Metal Gear Solid 3 remake – everything we know

The Metal Gear Solid 3 remake will reintroduce a landmark stealth game series in 4K glory, with all the shine and gleam that comes from a modern remake. Now we’ve had time to let the announcement trailer marinade a bit, and gawk over the in-game footage trailer that came out at the end of October 2023, there are even more reasons to get excited about revisiting one of the most esteemed Metal Gear Solid games ever made. 

Almost twenty years after the release of the original, we expect the remake to recreate a similar experience while boasting more modernized mechanics and visuals. Titled Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and also being referred to as just ‘Metal Gear Solid Delta’, the information we have regarding the title right now is incredibly thin on the ground, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most anticipated upcoming games. 

Though while we’ve seen a trailer that contains a few good easter eggs and nods to the series, we’re yet to see any in-game action or details. We’ve still managed to scrape together all the information we do have, so here’s everything we know about the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake.  

• What is it? A remaster of the esteemed Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 
• When does it come out? TBA 
• What can I play it on? PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC 
• Who is making it? Konami 

Metal Gear Solid 3 remake platforms

We don’t know a release date, but we do know which platforms the game is set to arrive on, and, despite the series’ historical links with Sony, it’s not a PlayStation exclusive. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will come to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Whether or not it’ll be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass is also yet to be announced – though news of this could come around, or after, a concrete release date is confirmed. 

Unfortunately, the game isn’t going to receive any last-gen ports, so if you’re still rocking older hardware, it might be worth looking to upgrade your setup prior to release if the game is a must-play for you. With how highly praised the original game was, there’s a strong chance that once the remake arrives it could fall among not only the best Xbox Series X games, but the best PS5 games too. 

Metal Gear Solid 3 remake trailers

As of late October 2023, the number of Metal Gear Solid 3 remake trailers available to us has doubled with Konami dropping a dazzling in-engine look at the game.

This trailer not only gave us a splendid look at how the game runs and moves, but also showed us some updated shots of iconic parts and areas of the game, from the ruins where Snake finds Sokolov, to the mountaintop trenches, to the swamps with large reptile friends, the rope bridge that houses the climax of the Virtuous mission, and what looks like the location of the boss battle with The Pain. It really does look incredible and looks to be brilliantly brought to life in the Unreal Engine 5.

In these short clips, however, we also get a brief look at gameplay with Snake taking cover behind trees to investigate patrolling guards and also eyeing one up to shoot in first-person view. Check it out in all its 4K glory below.

Before the above video, we only had one Metal Gear Solid 3 remake trailer in the form of the announcement – and it doesn’t give any information away regarding in-game content. Instead, it takes us through an animated rendition of the jungle landscape players of the original Metal Gear Solid 3 may recognize. 

After following a colony of ants, followed by a bird in flight, and then a large snake and crocodile, we get our first glimpse at Snake. The end of the trailer announces the name Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, but we don’t receive anything about platforms or a release date.  

What we can glean from the trailer though are a bunch of call-backs, nods, and ‘easter eggs’ which are great fun for existing fans to identify – even if we don’t see any in-game action or mechanics. Some specifically good nods are being able to make out the silhouette of the Shagohod in the clouds at the beginning, the parrot almost certainly being The End’s companion bird, and the poison dart frog giving a nod to The Fear.

Also, as well as the trailer, the official screenshots that have been released make for great viewing too: and importantly seem to indicate that environments and spaces won’t be drastically changed, and will get the beautifying treatment while retaining their original layout, style, and features.

Metal Gear Solid 3 remake story and setting

With such a short trailer to go off, there’s a huge amount to learn about the story and setting of the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake. That said, since it’s revisiting the original MGS 3 game, there are a few conclusions we can draw based on what we already know. The majority of the setting of Metal Gear Solid 3 is in a jungle in Russia, during the Cold War, which is echoed through the brief pan we receive in the announcement trailer. 

The story has been confirmed to remain the same as the original game, so if you’ve already played the 2004 version, you’ll probably know what to expect. But, if you’re among the players who are yet to experience what Metal Gear Solid 3 has to offer, and you’d rather now wait for the remake rather than play the original, then the story is still worth brushing up on so you’ll be able to experience the high-stakes action without having to learn too much on the spot. 

