February 2026 State of Play presentation delivered some great news for fans of the Metal Gear Solid series, as KONAMI revealed during the show the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2, which will finally make Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots available on formats other than PlayStation 3 on August 27.
However, if you were thinking about experiencing the original version of the game ahead of the remaster's release and can't track down a physical copy, you may be out of luck, at least for the time being.
As reported by multiple users on X and the ResetERA forums, the Japanese publisher has removed both Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and its HD remaster from digital stores without warning, making it impossible for users to purchase these games digitally.
While the removal of the two games was expected ahead of the launch of the new Master Collection later this year, this is a very early move that doesn't make much sense, considering very few users would prefer to play both games, but especially Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, on older gaming systems.
What this achieves, instead, is to stir the community, which has taken the news with some caustic irony. "This makes no damn sense. Seems like a Konami move," said ResetERA forums member TheSantry. User Semfry went even deeper: "People are starting to like us again. We need to do something about this," highlighting how the improved perception of KONAMI, driven by the revival of the Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania series, is being affected by actions such as these.
Hopefully, this removal is just a mistake, and both Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Peace Walker HD will return to digital stores so more users can play them ahead of the Master Collection Vol. 2 release, especially the former. The fourth entry in the series is among the most controversial games directed by Hideo Kojima, but some of its sequences are among the most dramatic ever seen in the franchise, and well worth experiencing for all Solid Snake fans.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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