Play Order
0 / 8 playedMainline run in release order.
About Metal Slug
Metal Slug opened in 1996 as Nazca's arcade run-and-gun, with Marco and Tarma blasting Morden's army to rescue the SV-001 tank. Hand-drawn sprites and slapstick deaths made it an instant classic.
Annual sequels ran through 2004: 2, X, 3, 4, 5 and 6, mostly on Neo Geo, before part 7 in 2008 and the Tactics spinoff in 2024. Play the numbered run in release order for the escalating sprite craft. X refines 2 and can replace it, but purists play both. Later entries add branching paths without changing the core loop.
Good to know
Release order is the tour of arcade craft from 1996 to 2008. The plots never matter beyond Morden's latest scheme, so the sequence is about difficulty and design evolution. The mobile spinoffs and Tactics stay optional for run-and-gun players. The Anthology and ACA ports bundle the run for modern systems.
