Metal Gear Survive

Despite the backlash from fans decrying that Metal Gear Survive isn't a true Metal Gear game, what's available in this $40 package is a hundred-plus hours of one of the most polished survival games to ever make it onto consoles.

64%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

monetization, grinding

67% User Score Based on 3,414 reviews

Critic Score 61%Based on 46 reviews

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About

Metal Gear Survive is a single player and multiplayer open world shooter game with horror, comedy, violence and science fiction themes. It was developed by KONAMI and was released on February 20, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In a struggle to stay alive on this harsh terrain filled with deadly creatures, soldiers who were previously on Motherbase now must work cooperatively in order to survive.

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67%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,414 reviews

story352 positive mentions

monetization86 negative mentions

Solid survival base-building game with engaging crafting and resource management mechanics.
Fun cooperative multiplayer tower defense mode that adds teamwork and strategic gameplay.
Uses the FOX engine from Metal Gear Solid V, providing smooth controls and good graphics.

Always-online requirement even for single-player, causing loss of progress on disconnection.
Repetitive and grind-heavy gameplay with slow progression, particularly in early game.
Poor story presentation with limited cutscenes and uninspired characters, not resembling traditional Metal Gear games.

story
2,295 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
77%
8%
Metal Gear Survive offers a relatively short and somewhat campy story that serves mainly to support the survival and base-building gameplay, with many players finding it underdeveloped, repetitive, and lacking the depth and polish of mainline Metal Gear titles. While the narrative contains some interesting plot twists and ties loosely into the MGSV timeline, it is often delivered through static images and text boxes, with minimal cutscenes and character development. The story is generally seen as a functional backdrop rather than a compelling experience, with most of the game's lasting appeal lying in its survival mechanics and multiplayer content rather than its narrative.
- “The story is surprisingly good for a multiplayer focused game that is made almost exclusively with MGSV assets.”
- “I've put a substantial amount of time into it, and frankly I feel like this game is worth playing. Everyone hates on it because Konami fired Kojima, but even though they did this and they have these terrible business practices, you will, I guarantee, enjoy the story, that is if you're someone who actually plays games for the stories.”
- “Survive has a full-fledged story campaign, and while the story isn't the deepest ever, I had enough fun with it that I'd totally welcome a sequel with these same characters.”
- “The story is a mess.”
- “The early game can be a grind, and the story never really recovers from its half-baked presentation.”
- “The story is pretty bad until the last half.”
gameplay
1,246 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
7%
Metal Gear Survive builds upon the slick and fluid gameplay mechanics of MGSV, integrating survival, base-building, crafting, and tower defense elements that create a solid and engaging loop for fans of survival games. While the game benefits from the Fox Engine’s polished controls and features intuitive stealth and combat systems, the gameplay can feel repetitive and grindy, especially in the early stages due to intrusive hunger, thirst, and oxygen mechanics. Despite uneven pacing and some cumbersome mechanics, the cooperative multiplayer and gradual gameplay evolution offer rewarding moments, making it enjoyable if approached with patience and adjusted expectations away from traditional Metal Gear storytelling.
- “Gameplay-wise, Metal Gear Survive is a blend of base defense, survival mechanics, and stealth-action combat, building off of MGSV's core gameplay but adding many new mechanics and assets.”
- “The gameplay loop of exploring the map, collecting resources, building a base, researching new technologies/equipment etc. is really addictive and oddly satisfying, with a lot of survival elements integrated smoothly.”
- “Once you understand the mechanics and get past the initial learning curve, Metal Gear Survive offers genuinely fun and challenging gameplay, with satisfying stealth and combat that's reminiscent of MGSV but with survival and base-building twists.”
- “The gameplay can be repetitive at times yes, however, I still enjoyed all of it.”
- “The gameplay is highly repetitive, tedious, and difficult until you get a good stockpile of resources so you spam the best towers and this brings me to the worst part of the game from start to finish the only gameplay value is collecting resources, building defenses and surviving a timer.”
- “The first 30 minutes of gameplay isn't really gameplay as much as it is a series of cutscenes that seem like they communicate so little that I found myself screaming at the screen in frustration and exclaiming I just wanted to play a game!!!”