MGS 3 serves as a prequel to the rest of the saga, and because of this, it lays out the origins of Big Boss, a major character within the series, and walks you through the infiltration of Soviet territory to prevent the construction of a weapon of mass destruction. It becomes your job as ‘Naked Snake’ to carry out missions (as part of the larger mission at hand) translated through radio messages, boss fights, stealthy espionage action, and to avoid blowing your cover to do what’s right. 

In addition to setting up the series, MGS 3 is the first game (despite being a prequel) to stray from the traditional formula of Metal Gear Solid games in terms of its technology, relying more on using the wilderness to your advantage rather than leaning on and defending yourself against high tech. Even though you can use it to your advantage, the wilderness and its ferocious inhabitants are also ready to blow Snake’s cover, so you need to stay alert at all times. 

Metal Gear Solid 3 remake gameplay

As mentioned above, the latest in-engine look at the Metal Gear 3 remake also showed off some glimpses of, albeit familiar, gameplay. We see Snake taking aim in first-person view from long grass, carefully wading through marshes past reptilian beasts, taking cover behind trees and ruins, and also a clear way at the way Snake moves while crouched, walking, climbing, and leaning. However, we also see a short but silky clip of Snake taking down a guard from behind – the motions are familiar but much more fluid and seamless. 

Away from what we’ve seen in that trailer, however, and similarly to the story, we expect the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake gameplay to stick pretty closely to the source material. While the general premise of stealth and combat-heavy interactions is expected to continue, we do expect the newest reiteration of the game to feel more polished in comparison to its 2004 counterpart. 

That said, there could be several mechanics that have been fine-tuned or adapted to make the experience more streamlined and up-to-date. As confirmed in a Tweet posted on the official Metal Gear Solid page, MGS Delta: Snake Eater, is intent to be a ‘faithful recreation of the original story and game design, while evolving the gameplay with stunning visuals and a seamless user experience.’ Perhaps the game will get similar treatment to the Resident Evil remakes of recent years, with a full overhaul of the camera and mechanics to bring the game into the 21st century.

The content of the original game was praised for being before its time, like thermal imaging, so we are keen to see how exactly these are adapted for a more beneficial user experience. Mechanics such as healing were pretty challenging throughout the original and included a lot of in-menu work, but whether or not this will be among the elements being evolved is currently unknown. If there’s an aim to make this, in particular, more fluid, then this would be music to the ears of a lot of existing fans, as well as a new audience.

So, while there’s still a lot to uncover about how exactly the remake will build upon the foundations set by the original, we aren’t going in entirely blind. We do expect that a lot of the general mechanics will remain the same to replicate the original experience to a more modern standard.

Metal Gear Solid 3 remake news

Rumors suggested a 2024 release window
A PlayStation sizzle reel in early January 2024 seemed to intimate that the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake would be one of the console’s 2024 releases. Konami commented after, asking fans to wait for the announcement [of a release date] in the future – neither confirming or denying the year of release. We’ll report on this when more concrete information comes officially.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will contain all the original voices
As confirmed in a Tweet, all the original voices from the 2004 Metal Gear Solid 3 will be used in the remake. Rather than inviting voice actors back to re-record lines, the audio will be taken from the original game, which will feed into the honest recreation the remake promises to deliver.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater announced as part of Sony’s State of Play
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a remake of the 2004 Metal Gear Solid 3, was announced as part of Sony’s State of Play on May 24, 2023. Although the trailer showcased no in-game content or information regarding the storyline or a release date, it has been confirmed a remake is in the works and to be expected potentially in the next year or two. 

Metal Gear Solid 3 remake Hideo Kojima involvement

When the official announcement of the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake came, one of the major things that fans were wondering was whether or not Hideo Kojima himself would be involved. Even though the famous game creator is no longer at Konami and has his own game development studio, the intrigue was still strong as to whether he may consult with the remake or give advice in some capacity – it is one of his games after all, and one of the best he has made. 

However, as IGN reported after speaking to Konami about the remake earlier this summer. IGN asked about whether Kojima or Yoji Shinkawa – another crucial cog in the Metal Gear Solid series – would be involved. A Konami spokesperson responded plainly by saying that: “They are not involved.”

So there we have it, clear as day, Hideo Kojima is not involved with the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake.

For more games worth adding to your radar, we’ve got information on the Clockwork Revolution release date, or if you’re ready for an adventure now our guide to the best single-player games is bound to offer something to pique your interest.