Why MGS Snake Eater is the Unreal Engine 5 remake that matters

We've been waxing lyrical about Unreal Engine 5 remakes of classic games this week. There's the 3D Super Mario World and the Zelda: Ocarina of Time. But these are unofficial passion projects undertaken with the constant dread of a cease-and-desist.

We've been waiting with much anticipation for Konami's official Unreal Engine remake of MGS Snake Eater, the classic PlayStation 2 stealth action game. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was announced all the way back in 2023.

Things had been quiet since Konami dropped a trailer last year, but it seems Sony may have inadvertently published – and then swiftly removed – the release date announcement (meanwhile, gamers are just rediscovering how Metal Gear Solid 2 was so far ahead of its time).

It's been pointed out by several fans on social media that the PlayStation Store in at least some territories has published a new trailer together with a release date of 28 August. It seems Konami may have had words because the trailer and the date have now been removed, with the site now citing merely a 2025 release, but we hope to hear more at the next PlayStation State of Play event, which is rumored for next week.

Judging by the trailer that Sony dropped, the game has been well worth the wait, showcasing the visual power of Unreal Engine in the game's upgraded graphics and sumptuous lighting to achieve the cinematic impact the Hideo Kojima's 2004 game was aiming for.

Update: here's the trailer from Konami confirming the date!

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Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a modern remake of the third in the Metal Gear Solid series and the fifth Metal Gear game in total if we count Metal Gear (1987) and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990). The game is billed as a prequel set 31 years before the first Metal Gear, following CIA agent Naked Snake.

Gameplay looks very faithful to the original despite a new first-person mode. It looks very much like a modern facelift, respecting the original vision but with today's tech and rebuilt environments. It feels nostalgic but totally contemporary too. And it seems that event the Snake vs. Monkey Ape Escape crossover mini game will be back!

And after Silent Hill 2, the Snake Eater remake seems to confirm Konami's move from its proprietary engine to Unreal Engine 5. That's a strong commendation for Unreal. Some will lament that perhaps Konami's Fox Engine never achieved its potential, but, as well as allowing cutting-edge visuals, Unreal is likely to be a huge time saver for the developer. Almost every dev has experience with it, and there's UE's own development team support as back up.

For more Unreal Engine news, see our roundup of the best uses of Unreal Engine in 2024 and what we hope to see in Unreal Engine 5.6.