monetization
448 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
76%
19%
Metal Gear Survive is widely criticized for its aggressive and often predatory microtransactions, including paywalls for additional save/character slots and gameplay boosters, which many view as exploitative cash grabs that hinder progression and player experience. While the microtransactions are largely optional and do not block core gameplay, their presence combined with always-online DRM and grind-heavy design dampens the overall enjoyment and damages the game's reputation. Some players find them ignorable, but the consensus is that monetization choices feel unnecessary and poorly implemented in a paid title.
- “Microtransactions exist but you can work around them with only reasonable effort; you can basically ignore them, and you get the premium currency in log-in bonuses.”
- “Thankfully, the microtransactions don't really seem to impact the game much, if at all.”
- “Microtransactions are completely optional and you can play without spending anything; they only offer minor convenience like extra save slots or boosters.”
- “The microtransactions are downright offensive.”
- “Really the only truly unexcusable sin that Konami is guilty of regarding this game is the predatory monetization they have tacked on: $10 for a second character in a game with multiple endings—come on, that's just gross.”
- “Much of both single player and multiplayer have been intentionally nerfed with pointless microtransactions.”
grinding
317 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
98%
Grinding in this game is widely described as tedious, repetitive, and overly time-consuming, especially in the early and post-campaign phases. Players often cite resource scarcity, continual survival meter management, slow progression, and reliance on multiplayer co-op (which is mostly inactive) as frustrating barriers that make upgrades and gear farming a chore rather than fun. While some enjoy the grind as part of the survival experience, many feel it is artificially inflated by design choices that push towards microtransactions and dilute the overall pacing and engagement.
- “The crafting system is not too tedious as well, has a nice balance to it.”
- “The single player story took me about 18 hours to get through, and that was with little to no grinding outside of missions. After that, there's still the endgame with several new bosses and a coop mode to sink your teeth into, so all in all, good value I would say.”
- “It's not grindy, it always gives you just enough resources to scrape by, and it's genuinely kinda challenging.”
- “You need to upgrade them/gather more but the way to do so is very convoluted and requires a ton of multiplayer grinding which is dead.”
- “The game doesn’t respect your time—resource scarcity, harsh survival penalties, and tedious backtracking are all used as padding rather than meaningful design.”
- “The core issue is that the game is purposely designed to be as tedious as possible with hunger, thirst and oxygen meters requiring the player to return to base.”
graphics
161 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
The graphics in Metal Gear Survive largely reuse and closely resemble those of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, utilizing the Fox Engine with minimal visual upgrades, resulting in a familiar yet somewhat dated aesthetic. While the visuals are generally solid, well-optimized, and evoke a recognizable Metal Gear atmosphere, many critics note the lack of improvement, some graphical inconsistencies, and limited customization options for settings at launch, leading to mixed opinions on the overall graphical quality.
- “Metal Gear Survive utilizes the Fox Engine, the same powerful engine used in Metal Gear Solid V, ensuring high-quality graphics and smooth gameplay.”
- “Graphics and performance are phenomenal.”
- “The graphics are amazingly well done.”
- “The game is just terrible, they also hid massive graphics issues and poorly designed areas behind the fog, showing a lack of even the smallest effort given it’s a cloned asset game.”
- “To top it all off, the graphics seem to have been severely downgraded from MGSV; textures look much more bland and simple, models for characters are barebone.”
- “You can't change the resolution or any graphic options until you are in the game, so you have to watch 20 minutes or real-time cutscenes on low settings and maybe even in a window before you can change the resolution, or you skip it, create a character, spawn in the tutorial, change your resolution and then restart the whole campaign just to properly watch the cutscenes.”
music
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
70%
7%
The game features a large collection of unlockable music tracks from various Konami titles, including many Metal Gear games, which can be played in base broadcast stations but not during gameplay or on the go. While some players appreciate the nostalgic and ambient soundtrack, others find the in-game music repetitive, boring, or lacking the iconic Metal Gear themes, and criticism is common regarding the lack of volume controls for music and sound effects. Overall, the music offers enjoyable callbacks for fans but is hindered by limited integration and audio options.
