While the Metal Gear games have their challenging parts, Hideo Kojima wanted players to see how their stories played out. As such, outside of difficulty settings like European Extreme, the games give the player lots of help via hints, cutscenes, and a support team. Some of them even had guides showing players how to hang off ledges or run while gunning.

Still, that hasn’t stopped the series from having some sticky points. There have been tricky bosses like The End’s sniper duel in Metal Gear Solid 3, and the multiple Metal Gear RAY battle in Metal Gear Solid 2. But what about the sections between and outside the boss fights? Whether they’re mid-game deals, side activities, or main goals, these are the toughest missions in Metal Gear.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

10 The Communication Tower Run

In both Metal Gear Solid and its Gamecube remake The Twin Snakes, Solid Snake has to run away from gun-toting guards up multiple flights of stairs in the Communication Tower. It was a little testing in the original game until players discovered stun grenades worked on every guard on every floor. So, it was easier to do it non-lethally than lethally. Unfortunately, this didn’t get carried over for The Twin Snakes.

The game limited stun grenades’ effect back to their immediate area, making them useless compared to running, gunning, and equipping rations for instant heals on death. Then, if they reached the top without the Rope for rappelling, they’d either have to run back down to get it or hang and drop from multiple ledges. This was slower, put Snake more at risk of getting shot, and was easier to fail as one missed button press meant instant death.

9 Backup, Back Down

Metal Gear Solid 5 followed the handheld games' lead by splitting its main story into separate missions. This way players could progress in whatever order they saw fit, or roam around to their heart’s content. "Backup, Back Down" saw Venom Snake try to help the Mujahideen rebels by destroying any Russian military vehicle they saw.

Players just need to destroy one car, truck, tank, etc., to beat it, but completing it is another matter. They must find the best route to destroy each vehicle with the right amount of firepower, call in fresh supplies, and rescue each prisoner within the time limit. Their reward for doing all this is an extra chopper and tank to blow up, which serve as the cherry on top of a marathon of a mission.

8 Code Talker

Later in MGS5, Snake has to find the Navajo biologist Code Talker and extract him via chopper to save his Diamond Dogs from a parasitic infection. It doesn’t waste time, as it opens with Skull Snipers, which have to be beaten or snuck past. Unlike Quiet, they can't be beaten with supply drop packages. They can be outfoxed or out-sniped.

RELATED: Metal Gear Solid: Interesting Facts About Code Talker

After that, Snake has to sneak his way to the basement of a big house to retrieve Code Talker. The guards are heavily armed, armored, and roam each tight corner and cramped floor of the house. Then, if the player doesn’t beat the Skulls, they return at the end to possess everyone and stalk Snake until he finds enough space to call in a chopper.

7 Vehicle Battles

Aside from the Monster Hunter guest battles, every boss in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is mechanical. Aside from the mechs, players have Vehicle Battles against APVs, Tanks, and Choppers, which can either be destroyed, or retrieved for Outer Ops. They all essentially play the same: extract the troops, take out the driver or vehicle, and then win.

But each vehicle has more backup troops, and Peace Walker doesn’t replenish Fulton Balloons. They’ll need the Infinite Ammo Bandana and Fulton Launcher to extract them all, which is bound to cause an Alert. Once that happens, they'll be all over Big Boss. The better the vehicle, the more damage they give, the more damage they'll take, and the more troops they'll have, like military-issue clown cars.

6 The Bike Chase

In a callback to MGS3, Solid Snake joins Big Mama (aka EVA) on her motorcycle in Metal Gear Solid 4 for a race through the city to get past the PMC Raven Sword. Like the previous Bike Chase, Snake has to back up Big Mama by shooting any stragglers and breaking open any blockade. Unlike the MGS3 chase, Snake doesn’t have the Cold War camo to stop the soldiers from shooting.

Not that it would work on mechs like the GEKKOs and flying Sliders anyway. Players could use auto-aim and lethal arms to make things easier. But if they’re going after that Big Boss emblem, they have to use tranq and stunning weapons only and rely on their own aim to get those instant KO headshots.

