Metal Gear Solid 6 is a beautiful dream. Hideo Kojima's legendary stealth action series left a huge impact on gaming history. Since Konami still has rights to the franchise, it seems silly for the Japanese entertainment juggernaut not to take advantage of this world-famous property.
Unfortunately, things have never been the same for Metal Gear since the departure of series creator Hideo Kojima. The last Metal Gear title developed by Kojima was the popular and well-received Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. However, 2018's Metal Gear Survive, the first title in the series released without Kojima at the helm, proved to disappoint fans in a big way with its generic mechanics.
In the meantime, Kojima has gone on to form his own studio, Kojima Productions, which was responsible for sci-fi thriller Death Stranding and now has its sights set on developing the upcoming Death Stranding 2. For now, it seems that the auteur has his hands full.
However, this isn't to say that another Metal Gear game is impossible. We know that Konami is working on a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, meaning that there's still plenty of interest in the series as a whole. Perhaps, should the remake do well, we'll see a move towards a potential Metal Gear Solid 6.
Metal Gear Solid 6: cut to the chase
- What is it? The unconfirmed sixth game in the Metal Gear Solid series
- When’s it out? TBC
- What can I play it on? TBC
Metal Gear Solid 6 release date and platforms
Metal Gear is in a strange sort of limbo right now, at least in terms of new games in the mainline series. Hideo Kojima, now working at his own studio, has long since severed ties with Konami. However, Konami still owns the rights to the series. So far, Konami has only released one Kojima-free Metal Gear title: Metal Gear Survive.
Currently, we are awaiting the release of the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake, which was announced at a PlayStation Showcase event earlier this year. This could be a testing bed of sorts for the series, and might potentially be used to justify a new addition to the Metal Gear Solid saga.
We imagine if Metal Gear Solid 6, or some new series entry, is on the way, then it will arrive on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC at the very least.
Metal Gear Solid 6 news
Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake announced
A new Metal Gear Solid project was announced at a PlayStation Showcase event back in May. This is a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, and so far, we've seen a cinematic teaser trailer and an in-engine preview video. Hopefully, more details will follow, as for now, there's little information about just how extensive a remake it will be at launch. That said, it's clear that Konami is aiming for a high production-value reimagining, perhaps in the vein of Final Fantasy 7 Remake or the Resident Evil 4 remake.
Metal Gear Solid 6: what we want to see
Metal Gear Solid 6 may not have been confirmed by Konami, but here's what we would want to see in a new Metal Gear Solid game.
Return to the sandbox
Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain saw a marked shift in the Metal Gear Solid format. In a similar way to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the games took the essential elements of the Metal Gear series and spun them anew within a sandbox environment.
It was a big deal for a series known for enclosed environments where you had to identify and navigate enemy patrols, to instead offer an open space over which you could gradually exert control. The change in philosophy rejuvenated the series and any sequel should continue that trend, better tying together the wealth of changes Metal Gear Solid 5 introduced.
More sci-fi
As much as I enjoyed Metal Gear Solid 5, I did find the trappings of the 1980s somewhat limiting, especially compared with the over-the-top bombast of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. As much as I love the more understated and historical side of Metal Gear, I know I'm not alone in missing the awesome giant mech fights of Metal Gear Solid 4. Metal Gear has always been eerily prescient when it's looked toward the future, and I'd love to see more.
Story
Metal Gear Solid 5 ended with the revelation that you hadn’t been playing as Big Boss, but as a man who had been brainwashed and surgically altered to think and look like he was Big Boss. It was a leftfield twist but one that explains how Snake kills Big Boss twice in the original Metal Gear games.
In the first Metal Gear, Snake kills the doppelganger (aka 'Venom' Snake) and in Metal Gear 2 he kills the real Big Boss.
There are many places where Metal Gear Solid 6 could pick up the story, but a likely candidate would be right after the events of Metal Gear Solid 5, potentially as Big Boss establishes Outer Heaven, his renegade state, and developing the Metal Gear walking battle tank. This would give fans a chance to re-meet characters like Grey Fox and Dr Pettrovich, though from a new perspective. Alternatively, Konami could take a leaf out of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's book and focus on the future of Metal Gear and the long-term consequences of its characters' actions.
Unanswered questions
While Konami disputes it, many people feel Metal Gear Solid 5 is unfinished. The game’s final mission, Episode 51, was literally cut from the game, so there is little resolution when it comes to Eli, Big Boss’ clone. At one point he steals a mech from your base and disappears, but, thanks to the cut mission, you never end up giving chase. While The Phantom Pain’s collector’s edition revealed what would have happened in the cut mission, it would be great to actually be able to play that final part and to see Eli, the boy soldier, become Liquid Snake, your nemesis throughout Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, and 4.
Hideo Kojima’s departure from Konami doesn’t have to spell the end for Metal Gear Solid. However, if the publisher wants to continue its most famous series, then it better be ready to fill some rather large boots.
It could be a long old wait before we hear about the next new mainline Metal Gear Solid game. In the meantime, here are the most anticipated games set to release in 2023 and beyond!