- “It's also a cute bonus that you can unlock music from past Metal Gear games and classic Konami titles (Policenauts, Zone of the Enders, Castlevania, and more!).”
- “Music in general is great, some tracks are reused from TPP and some are ripped from other Konami games, but what is new and original sounds amazing, especially near the end there's a great rendition of the Metal Gear theme.”
- “Another thing is that you can find cassette tapes containing music from various other Konami games, from Castlevania, to Boktai, to most of the other Metal Gear games.”
- “However, the soundtrack lacks the iconic music that characterized the Metal Gear series, which can make the game feel less immersive for long-time fans.”
- “The music is something I always look into the most on games which this one sadly failed; the music is too boring and over the top unnecessarily most of the time.”
- “There's no option to lower in-game sound or music; you can turn music completely off, but no option to adjust them.”
optimization
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
40%
9%
The game is generally praised for its solid optimization and smooth performance, running well even on lower-end PCs thanks to the Fox Engine. While some users report occasional lag and poor CPU/GPU usage in certain cases, most note the game offers stable frame rates, quick loading, and minimal bugs or crashes. Overall, the optimization is considered one of the game's strong points, contributing to enjoyable gameplay and impressive visuals.
- “The Fox engine is incredibly smooth and optimized.”
- “The game runs very smoothly, with no performance issues to speak of.”
- “Highly functional, optimized, no bugs, no glitches.”
- “It's got a terribly boring plot. The engine, which when used in MGS 5 was one of the smoothest, best-looking engines I've ever seen, now seems to lag so much it's nearly unplayable and is poorly optimized to the point that I've pretty much given up on even trying to play the game. In MGS 5 I never once had these issues. How did they mess up this game and its engine so badly?”
- “Unoptimized CPU/GPU usage and control mapping.”
- “Let's start with the bad: this game was poorly, poorly optimized.”
atmosphere
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
34%
7%
The game excels at creating a dark, eerie, and immersive atmosphere that effectively conveys isolation, tension, and survival, often drawing comparisons to Silent Hill's unsettling mood. Utilizing the Fox Engine, it crafts visually muted, foggy, and dusty environments that enhance the sense of dread and urgency, making exploration tense and engaging despite some repetitive design elements. Overall, the atmosphere is praised as the game's strongest feature, deeply enhancing its survival and stealth gameplay experience.
- “The environments, though not as diverse as in previous Metal Gear games, are well-designed and atmospheric, creating a sense of dread and isolation that is fitting for a survival game.”
- “The atmosphere captures a sense of isolation that fits perfectly with the survival theme, while still carrying over some of the stealth and tactical gameplay that defines the Metal Gear franchise.”
- “The whole atmosphere is just directly from MGS: FTP, which, I don't mind, but nothing memorable was really added to this game in sense of landmarks, other than some pieces of Mother Base.”
- “Visually the muted palette and constantly grey overcast foggy atmosphere is not fun.”
- “The dust is a poisonous atmosphere and requires an oxygen tank to traverse, another extremely limiting resource that shortens your trips within to about ten minutes each time.”
humor
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in this game is a mix of missed potential and occasional genuine laughs, with some players finding charm in its clunky controls, quirky mechanics, and typical Metal Gear quips, especially in co-op moments. However, it often falls short of the iconic series’ offbeat wit, feeling unfinished and relying on awkward or cheesy elements that can be funny but sometimes feel forced or cringy. Overall, while not the comedic highlight it could have been, it delivers sporadic humorous moments amidst a more serious tone.
- “If this game were able to be played co-op start to finish, it would be worth experiencing with a friend and laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, but instead there are only small parts that can be played co-op.”
- “We were just cry laughing the entire time as we hit those things back and forth.”
- “The controls are as awful as ever, just like in every other Metal Gear game, clunky script-based actions resulting in funny sequences of you leaping into a tree or bouncing melee off an object, while once you get used to it it is usable, but really adds to the difficulty of the game... since you have to fight the clunky controls until you get used to it.”
replayability
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
72%
12%
Replayability opinions are mixed, with some players appreciating the game's co-op mode, loot system, and skill/customization depth that encourage multiple playthroughs, while others find the endgame and content limited, resulting in little motivation to replay after completion. Overall, the game offers decent replay value for those who enjoy survival and multiplayer elements, but it may lack longevity for others seeking varied or extensive endgame activities.
