With the first three Metal Gear Solid games to be re-released in a new Master Collection set and Snake Eater being remade, now is the perfect time to replay the entire series. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, we can help out! Check out our cheats and codes for some of the most popular games in the Metal Gear Solid saga.
Metal Gear Solid Summary
The Metal Gear Solid games focus on technology, politics, weapons, and stealth as special ops groups fight each other for control of the world. The series was created by Hideo Kojima and published by Konami. The games span many years (both in the real world and the MGS timeline).
Generally, MGS games have you carry out secret missions (preferably with stealth when possible, although you have many options), assemble a base, and tackle tough bosses. They are also famous — or infamous — for their incredibly long, complex cutscenes that work very hard to explain the plot.
Metal Gear Solid Premise
In Metal Gear Solid, players play as Solid Snake or one of his allies/clones/forbearers/successors, typically with various Snake code names. The games include a complicated mix of real-world political history, science fiction, and some outright weird stuff.
MGS games dive headfirst into an alternate history filled with private military companies, nanotechnology, and increasingly terrifying threats. The name Metal Gear refers to a series of secret weapons of mass destruction that governments and shadowy organizations fight over. Throughout the series, loyalties constantly shift, with betrayals and rescues being common.
Individual Metal Gear Solid missions equip you with a loadout and key objectives. Players are awarded points for how efficiently they complete objectives, typically with a focus on stealth and surprise (but not always). These culminate in important and difficult boss fights. Upgrade systems allow players to choose better weapons and equipment for their loadouts, unlock base upgrades, and more.
Metal Gear Solid Main Characters
To detail all the characters in the modern MGS era would take an encyclopedia. However, here are the most important characters that appear repeatedly throughout the games. These people help tie the whole story together:
Solid Snake: He (or his clones, etc.) is a master agent specializing in stealth, assassinations, and infiltration. He works with paramilitary groups that generally try to stabilize world politics and uncover plots before everything blows up. Solid is the original Snake and the most popular character in the franchise.
Big Boss: Big Boss is another code name for the leader of the “good guy” ops. It’s also very confusing, because he once went under code names like Naked Snake (his original name until he leveled up).
Otacon: Real name Dr. Hal Emmerich, Otacon is a technology genius who gathers intel and helps create the latest gadgets for stealth takedowns and infiltration. He plays an active role in assisting the player through the toughest problems.
Raiden: Raiden is the self-conscious Snake fan who eventually replaces the agent under a new code name. He eventually comes into his own as a cyborg ninja with a specialty in combat, as opposed to Snake’s stealth approach.
Revolver Ocelot: A fellow spy and master agent, Ocelot has frequent contact with Snakes up and down the timeline. Sometime’s he’s an ally, or a top lieutenant, or roguish rival. He’s infamous for holding multiple loyalties to multiple parties at the same time, without trusting any of them.
Metal Gear Solid: Titles of Video Games in the Series
There are a lot of Metal Gear Solid games. It’s more of a MGSverse, with a bunch of spinoffs and non-canon games and really random titles. To save your sanity, we’re going to focus on the top recent releases of the games, although there’s a lot more to explore outside of these games. These are the big titles in what’s broadly known as the official MGS chronology, which skips around the timeline like a frog on lily pads.
- Metal Gear Solid (1998)
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
- Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (1998)
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013)
- Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (2015)
Metal Gear Solid Cheat Codes
FYI: These cheat codes are for PlayStation. Where these titles are available on other platforms like Xbox, they should work as long as you translate the control choices accurately.
Metal Gear Solid (1998)
The 1998 version of Metal Gear Solid isn’t readily available, but you can still download it from GOG and other sources. If you find yourself playing, you may want to try these tricks. And hey, if you boot up on an original machine and manage to get a Game Shark, we also have codes you can use there.
Infinite Ammo and Stealth Mode: There’s a key torture scene in the game where Snake has a number of options on how to respond. If you refuse to submit and complete the game, you get a bandana that will give you infinite ammo for your next playthrough. If you do submit, you get camouflage for sneaking instead.
