Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a 2004 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. It was released in late 2004 in North America and Japan, and in early 2005 in Europe and Australia. Written, produced and directed by Hideo Kojima, the game is the fifth mainline installment in the Metal Gear series and the first chronologically, serving as a prequel to the entire series. Set in 1964, 31 years before the events of the original Metal Gear, the story centers on the FOX operative codenamed Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue Russian rocket scientist Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, sabotage an experimental superweapon, and assassinate his defected former boss.
While previous games were set in a primarily urban environment, Snake Eater adopts a 1960s Soviet jungle setting, with the high-tech, near-future trappings of previous Metal Gear Solid games replaced with wilderness. While the environment has changed, the game's focus remains on stealth and infiltration, while retaining the series' self-referential, fourth-wall-breaking sense of humor. The story of Snake Eater is told through numerous cutscenes and radio conversations.
Considered one of the greatest video games of all time, Metal Gear Solid 3 was met with critical acclaim, with many considering it an improvement over its predecessor, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Critics praised the narrative, characters, and graphics, but the new gameplay mechanics and dated camera system were met with mixed reviews. The game was also a commercial success, selling more than four million copies worldwide, albeit less than Sons of Liberty.
An expanded edition, titled Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, was released in Japan in late 2005, then in North America, Europe and Australia in 2006. A remaster was included in the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which was rereleased in the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 compilation on October 2023. A remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, was released in August 2025. A numbered sequel, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, was released in 2008, while a narrative sequel, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, was released in 2010.
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