Konami is temporarily allowing Steam users to play the Master Collection edition of Metal Gear Solid without paying, opening the door for a new audience to experience Hideo Kojima’s landmark stealth game. The promotion arrives shortly before Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 and serves as a timely reminder of why Solid Snake’s first three-dimensional mission remains so influential nearly 30 years later.

Certain games have become so deeply embedded in the medium that they no longer require an introduction, and Metal Gear Solid unquestionably belongs in that category. After Hideo Kojima brought Solid Snake into a three-dimensional world in 1998, the franchise became inseparable from ideas of stealth, espionage and carefully planned infiltration. Konami is now giving players another opportunity to discover why the original PlayStation adventure has retained its reputation for almost three decades. Anyone with a Steam account who has never experienced the classic can currently correct that omission without spending any money.

Metal Gear Solid Is Temporarily Free to Play on Steam

Konami has launched a limited free-play period on Steam for the edition of Metal Gear Solid included in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1. The trial runs from July 23 until July 27, 2026, at 7:00 PM CEST, providing several full days in which to undertake Solid Snake’s first three-dimensional operation. The promotion has been scheduled only a few weeks before Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 launches on August 27. Available to pre-order for €50, the second compilation contains Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and the bonus title Metal Gear: Ghost Babel.

Players won over by the trial can purchase the Master Collection version of Metal Gear Solid at a 50% discount, reducing its price to €9.99. That purchase also provides access to the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, allowing newcomers to explore Snake’s earlier missions as part of the package. The complete Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 has received the same reduction and is currently priced at €29.99. The free period is not restricted to the basic campaign either, as it also includes Metal Gear Solid VR/Special Missions and Metal Gear Solid: Integral, the expanded edition that was originally released exclusively in Japan.

Participants additionally receive access to a digital book containing artwork, character biographies and a complete chronology of the wider series. The timing of the trial is especially generous because the central story of Metal Gear Solid can be completed in several hours, making it entirely possible for dedicated players to reach the ending before the promotion expires. Konami could choose to repeat the initiative with more of the franchise’s classic entries during the weeks leading to the second Master Collection. Some fans believe Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty may become the next temporary free game, although no official announcement currently supports that speculation. Steam users can also sample Icarus, Killing Floor 3 and Unrailed 2: Back on Track for free during the same period.

Source: 3DJuegos Steam