New Skins: If you get both the bandana and camo via sequential playthroughs, on your third playthrough, refuse to use them. If you complete the game this way, you can get new skins.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Available for PS2, you can still find copies of this game around the internet for an original playing experience, as well as some (less trustworthy, but still available) ROM downloads. When you boot up, keep this in mind:
Infinite Ammo: Throughout the game you will find dog tags to collect. Collect every dog tag in a playthrough, and for your next playthrough, you’ll unlock a wig that gives you infinite ammo. Completing a playthrough also gives you a digital camera to use.
Leveling Up Your Grip: When hanging on a ledge, press the L2/R2 buttons to do a pull-up. Do it a hundred times, and you’ll level up your grip strength.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
Debuting on the PS2, MGS 3 is widely considered the first of the big modern era games in the franchise, and works hard to start setting up a story. While it doesn’t have many input code options, there are a few you can use to help out:
- Enter the Konami code when the Konami logo appears. This create a fun visual effect in the intro movie that honors its creators: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle
- During the battle with The End, you can bring up his location on your map with the Konami code, too. This is especially helpful when surviving. Once again, it’s: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right Square Triangle
New Game Mode Options
There are plenty of collectibles and unlock options in Snake Eater. Some are cosmetic, while others help make the game easier. If you really want them all, you’ll have to do things like beat bosses under certain circumstances (usually, by reducing their stamina gauge completely). Or you may want to try collecting all the plants and animals you can find. There are also easter eggs unlocked by calling certain people on the radio under different conditions.
But we want to note your new game options specifically for hidden prizes. When starting a new game, you have the option to choose a specific phrase about how you feel about the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Each phrase will unlock a different camo. For example, choosing, “I like all the MGS games!” will unlock the Grenade Camo.
If you want all the camos from these options, you’ll want to start a new game about seven times. You can do it in quick succession to get it over with.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)
MGS 4 has a bunch of emblems you can collect through in-game actions, but these don’t really qualify as cheats. Fortunately, there’s also an Extras menu in the game where you can input a sequence of letters to quickly unlock stuff. Many of these goodies can be unlocked through in-game challenges, but there are ways to speed it all up. Try these codes in the input option in the Extras menu (don’t worry about making them uppercase):
- Unlock World War I Pistol (Type 17): JMSOTSYNRN
- Unlock Desert Eagle, Long Barrel: DESKYHSTYL
- Unlock Thor 45-70: TSHSNIAMMR
- Unlock Patriot Future Assault Weapon: PKHHNWHSJT
- Unlock Colt M1911 (In .45 ACP): 1AYTMMYMHK
- Unlock Scanning Plug S: SKYNYTKTJP
Free Drebin Points
Drebin Points allow you to purchase pretty much everything you want in the game, and there’s a way to get more. Access Otacon’s terminal in-game. Instead of putting in the right password, select: 14893. Let the password fail and proceed. When you next check your inventory, you should see you have an extra 100,000 Drebin points. Your points carry over between games.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)
Please note that Peace Walker was originally released on the PSP, but was re-released as a title on the PS3, which is really the preferred way to play it. It’s not quite as important as the other titles on our list, but fans will want to play through to get all the lore info.
Peace Walker has a ton of unlockables you can get just by playing the game. If you really want to collect everything, you’ll want to explore options and play with as many weapons and takedown options as you can. There aren’t that many traditional codes, but there are a couple of things you should know.
Weapon Experience Secret
Level up your weapon extra-fast with this little built-in exploit. Play the game until you unlock Extra Ops 39. Play as fast as you can to clear all the areas and unlock your pick-up, so you have as much time left on the timer as possible. Now head back to the beach area, call Playa Del Alba. Look across the fence here to find a scarecrow perched up on the beach.
The scarecrow counts as an enemy for purposes of weapon experience. Fire your guns at it repeatedly until your timer countdown only has a minute or so left. Then race back to your pick-up, and your weapon damage against the scarecrow will be counted as experience.
Unlock the Secret Final Boss Battle
You can also unlock a final boss battle in the game if you’ve got all the right conditions set. It’s quite a list, so let’s itemize it:
- Complete all the six Main Ops unlocked after you complete the last campaign mission in the game.
