What Is Metal Gear? The Stealth Action Series That Defined a Genre, Explained by Marine

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Before "stealth game" was even a recognized genre, Metal Gear was already building its core rules.

The Series That Defined Stealth Action

Metal Gear is Konami's stealth action franchise, with over 66.1 million units sold worldwide, credited with helping establish the core conventions of stealth-based gameplay used across the genre today.

Still Active in 2026

"METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol. 2" releases August 27, 2026, including "Metal Gear Solid 4," "Peace Walker," and the series' first handheld title as bonus content. The remake "Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater" has sold 2 million units. Konami will showcase Metal Gear at PAX West 2026 in September.

What To Know

Metal Gear's reputation for pioneering stealth-based gameplay (avoiding detection rather than direct combat as the primary strategy) established core mechanics still used across the entire stealth-action genre, making it one of gaming's clearest examples of a single franchise defining an entire category of play.

Metal Gear's original director, Hideo Kojima, became one of the few Japanese game creators to achieve name-recognition as an auteur internationally, a status that shaped how the industry discusses creator-driven Japanese game design more broadly.

What Fans Are Saying

• "66 million units for a stealth game franchise is massive."
• "Master Collection Vol. 2 including Ghost Babel as bonus content is a nice touch."
• "2 million for Snake Eater shows the remake really worked."

Original Japanese

• 「潜入アクションで6600万本超えは本当にすごいです」
• 「Ghost Babelが特典として収録されるのは嬉しいですね」
• 「スネークイーターのリメイクが200万本達成したのは成功と言えますね」

Easy Japanese

「メタルギア」は、コナミの潜入アクションゲームシリーズです。累計6610万本以上を売り上げています。