Master Collection Vol.1 vs Vol.2: Which Should You Buy?

Two volumes, sold separately, covering one enormous saga. If you’re standing at the store wondering which Master Collection to grab — or whether you need both — this comparison will sort you out.

What’s in each volume

Master Collection Vol.1 (released October 2023):

• Metal Gear (MSX)
• Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX)
• Metal Gear Solid (1998)
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
• Bonus: two motion comics, plus screenplay and master books

Master Collection Vol.2 (releasing August 27, 2026):

• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
• Bonus: Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (Game Boy Color)
• Bonus: restored MGS4 Database, screenplay and master books, digital soundtrack, digital manuals

So Vol.1 has the larger raw count of games, while Vol.2 is anchored by the two later epics — including MGS4, the one fans waited nearly two decades to play off the PS3. Our games overview breaks down every title in Vol.2.

How they split the story

The volumes divide the saga cleanly by era:

• Vol.1 = the early-to-middle saga. Big Boss’s origin (Snake Eater, 1964), the original MSX games, and Solid Snake’s defining adventures (MGS1 and MGS2).
• Vol.2 = the modern bookends. Big Boss building his army (Peace Walker, 1974) and the grand finale (MGS4, 2014).

There’s essentially no overlap. Between the two, you get almost the entire mainline story. Our timeline guide shows exactly how the pieces connect.

Are they connected technically?

No. Vol.1 and Vol.2 are independent purchases. You don’t need one installed to run the other, there’s no shared save dependency, and buying Vol.2 doesn’t require owning Vol.1. They’re companion products, not a base game and an expansion.

Which should you buy first?

Here’s our honest recommendation based on who you are:

You’re brand new to Metal Gear

Start with Vol.1. Snake Eater (in Vol.1) is the best entry point for newcomers and the chronological beginning, and MGS1/MGS2 build the foundation that makes MGS4’s finale land. Playing Vol.1 first means Vol.2’s payoffs hit far harder. See where to start Metal Gear for the full reasoning.

That said, if MGS4 being trapped on PS3 is why you’re excited, you can still start with Vol.2’s Peace Walker and use our guides to catch up — just know you’re experiencing the ending before the beginning.

You’re a returning fan who’s played the classics

Go straight to Vol.2. If you already know Shadow Moses, Big Shell and Snake Eater, you don’t need Vol.1 again. Vol.2 gives you the two games most likely to be missing from your modern library: MGS4 (finally playable off PS3) and Peace Walker (which a lot of people skipped on PSP).

You only care about MGS4

Buy Vol.2. It’s the only place to get MGS4 on modern hardware, full stop. You can absolutely enjoy it on its own — lean on our character database and the in-game MGS4 Database to fill any gaps.

You want everything

Buy both, and play in a sensible order. Our where to start guide lays out both the chronological and release-order approaches so you can pick the experience you want.

The bottom line

Vol.1 and Vol.2 aren’t really competitors — they’re two halves of the same preservation effort. Vol.1 is the better starting purchase for newcomers; Vol.2 is the bigger event for returning fans because of MGS4’s long-awaited arrival. Whichever you grab, you’re getting some of the finest stealth games ever made, finally easy to play on the hardware you own.