Where to Start with Metal Gear
If you're new here, start with Metal Gear Solid (1998). It's still the cleanest front door: you get Solid Snake, the codec banter, and the whole "tactical espionage" vibe without wading through MSX first.
Why MGS1 first
You'll meet the cast that haunts the rest of the series, and the PS1-era stealth still feels sharp. The first time Psycho Mantis reads your memory card in a codec "fight" and tells you what you've been playing — that's pure Kojima, and it only lands if you play the real thing.
After that
Follow the mainline thread: MGS1 → MGS2 → MGS3 → MGS4 → Peace Walker → MGSV. MG1 and MG2 on MSX are optional for most people — MGS1 catches you up. MGS4 is still a pain to buy digitally (PS3 era / streaming on PS+ Premium), so plan around that.
Metal Gear Rising is its own glorious hack-and-slash spin-off — play it whenever, but don't skip the core saga for it.
Heads-up — The story gets weird on purpose. Embrace the codec calls and don't worry about "getting" every timeline twist on your first run.