Metal Gear Solid has finally made its way to the Steam platform, thanks to the release of the brand-new Metal Gear Solid Master Collection 1. The collection brings the first three games and the NES titles to PC, along with some additional content, but Steam Deck owners have little to celebrate, as the performance of the games leaves little to be desired.
At release, each Metal Gear Solid title was ahead of its time, but now, more than 20 years later, at least where the first game is considered, it shouldn’t take one of the best graphics cards in order to run games which released on outdated hardware. Yet, despite the power of the Steam Deck, there have been reports that playing the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection on the go is, in some cases, a near-impossible experience.
Currently, the first Metal Gear Solid game, originally released on the PlayStation, runs fine on the Valve handheld. There isn’t yet the ability to change the aspect ratio, so you’re stuck with it being windows for the time being, but at least it runs. When it comes to the sequels, that’s a different story. According to a video uploaded by Gaming on Linux, Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty will quit to the Steam library menu during the opening cut-scene, regardless of the version of Proton you’ve selected on your handheld. Gaming on Linux tested this on Proton8 and Proton Experimental, but the problem persisted. Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater is the same story, where the game will cut out to Steam during the opening of the game.
Currently, each Metal Gear Solid title that is part of Master Collection has its own individual Steam page, none of them having yet been checked for Steam Deck compatibility. This isn’t uncommon, with even hugely anticipated titles not receiving a ‘playable’ or ‘verified’ status until post-launch, however, with how the collection performs on the handheld, it’s not likely going to be receiving the top commendation any time soon.
As it stands, Konami spoke to IGN to state it was planning to resolve a lot of the issues occurring with the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection post-launch. The issues are not limited to the Steam Deck, with the games being plagued with subtitle errors and graphical and audio glitches.
While the Valve handheld wasn’t explicitly mentioned, it was confirmed that the option to be able to switch between windowed and full-screen mode is planned for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, while a CRT scan line filter and the option to change the aspect ratio should be coming to the first Metal Gear Solid title. Hopefully, these changes will appear in a future update, but for now, the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection may be better left for your desktop PC instead.
Check out our guide to the best Steam Deck games for a full list of games that perform well on the go. Picking up one of the best Steam Deck docks will further help unlock the full potential of your favorite PC gaming handheld.