Regardless of any personal opinion, there's no denying that Metal Gear is known for its story. It's a tale of international espionage that spans half a century, and while many fans love that aspect of the series, it's not always easy to keep everything in order.

That's what this timeline is for: with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain just weeks away from launch, it's more important than ever to know why Big Boss is on such a brutal quest for revenge. As such, here's every major event in the Metal Gear timeline, presented in chronological order. Obviously, there are MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

One quick note: due to its questionable stance in the overall Metal Gear canon, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops has been ignored for the sake of this list. Don't worry, nothing really happened in that game anyway.

So, without further adieu, here is the complete Metal Gear Saga timeline, starting with the Big Boss games:

Pre-Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

1920:
• During the aftermath of World War I, a group known as the Philosophers is founded. The group consists of leaders from around the world, and aims to steer the world away from armed conflict using their immense wealth.

December 1942:
• The Boss, one of the Philosophers' best soldiers, forms the Cobra Unit during the Battle of Stalingrad.

June 6, 1944:
• During D-Day, the Boss gives birth to her son (who would become Revolver Ocelot) in the middle of the battlefield while her lover, Cobra Unit member the Sorrow, watches over them.

September 1945:
• Boris Volgin, the man responsible for keeping the Philosophers' vast wealth a secret, manages to take control of their funds. The money is laundered through banks across Europe and Asia.

Late 1945:
• Due to tensions between their respective countries following World War II, the Philosophers begin to distance themselves from each other.

1947:
• As a result of the ongoing tension between the Philosophers, the Cobra Unit is officially disbanded.

1950:
• A man named Jack (the future Naked Snake) enters the tutelage of the Boss.

Early 1960s:
• Yevgeny Borisovitch Volgin inherits the massive fortune that his father was able to steal away from the Philosophers. This vast sum of money earns the nickname "the Philosophers' Legacy."

April 1961:
• Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, a Russian rocket scientist, begins working on the mobile ICBM platform known as the Shagohod.

Fall 1962:
• Major Zero, a British CIA agent, helps Sokolov and his family defect from the Soviet Union.

Winter 1962:
• As part of an agreement formed after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Sokolov is given back to the Soviet Union.

• Major Zero forms the FOX Unit, and Jack joins shortly after.

• The United States designs and prototypes the "Davy Crockett" handheld nuclear missile launcher, though it is scrapped due to concerns about its range and usability.

Dec. 14, 1962:
• The Boss is ordered to kill the Sorrow (the father of her only son) as a part of her mission in Tselinoyarsk.

July 24, 1964:
• Through a Philosopher espionage network, the Boss learns that Sokolov has almost completed his work on the Shagohod.

August 1964:
• A Chinese spy, working under the name Tatyana, infiltrates Sokolov's base at Tselinoyarsk. She convinces him that she is working with Kruschev in order to take control of all existing Shagohod data.

The Events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Aug. 24, 1964:
• Operation: Virtuous Mission commences. Jack, now using the codename Naked Snake, is sent to Tselinoyarsk in an effort to save Sokolov.

• Ocelot, now a young man, is handily defeated by Snake. Shortly thereafter, Snake escapes the facility with Sokolov in tow.

• Just before Snake and Sokolov make it to the rendezvous point, they are stopped by Volgin and the Boss, who defects to the Soviet Union. The Boss nearly kills Snake (who only escapes by hurling himself off a bridge), before recapturing Sokolov.

• Volgin, in an effort to implicate America in an attack on the Soviet Union, uses a Davy Crockett nuclear launcher to destroy Sokolov's research lab.

• Snake is extracted and placed in an intensive care unit.

Aug. 30, 1964:
• Operation: Snake Eater commences. Snake is sent back to Tselinoyarsk to kill the Boss and destroy the Shagohod as a way to prove America's innocence in the Davy Crockett nuclear launch.

• The Boss defeats Snake for a second time shortly after landing. She chastises him for being unprepared, then leaves him for Volgin's troops to find.

• Snake manages to evade the troops, sneaking back to Sokolov's old research facility. Once there, he meets with Tatyana, a double agent now using the alias 'EVA.'

 • Snake and EVA are ambushed by Ocelot's troops. Snake dispatches them, and Ocelot is humiliated a second time. EVA rushes back to Volgin to maintain her cover, and Snake continues on.

• Ocelot and his soldiers manage to catch up with Snake, but their fight is interrupted by former Cobra Unit member "the Pain." Snake kills the Pain in an underground cave network.

