METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION VOL. 1: LEGENDS IN A PLAIN BOX
7.0 of 10 bananas. Konami bundled the first three Metal Gear Solid games and the MSX originals for modern consoles. The games are classics. The ports drew fire for doing the minimum, and a 2024 patch fixed only part of it.
By the Alpha. Full review. Updated Nov 12 2026.
Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from critic reviews, player reviews, the store listing, and the official game pages linked below. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, per Metacritic. Released October 2023 by Konami. The Amazon button is the PS5 disc. At my Nov 12 2026 check the featured new offer came from a third-party seller, JADD ENTERTAINMENT, shipped by Amazon, at 33.00 dollars, and the listing said only 4 left in stock.
Get Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 for PS5 on AmazonStore check, Nov 12 2026: new copies from a third-party seller, JADD ENTERTAINMENT, shipped by Amazon, at 33.00 dollars, with only 4 left in stock shown. Not sold by Amazon.com at my check. Prices and sellers change, so look before you pay.
Listen well. Some games teach a whole generation how to sneak. Metal Gear Solid did that, then its sequels taught us to question everything, including the game. These are history. The box they come in is the problem.
What It Wants To Be
The collection gathers Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, plus the original MSX Metal Gear games, in one package. It wants to be the easy, legal way to play Hideo Kojima's stealth classics on today's consoles, ahead of more volumes.
What Works
The games themselves are legends, and the collection makes them easy to reach on PS5. Konami's update 2.0 in November 2024 added an Adjusted Mode that lets MGS2 and MGS3 run up to 4K on PS5, per Push Square, a real step up from the launch version. At 33 dollars you get three landmark games in one box.
What Breaks
At my check it sat at 74 on Metacritic for PS5 from 56 critic reviews, mostly because reviewers called the ports lazy and low resolution at launch. The 2.0 patch left the first Metal Gear Solid unchanged, per Push Square, and Digital Foundry's 2025 revisit says it improved but key problems remain. Expect old controls, old camera angles, and a menu that feels like a launcher, not a remaster.
Who Should Play
Play it if you have never played these games and want the legal, simple way in on PS5, or if you want them on a shelf. Skip it if you expect a true remaster, and look at Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for a rebuilt MGS3.
STRENGTHS
- Three all time classics
- MGS2 and MGS3 now up to 4K
- Simple way to start the saga
- In stock at my check
HONEST COSTS
- Thin port work
- MGS1 left unchanged
- Dated controls
- Third-party seller and low stock at my check
Affiliate note: this Amazon link supports the troop at no extra cost to you. One CTA per review. Platforms listed honestly above. At my check the offer was sold by JADD ENTERTAINMENT, a third-party seller, and shipped by Amazon.