Starting on home computers in 1987, the Metal Gear series would birth a winning formula of black ops espionage, nuclear paranoia, and labyrinthine plots for developer Konami. International fame would arrive with 1998's Metal Gear Solid, a PS1 game that realized Hideo Kojima’s vision in full 3D with cinematic cutscenes. The title and its sequels would gain commercial and critical success not only for its layered storytelling and mature themes but also for its brilliant implementation of stealth mechanics.

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For all its celebration and success, the stealth gameplay can be intimidating for some, as the games can make players pay if they're not careful enough with their sneaking. However, some games in the series make for great entry points and are far from overtly challenging. Below are some of the easiest games in the Metal Gear franchise.

Updated March 21, 2024 by David Heath: Despite how it sometimes seems, the people behind Metal Gear wanted players of all skill levels to beat their games. Sure, it's more thrilling to see players tackle Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3 on European Extreme mode, and somehow get through it without dying once or killing enemy troops a single time to get the elite Big Boss rank. But if they were Dark Souls-level sadomasochists, they wouldn't have provided Easy and Very Easy modes, nor a Codec to tell the player everything they need to know.

Still, some games are more beginner-friendly than others, by either breaking down their campaigns into individual, quick missions or by allowing multiple approaches to its highest ranks beyond Big Boss-level sneaking. This is why this list has been updated with a few more, notably easy Metal Gear games, from remakes that didn't account for its new features, to underrated handheld entries that aren't so hard to digest.

1 Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions

A Good Way To Introduce Newbies To MGS1's Gameplay

Released just a year after Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions debuted on the PlayStation in 1999 with even more of the winning gameplay formula. Offering some 300 bite-sized missions of stealth and weapon mastery, VR Missions is a perfect introductory title for any gamer to the famed franchise. Guards and cameras await as the signature mechanics like footprint recognition and even breath, in some missions, can leave players rumbled.

Initially released as part of the Japan-exclusive MGS: Integral before getting a stand-alone release in the West, VR Missions is a series of cleverly designed skills tests certain to leave fans wanting more. The weaponless sneaking missions are without a doubt the highlight, giving the player a spike of pure satisfaction by clearing each obstacle-laden test. The challenge does increase the further into the missions the player gets, but for small accessible chunks of tactical espionage action, there is no better title.

2 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

Smoothing Out The Bumps With The Polygons

MGS1 was one of the most iconic titles on the PlayStation in 1998. So, Gamecube owners were understandably surprised and delighted when its remake, MGS: The Twin Snakes, arrived on the console 6 years later. Identical in game design, story, and offering the same classic bosses, the game also brought a welcome graphical improvement and re-recorded voice acting. However, it also used MGS2's style of gameplay, like shooting in first person, and tranquilizer guns. They made getting through the stages a little too easy compared to the PS1 game.

The redone cutscenes also ramped up the action to Revengeance levels, with its bullet-time slo-mo and insane stunts (backflipping off a missile). Nonetheless, that might make it more palatable to newbies, who'll get a wild ride that smooths out some of the original game's bugbears. Going back to pick up a sniper rifle or changing the PAL key is reduced by providing closer alternatives. Taking care of surveillance cameras and Psycho Mantis is less stressful thanks to the first-person aiming. But taking care of Metal Gear REX still requires steady nerves.

3 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Parrying Problems Away

A spin-off entry to the series, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance took a franchise famed for its stealth and envisaged it into an action-adventure title. Developer PlatinumGames of Bayonetta fame was entrusted with bringing engrossing combo-based sword gameplay to life in the Metal Gear universe. Following Metal Gear Solid 4, where the former rookie from MGS2 became a cyborg ninja, Raiden now has to hack and slash his way through Desperado Enforcement, a gang of mercs, to uncover a conspiracy and get revenge.

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It's one of the more accessible titles in the franchise, as it has a fairly short story mode and stealth isn't a major factor. In some stages, the game rewards players for charging in sword-blazing. The plot remains philosophically bent as ever, albeit with a more irreverent tone (a character's Guyanese patois gets subtitled Airplane-style). It has a few difficulty spikes, more so in the VR Missions and DLC, and it doesn't explain the parry mechanic too well. But a basic grasp of it will find even beginners feeling comfortable on Hard Mode, let alone Easy or Normal.