• Snake arrives at Sokolov's new research lab. However, instead of finding Sokolov, he comes across a drunken Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin, who reveals that Sokolov has been moved to a fortress named Groznyj Grad.

• While enroute to Groznyj Grad, Snake defeats three more members of the Cobra Unit: the Fear, the End and the Ladder.

• Continuing through the tunnels to Groznyj Grad, Snake confronts and defeats the Fury before moving into the fortress proper.

• After disguising himself as Major Raikov, Snake finds Sokolov and EVA in the depths of the fortress. Sokolov explains that Volgin plans to mass-produce the Shagohod and distribute it throughout the Eastern bloc, starting World War III.

• Before Snake can escape with Sokolov, they are discovered by Volgin and the Boss. After being incapacitated, Snake and Sokolov are brought to the base's torture chamber.

• Sokolov dies during his interrogation.

• Snake is tortured and beaten, only to be saved when the Boss interjects. Volgin insists that the Boss prove her loyalty by cutting out Snake's eye – something she doesn't have to do, as Ocelot accidentally shoots it out moments later.

• Volgin throws the half-blind Snake into one of the fortress' holding cells, though Snake manages to escape shortly thereafter.

• Snake flees the facility, and ultimately eludes Volgin's forces by diving out of one of the fortress' drainage pipes.

• After somehow surviving the dive off a cliff, Snake "defeats" the ghost of the Sorrow.

• He then regroups with EVA, who gives him C3 explosives and an eyepatch. Snake heads back into Groznyj Grad to destroy the Shagohod.

• Snake plants the explosives around the Shagohod's liquid fuel tanks, only to be interrupted by the Boss and Volgin yet again.

• Volgin explains what the Philosophers' Legacy is, and the challenges Snake to a duel ... which he quickly loses.

• Snake and EVA mange to escape Gronzyj Grad before it explodes. Surprisingly, the Shagohod survives the blast and gives chase.

• Following the chase, Snake and EVA manage to disable the Shagohod. After emerging from the tank, Volgin is struck by lightning and dies.

• Snake and EVA then begin their escape to a previously-stashed aircraft waiting for them in a nearby lake. Upon reaching the plane, Snake finds the Boss waiting for them.

• After a grueling battle, Snake emerges victorious, and executes his former mentor.

• Snake and EVA escape Tselinoyarsk aboard the plane.

September 1964:
• EVA abandons Snake. Leaving a recording behind, she reveals that she was secretly working for the Chinese government in an attempt to recover the Philosophers' Legacy and the Shagohod data.

• Jack, a.k.a. Naked Snake, is awarded the title of "Big Boss" for his efforts during Operation: Snake Eater. Despite this, he leaves the FOX unit shortly thereafter.

• The microfilm containing the Philosophers' Legacy that EVA managed to sneak away with turns out to be a fake. The real microfilm is delivered to the United States thanks to Ocelot, who was working as a double agent the entire time.

• Ocelot also managed to make off with one last item ... blueprints for a bipedal tank designed by Granin, nicknamed "Metal Gear."

Pre-Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

1966:
• Snake comes across a child soldier named Frank Jaeger during the Mozambican War of Independence. After the conflict, Jaeger is turned over to the Philosophers.

1968:
• EVA disappears while working in Hanoi.

Winter 1970:
• Using the full funding of the Philosophers' Legacy, Major Zero reforms the American branch of the Philosophers into the Patriots. Ocelot is one of the organization's first members, with Snake following close behind.

1971:
• After rescuing her in Hanoi, Snake asks EVA to join the Patriots. She accepts.

• The FOX unit is disbanded, after which Snake forms the FOXHOUND unit.

The 'Les Enfants Terrible' project is born, with the aim of cloning Snake.

December 1972:
• After multiple failed attempts, two clones are successfully created. EVA serves as the surrogate mother, and "Liquid" and "Solid" are born.

• A third clone is successfully created, and named "Solidus."

• After learning of his clones, Snake leaves the Patriots. EVA and Ocelot's faith in the organization is shaken.

• Snake forms Militaires Sans Frontières, a military organization the operates outside of any national loyalties. One of his first recruits is Kazuhira Miller, a former guerrilla soldier and tactical genius.

1973:
• A strange, secretive paramilitary force sets up shop in Costa Rica.

• A technician named Huey Emmerich joins the "Peace Walker" Project.

