Without a doubt, the Metal Gear franchise is one of the most iconic series in video games. Ever since its establishment in 1987, Metal Gear pioneered and paved the way for stealth games in mainstream attention, with the franchise coining the genre "Tactical Espionage Action."

Although Metal Gear has been among the greats in gaming, the franchise took a turn when Konami severed ties with Hideo Kojima, who is the creator of the iconic stealth franchise. Unfortunately, the franchise's future remains bleak as Konami still hasn't revealed its plans for the series, and the only thing fans have to go on right now is a rumor of a Metal Gear Solid Remake. Despite this, Metal Gear still has a solid fanbase that would eventually want to see its return to its former glory. And while players wait for Konami to reveal its plans for the series, here is a tier list of all mainline Metal Gear games.

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• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
• Metal Gear Solid

Most Metal Gear fans agree that Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is one of the best entries in the entire franchise. What made Metal Gear Solid 3 capture its fanbase's hearts is the culmination of everything players loved about the series: challenging gameplay and deep storytelling. Without a doubt, Metal Gear Solid 3 will forever be regarded as one of the best thanks to its clever use of the franchise's iconic stealth gameplay set in the 1960's Cold War. Players who have no idea what Metal Gear is about can also start their journey with Metal Gear Solid 3, given that it is a prequel to the franchise.

The S-Tier also includes the first Metal Gear game under the "Solid" brand. While it is technically the third Metal Gear title, Metal Gear Solid is likely the first game many players encountered. Its story is filled with a heavy mix of nuclear terrorism, illegal and experimental cloning, double agents, and even a hint of the paranormal. Metal Gear Solid is often regarded as a game that is ahead of its time.

• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
• Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
• Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Next up is Metal Gear Solid 2, which retains all its predecessor's features but is taken on a different level. Like Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2 was regarded as ahead of its time, making players question their role in video games. Although Metal Gear Solid 2 did get some flak early on for letting players believe that they would play as the iconic Solid Snake for most of the game. Only to find out that the majority of the story was from the perspective of the new character named Raiden.

Another popular entry in this list is Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Although its graphics are dated, many still remember their first experience with this sequel like it was just released yesterday. One of the best aspects of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is that it took all the elements that worked in the first game and infused them into a complex experience. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain also makes it to A-Tier, given that its gameplay is widely regarded as the best in the series. Unfortunately, the overall story of the game pales compared to its predecessors, given that it has left tons of storylines unresolved.

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• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Of course, having a game as great as Metal Gear Solid 3, it is unsurprising that succeeding games in the franchise struggled to compete, which was the case with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Despite that, it was in Peace Walker that Konami took criticisms about too many cutscenes to heart, which resulted in one of the most expansive Metal Gear entries ever.

• Metal Gear
• Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes

The first Metal Gear game began its life on the MSX home computer, a platform that never had a huge presence in the US. However, to entice the western market, Konami ported the game to the NES, which did expose it to more players worldwide. Unfortunately, the port is not the best one out there, given that the studio completely reshuffled the game's layout, which stripped the balance Kojima and his team poured into the game. Still, Metal Gear is the reason why the franchise exists in the first place. While its western port is not the most intuitive out there, its amazing story and innovative gameplay definitely make up for all its shortcomings.

Next up is Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, one of the shortest Metal Gear games. During the game's release, many were outraged that it can be finished in under 40 minutes, with the world-record clocking in at four minutes. Despite this, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes still served its purpose: to serve as a bridge between Peace Walker and the at-the-time forthcoming The Phantom Pain. 

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