- Upgrade your Intel Team to Level 40 by assigning recruits.
- Complete Extra Ops missions, at least 13.
- Doing the above steps should unlock a notification that Mother Base has expanded. You must expand the base twice, so you’ll need two of these notifications.
- Collect all Metal Gear ZEKE basic parts. This one is easy, as all major bosses should drop a part.
- Complete the Chrysalis battle with an S Rank. This should unlock the railgun, which you can install on Metal Gear ZEKE.
- Avoid assigning Metal Gear ZEKE out on patrols.
- Wait for a notification that Zadornov has escaped his cell (this happens a lot, but this time is the important one).
Go to your Target Practice Room Number 1. You should get a cutscene that shows Zadornov.
With these steps complete, the final boss battle should unlock.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013)
Revengeance is sort of an outlier with main character Raiden and a significantly different type of gameplay. However, it’s still a very important canon part of the universe — and a lot of fun to play. Here are a few tricks for it.
Revengeance Mode
You can unlock additional difficult modes by using the old Konami code. Wait until the title screen appears, then input the Konami code: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Triangle. Now press start and you should be able to choose new difficulties.
Unlimited Battle Points
Battle Points help you unlock tons of important upgrades. You can find a free source of them on File R-01, a mission that includes a Ferris wheel. To the left of the Ferris wheel section, you can find a blue box to break open and collected 5,000 BP. Very nice – but if you save your game and then immediately restart, you should find that the 5,000 BP has respawned for collect. Repeat as needed.
Customization Tricks
Revengeance has a Customization mode that’s tantamount to using cheats, because it resets the current area you’re in. That means you can collect all boxes and items, then enter and exit Customization mode to respawn them all again. If you haven’t unlocked Customization mode yet, try playing the first few missions.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (2015)
One of the more recent major titles in the MGSverse, Phantom Pain is filled with easter eggs (and please don’t forget to rescue the puppy in Spugmay Keep), but relatively few actual cheats. A notable exception are the acquired tapes you find while playing. You can play these tapes on your iDroid with the speaker on, and each has its own hidden effect that can help out. You can only do this once before you need to go back and get another copy of the tape, so use them sparingly:
- Afghanistan Music: Makes unwary soldiers in Afghanistan fall asleep.
- Afghanistan Soviet Soldier: When hidden from view, playing this will make all soldiers in combat end their combat status.
- Bear: This will stop all suspicious and searching enemies who are nearby.
- Bird: This will stop all suspicious and searching enemies who are nearby.
- Central Africa Music: Makes unwary soldiers in Central Africa fall asleep.
- Goat: This will stop all suspicious and searching enemies who are nearby.
- Horse: This will stop all suspicious and searching enemies who are nearby.
- Paz Humming Sounds: Will gather any nearby soldiers from Mother Base.
- Quiet Humming Sounds: Helps stabilize your aimed shots.
- Soldier with Stomach Ache: Will stop all suspicious and searching enemies nearby…if you play it near a toilet.
- Wolf: This will stop all suspicious and searching enemies who are nearby.
Metal Gear Solid Cheat Code FAQs
Check below for answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Metal Gear Solid and any related cheats, plus other information you may find useful.
Do Metal Gear Solid Games Have Passcodes?
No modern MGS games have passcodes. This was a feature relegated specifically to the original Metal Gear for the NES. These passcodes were a broad number of built-in cheats and save points, very common for games during that era. The use of passcodes faded away long ago, but some newer games still use similar input codes to enable different modes.
Do I Need to Play all the Metal Gear Solid Games in Order?
If you want to understand the story, you should start the modern era of MGS games, around the 2000s, and try to play them in order. They have recurring characters and the slow development of plots that eventually starts making sense. Emphasis placed on eventually. Or you can embrace the chaos and pick up the latest game to see how you like it.
Do Cheats Vary Across Platforms for Metal Gear Solid Games?
The codes that we’ve mentioned above should work across platforms as long as you use the right inputs. Of course, some glitches do get patched over time or don’t worth on every platform, but they’re usually worth trying.