The Events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Nov. 4, 1974:
• Paz Ortega Andrade attempts to hire MSF, Snake and Miller to help push CIA forces out of Costa Rica.

• While speaking with Paz's colleague, Ramón Gálvez Mena, Snake hears what appears to be the Boss' voice in a CIA recording. After more pressure, Snake agrees to help Paz and Gálvez.

Nov. 10, 1974:
• Snake arrives in Costa Rica and establishes his base of operations on a nearby oil platform. Snake names the stronghold "Mother Base."

• After making his way to the mainland, Snake allies himself with local Sandinista guerrilla fighters. They theorize that the CIA is in Costa Rica in order to incite a coup.

• The group is then attacked, and Snake saves the life of the Sandinista leader's little brother Chico. After a pep talk from Snake, Chico joins MSF.

• Snake disrupts the CIA's nuclear material transportation route before arriving at the Fuerte la Ladera. Here, he witnesses the CIA Station Chief of Central America, a man named Hot Coldman, reveal his plans to intentionally launch a nuclear missile using Huey Emmerich's new launch platform.

• Emmerich tries to resist, and is subsequently thrown down a flight of stairs. Coldman leaves to oversee the launch.

• After helping Emmerich back into his wheelchair, Snake leaves to stop the launch. However, instead of finding a launch silo, Snake discovers the Pupa – an AI-controlled weapon that resembles the Shagohod. Unsurprisingly, Snake destroys it.

• Emmerich reveals to Snake that Coldman has produced multiple AI weapons, along with the Peace Walker: a bipedal tank with nuclear launch capabilities.

• Snake convinces Emmerich to continue his research at Mother Base, then leaves to find one of Emmerich's colleagues: Dr. Strangelove.

Nov. 19, 1974:
• Following a brief detour to save one of Paz's friends, Snake discovers the CIA research base hidden away in a Mayan temple. He finds Dr. Strangelove, who explains that she is trying to resurrect the Boss through artificial intelligence.

• Strangelove accuses Snake of destroying her research and her hero, then challenges him to destroy the Boss AI pod. Snake climbs into the pod, but passes out before he can destroy it.

Nov. 21, 1974:
• After waking up and destroying the Chrysalis AI weapon, Snake learns of Coldman's main operating base: an underground fortress disguised as a quarry.

• Snake arrives at the quarry and witnesses Peace Walker entering the base. Before he can pursue, he is spotted by CIA troops and is forced to fight through them and the Cocoon AI weapon.

• After entering the base, Snake makes his way to the Boss' AI pod. He attempts to interrogate it, but his questions are ultimately pointless.

• Snake is then discovered by Coldman and Strangelove – after a brief struggle, Snake is detained.

Nov. 22, 1974:
• Strangelove tortures Snake in order to learn about the Boss' death. As always, he manages to escape. Miller then contacts Snake to tell him that Paz has gone missing.

• After returning to Peace Walker's hangar, Snake finds that Coldman has captured Paz. Coldman also reveals that Peace Walker is complete, and its first target would be Mother Base.

• Snake then attacks Peace Walker and manages to temporarily disable the machine.

• Coldman then distracts the AI with a Hind-D helicopter and lures it away from the fight. Snake gives chase, but ultimately fails to keep up.

• Emmerich learns that Peace Walker is preparing to fire its nuclear payload from a U.S. base in Nicaragua.

Nov. 23, 1974:
• Snake arrives in Nicaragua, and proceeds to infiltrate the CIA base.

• After finding Paz and Coldman via the security system, Snake fights his way to the Peace Walker control tower.

• Once at the control tower, Snake finds Paz, Coldman and a squad of Soviet soldiers waiting for him. Coldman explains that, since Peace Walker was designed as a deterrent, it must be fooled into thinking that the Soviet Union is attacking – only then will it launch its nuclear payload.

• Gálvez (whose real name is Vladimir Alexandrovich Zadornov) reveals that he was working with Coldman the entire time, only to immediately turn on him. Zadornov reveals his plan to blame a nuclear strike on Cuba as an act of war from America.

• Zadornov tries to convince Paz to shoot Coldman, but she refuses. Zadornov shoots Coldman himself, then activates the nuclear weapons.

• Before Zadornov can kill Snake, MSF forces storm the fortress. Coldman, Zadornov and Strangelove are all extracted to Mother Base.