5 A Quiet Exit

In "A Quiet Exit" in MGS5, Snake has to save Quiet from the Russians. It turns out she doesn’t need much help, except when backup arrives. They’ll bombard Lamar Khaate Palace with a whole horde of soldiers, armored cars, choppers, and tanks. They come in waves, so the player has a little breathing room.

RELATED: Things You Didn't Know About Quiet from Metal Gear Solid

But it takes a lot of firepower, supply drops, cover, and luck to take out the vehicles unscathed. For an extra kicker, there are side objectives the player can do to boost their rank, like extracting 14 vehicles (basically impossible without the Wormhole Fulton) and beating it without Quiet taking damage, which requires taking out those vehicles fast.

4 VR Mission 18

MGS1 added VR missions for players to test out their sneaking skills. They returned for MGS2, became Side Ops in Peace Walker and MGS5, and then returned in Metal Gear Rising. Some of them could be easy, others could be really difficult, and some could be really weird. MGR’s VR missions stick to being difficult, with VR Mission 18 being the most notorious.

Players have 10 minutes to defeat multiple waves of enemies with the smallest health bar and Blade Mode gauge. Meaning if Raiden takes any damage, the player will have to successfully Zandatsu (cut & take) their foes to refill both. Considering one heavy smash can do 75% damage, and they have to face the gorilla-like Mastiffs, heavily armored hammer men, the mini-Metal Gear GRAD, and more, players have their work cut out for them.

3 The Pontoon Bridge

Still, Raiden’s been through worse. Back in MGS2, he had to escort Otacon’s sister Emma from one side of the Big Shell to the other. Eventually, they reach a Pontoon Bridge swarming with guards and CYPHER drones. It’s here Raiden has the brainwave to send Emma along it alone while backing her up with sniper fire. Players have to take out all threats, including some hidden mines that are only visible with thermal goggles.

For Big Boss rank, they'll have to switch between the lethal PSG1 for hardware and non-lethal PSG1-T for soldiers. Snake can provide backup, but he takes ages to get into position depending on the difficulty. Then it ends with Vamp taking Emma hostage and the player alone having to take him out before he takes her out. The only mercy is that there are ammo drops that essentially give players infinite ammo...if they unequip the rifle to pick them up.

2 Snake VR Variety Level 4

The Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance re-release added hundreds of VR Missions, Alternate Missions, and little non-canon Snake Tales to give players more Solid Snake. In fact, the missions offered four different versions of Snake to play as, with each one racking up the difficulty. Regular MGS2 Snake is the easiest, but his missions are still tricky.

RELATED: Metal Gear Games Most Fans Forgot Existed

In VR Variety Level 4, Snake has to protect an injured Meryl from 26 troops via sniper fire. They cover a broad area, marching from cover to cover, poking their heads out occasionally for those with good aim. But if the player doesn’t watch the whole area carefully, they’ll reach Meryl quickly. MGS1 Snake is the hardest, where his Variety Level 1 is the same, but it has more troops and he’s protecting a cardboard box.

1 Metal Gear ZEKE Mock Battle

Metal Gear ZEKE is one of Peace Walker’s final bosses, but they also have a Mock Battle that counts as a separate mission. ZEKE can be customized with gear from the other mechs and made smarter by stealing their AI boards. The more boards it has, the better it’ll do in Outer Ops, and the harder it will be to fight. Meant to test ZEKE’s capabilities, the mech will prove itself the smarter it gets.

It’ll knock Snake down to the ground, then scoot up close while he’s getting up to keep the pressure on the player. Aside from that, being close makes it harder for the player to fire back at them with missiles too. Players could make things easier on themselves by taking away ZEKE’s boards and weapons. But if they’re true Big Bosses, they have to make and defeat the ultimate Metal Gear.

MORE: The Best Metal Gear Games, Ranked