, you’ll see all of these as normal parts of the game, but if you decide to backtrack to MGS1 or MGS2, those entries will feel simpler and a little more old-school since they lack a lot of what MGS3 introduced.

Snake with the Crocodile suit (Image via KONAMI)

That doesn’t make them worse - just different. Think of Delta as the most polished version of the formula, while the earlier Metal Gear games show you how the series evolved.

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Big Boss vs Solid Snake

Here’s where many newcomers trip up. The Snake you play as in MGS3 (and Delta) is Naked Snake, the man who will one day become Big Boss. Solid Snake, the one most people think of when they hear the name “Metal Gear”, doesn’t even exist at this point in the story. They look and sound the same, but they’re not the same person.

This detail becomes really important later in the timeline, especially when Solid Snake eventually faces off against Big Boss. But for Delta, all you need to know is that you’re stepping into the origins of one of gaming’s most complicated characters.

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Where to go after Delta

If Delta hooks you and you want to keep going, you’ve got options from the Metal Gear games. The most direct path would be to follow the timeline: go from Delta straight into Metal Gear Solid 5 (since Peace Walker is harder to access unless you’re on Xbox). Or, if you’re more interested in experiencing the series the way fans originally did, grab the Master Collection and play MGS1 and MGS2.

Either way, Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater is the spark. If you love it, you’ll want to explore more. And if not, well, you’ve discovered early that Metal Gear just isn’t your thing.

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That concludes whether you can play Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater before the other Metal Gear games.

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