4 Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

The Boss Of Portable Sneaking

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops received critical acclaim upon its 2006 PSP release for providing the Metal Gear experience on the go. Set 6 years after Metal Gear Solid 3, the player takes the role of Big Boss as he takes on his old crew in the FOX Unit, who have gone rogue and have taken over the San Hieronymo Peninsula in Columbia. PSP owners were treated with a game that pushed the system to its limits, delivering a fitting translation of the console games into handheld format.

Using the same engine as MGS3, it was the first canon game in the series to break up its story into quick missions, so players could dip in and out while on the move. Some told the story, others were fun extras, but all contributed to an immersive experience. Famously, Portable Ops would debut the comrade system, where the player recruits comrades for Snake’s squad, providing numerous playable characters all with differing strengths and weaknesses. That said, it would be refined better in its own sequel.

5 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

The Big Boss Of Portable Sneaking

Many of the spin-offs were made with little to no input from the series' creator, Hideo Kojima. Not that he minded, as he loved Revengeance and Ghost Babel enough to reference them in the main game. But he seemed more muted on Portable Ops as his old handheld take on the series, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, wrote it off in a throwaway line at the start of its first story mission ("Finally, we can leave all that crap in San Hieronymo behind us...").

Now investigating a US-affiliated organization smuggling nuclear missiles into Costa Rica, Big Boss loses Portable Ops' ability to drag downed soldiers and look around and shoot in first-person. He can't even crawl! Instead, he has MGS4's crouch-walking and over-the-shoulder shooting, complete with a crosshair that makes aiming a breeze. Troops can be whisked away with a Fulton Balloon too, making covering one's tracks simple. Some missions are easier than others, but if players just want the story, they'll have no trouble getting through Peace Walker.

6 Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

Where A Prison Camp Becomes A Playground

Granted, it's hard to find Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes released on its own nowadays. It wasn't intended to be a separate release from MGS5 in the first place, so it's often found reunited with the main game as MGS5: The Definitive Experience. Even then, Big Boss' mission to retrieve his comrades from a US prison camp in Cuba is still a separate playable option from the full game and has its own missions and challenges on top of its single-story campaign.

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It's an easier game by default, as that campaign is essentially a single mission set in one open-world area. Even the worst players would likely complete it within an hour. Though its side-missions can offer more challenge, they're more about sneaking fun than making players pull their hair out. The game rewards prompt playing as well as good sneaking, so they could go in guns-blazing and still get an S-rank if they were quick and efficient enough. So, if players want an entry that's more sneaky than Revengeance but still action-packed, GZ has them covered.

7 Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Open World, Open Possibilities

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is basically GZ on a larger, longer scale. The story is more jam-packed and offers multiple missions on top of side ops, which each allow multiple approaches to complete them. For example, when dealing with a Russian commander, players could sneak into his base, tranq him, carry him somewhere quiet, and then Fulton him back to Mother Base to add him to their ranks. Or they could find a spot behind a rock, take out their sniper rifle, take aim, then shoot to kill. Either option could give them an S-rank.

Even if they weren't undertaking a mission, players could just roam Afghanistan and Angola at their leisure, testing out their skills or new weapons in their different outposts. If things go awry, they can flee far enough to avoid the heat or use Reflex Mode to slow time down enough to finish off nosy guards with a headshot. If all goes to plan, they can find blueprints and materials to make new weapons and equipment, which will make trickier sections and missions much easier. Newbies can play at their own pace and still get a rewarding experience.

8 Metal Gear Solid/Metal Gear: Ghost Babel

Old-School Gameplay In A Newer Package

A non-canon entry, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel for the Game Boy Color was released in 2000, two years after the legendary PlayStation title. It plays like the 2D Metal Gear games, with a similar HUD to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. However, it spices things up with elements from the 3D titles, including sidling against and knocking on walls. Despite its 2D presentation, the game's stealth mechanics are challenging and diverse across its 13 stages. It was the first game overall to provide a mix of bite-sized story and VR missions for players to dip in and out of.

Set seven years after the original Metal Gear, the player takes the role of Solid Snake, who is drawn out of retirement to stop a mercenary outfit in Central Africa that has stolen a Metal Gear prototype. It's considered one of the best games for the GBC because it managed to pack the tactical espionage action of its bigger PS1 counterpart into an accessible package. It could get challenging, but not frustratingly so, as the solutions to its stealth-based challenges were intuitive and cleverly designed.

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