• On the helicopter flight back to base, a near-dead Coldman activates Peace Walker. Moments later, he dies from his wounds.

• Snake turns back to confront Peace Walker. After a lengthy fight, Snake manages to disable the AI weapon. However, Peace Walker is still broadcasting the fake Soviet missile attack to Washington.

• Just before the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff orders a retaliatory strike on the Soviet Union, Emmerich patches Snake through. Snake is able to convince him to cancel the attack, but one of the NORAD officers stops the chairman from aborting the strike.

• Emmerich suggests that Snake could stop Peace Walker by drowning it in a nearby lake – the only problem is that the Peace Walker is too big to lift.

• Suddenly, the Peace Walker activates itself, and proceeds to enter the water. Strangelove comments that the Boss' AI is overriding its retaliatory programming, drowning itself so that nuclear catastrophe is stopped.

• Snake returns to Mother Base, and tells Miller that he wishes to live differently than the Boss did – a soldier for her nation. He then formally accepts the title of Big Boss.

Late November 1974:
• Strangelove and Paz officially join MSF, and move to Mother Base.

• Emmerich begins work on Metal Gear ZEKE, built from pieces of the other AI weapons.

• MSF acquires Peace Walker's nuclear warhead, becoming a nuclear power in the process.

• Zadornov escapes his cell numerous times, hinting at a mole in MSF. Zadornov is eventually killed by Snake.

• Paz (whose real name is Pacifica Ocean) then takes control of Metal Gear ZEKE, revealing that Zadornov's escape attempts had been a distraction. She tries to convince Snake to rejoin the Patroits, now known as Cipher.

• Snake rejects her offer; Paz then uses ZEKE to target the U.S. and frame MSF.

• Snake battles and eventually disables ZEKE, and Paz is thrown into the ocean.

Pre-Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

February 1975:
• Strangelove resigns from MSF.

Feb. 22, 1975:
• MSF confirms that Paz survived the fight with Snake, and is being held at Camp Omega in Cuba.

March 1975:
• MSF learns that Mother Base will be the subject of a U.N. nuclear inspection. Emmerich makes the preparations, and ZEKE is left on the ocean floor. The inspection is scheduled for March 16.

March 5, 1975:
• Chico abandons the Sandinistas in an attempt to save Paz; he is instead captured and tortured by a military group known as XOF.

March 12, 1975:

• The XOF leader, known as Skull Face, tortures Paz to learn if she has been compromised. After being forced to participate in her torture, Chico gives Skull Face information on MSF, Mother Base and Metal Gear ZEKE.

March 14, 1975:
• After discovering Chico's casette recorder, Skull Face orders him to send a distress signal to Mother Base. Snake believes it to be a trap, but decides to rescue Chico anyways.

March 15, 1975:
• Skull Face has two bombs surgically implanted into Paz's abdomen.

• Unbeknownst to its occupants, C4 explosives are placed around the support struts of Mother Base.

The Events of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

March 16, 1975:
• Snake infiltrates Camp Omega.

• Skull Face and his XOF troops remove all signs of their presence at Camp Omega and depart.

• Chico is found in one of the island's prison camps; Snake extracts him to safety.

• Using Chico's recordings, Snake learns that Paz is being held in the base's boiler room. After fighting his way there, Snake successfully rescues Paz.

• The 'U.N. inspection' of Mother Base begins.

• Snake learns of the bomb implanted in Paz; she undergoes surgery without anesthetic and the explosive is successfully removed.

• As his helicopter reaches Mother Base, Snake discovers that the U.N. inspection was a ruse. While Snake manages to rescue Miller and a few select soldiers, most die when the base collapses into the ocean.

• Paz wakes up, then reveals the second bomb still inside her. She leaps from the helicopter just before it explodes, sending Snake, Miller and Chico careening into a second helicopter.

Late March 1975:
• Miller and Snake manage to survive the crash, but are both seriously injured. Miller is hospitalized, and Snake falls into a coma.

Pre-Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

1976:
• The Les Enfants Terribles project is abandoned.

Dec. 27, 1979:
• Ocelot participates in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

1984:
• Snake awakens from his coma, and vows to take revenge on Zero and the Patriots.

As you can see, there's a lot to the history of Metal Gear – and that's just the first half of the timeline! Check out the second half right here

Related: Metal Gear Solid V Beginner's Guide  

Related: A Beginner's Guide To Metal Gear: Who Is Snake?


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