The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has officially assigned an M17+ rating to Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, citing blood, sexual themes, and intense violence. This rating confirms that the remake of the beloved Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will maintain the mature content that defined the original 2004 release while delivering modern enhancements.
According to the ESRB rating summary, players will take on the role of Naked Snake, an elite operative tasked with infiltrating enemy lines to prevent a nuclear catastrophe. The game’s combat features a mix of stealth, hand-to-hand engagements, and the use of firearms and explosives. The ESRB highlights realistic gunfire, painful cries, and blood-splatter effects, noting that players can execute brutal close-quarters attacks, including throat-slitting that results in large spurts of blood. The game also contains intense cutscenes, such as a character being electrocuted, another getting shot in the eye, and a sequence involving a person set ablaze and then shot multiple times.
In addition to its violent content, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater includes suggestive material. The ESRB mentions scenes depicting a man groping a woman’s chest, close-up shots emphasizing deep cleavage, and another instance where a character briefly gropes a man’s crotch. Furthermore, a Peep Demo Theatre mode allows players to view cutscenes focusing on a female character’s body from a first-person perspective.
Developed by Konami Digital Entertainment with additional support from Virtuos, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater marks Konami’s return to AAA game development after a long hiatus. The remake retains the core narrative of Snake Eater, set in 1964 during the Cold War, as Naked Snake is sent to rescue a Russian scientist and dismantle the Soviet nuclear weapon Shagohod while facing his mentor-turned-adversary, The Boss.
Originally announced in May 2023, Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater is set to launch on August 28, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC.