- “All in all MG Survive has decent graphics, great gameplay, great replayability, great survival, great action, and co-op.”
- “However, after putting more time into it and revealing more and more of the game's features, skills, weapons, enemies etc as well as becoming more used to the controls and mechanics, I realized that there really is some good depth and replayability here.”
- “There is likely over 40 hours of replayability in the core concept of surviving as your own customized character.”
- “While the story is very poor, the gameplay is quite entertaining; however, there is no replay value and endgame activities are very limited. The online co-op mode adds some appeal to the game.”
- “What's worse is that after you've beaten the game, that's pretty much it. There is not much reason to continue playing, and there really isn't any replay value.”
- “There is no replayability.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
82%
The game's stability is mixed, with many users praising its smooth performance and minimal crashes, even on lower-end systems, while others report frequent bugs, glitches, freezing on loading screens, and problematic controls that hinder enjoyment. Though technically optimized in some cases, persistent bugs and lack of polish leave the overall stability inconsistent.
- “Runs great technically with no performance issues in all my hours of playing.”
- “Highly functional, optimized, no bugs, no glitches.”
- “Fox engine still runs great, looking good on high-end rigs and running smooth on low-end rigs.”
- “If you want a very good survival game, that doesn't crash because it used an inferior engine that should have been replaced 10 years ago and not released because it's a buggy mess, then this is for you.”
- “Let's also ignore the fact that the game freezes on loading screens a huge percentage of the time.”
- “Game is currently unplayably buggy, do not purchase until Konami fixes the bugs.”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
81%
19%
The emotional impact of the game is mixed, with some moments and twists providing a brief emotional lift, but overall the story and characters are viewed as bland, generic, and failing to foster strong attachment. Many players found the narrative predictable and the voice acting uninspired, resulting in emotional moments that often fall flat or feel forced. Despite some praise for gameplay feel and base customization, the emotional engagement remains limited and inconsistent.
- “There is good weapon variety and customization. I felt like I wasn't always fully prepared, but that's good; it keeps you worried. What I most liked about it was the base customization, made me feel like I was playing Minecraft, but more realistic.”
- “The story is bland, but there is a nice twist near the end and it gets a little emotional.”
- “I still have yet to play a game that "feels" so good to play. I can only compare it to being moved emotionally by a loved song or great sex; it feels right to play.”
- “Short, predictable, and boring story.”
- “35 hours in, finally beats boring story.”
- “Pointless online DRM that's not even present in The Phantom Pain, poor implementation of microtransactions, boring story told through scenes that carry less weight than Peacewalker's, and combat that doesn't work well with the engine which was designed for stealth and shooting add up to a game not worth your time.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Users feel that the character development in the game is weak, lacking the complexity and depth that defined the series. While there are moments with potential, the execution is generally poor, making the experience feel disconnected from what made the original games compelling.
- “The departure from the series' core elements—complex storytelling, rich character development, and thematic depth—makes it feel disconnected from what made Metal Gear great.”
- “Even when there was a good character development point, they failed miserably on the execution.”

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61%Critics’ scoreBased on 46 critic reviews

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18h Median play time

45h Average play time

7-40h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 59 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Metal Gear Survive is a open world shooter game with horror, comedy, violence and science fiction themes.

Metal Gear Survive is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 45 hours playing Metal Gear Survive.

Metal Gear Survive was released on February 20, 2018.

Metal Gear Survive was developed by KONAMI.

Metal Gear Survive has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Metal Gear Survive for its story but disliked it for its monetization.

Metal Gear Survive is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Overkill's The Walking Dead, How to Survive 2, How to Survive, Night of the Dead, Stalcraft and others.

Metal Gear Survive

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