This is the fourth release in the Metal Gear series. Metal Gear Solid 2 is a story a told in two parts: In the Tanker chapters, Solid Snake sneaks into a secret tanker in pursuit of a new top-secret nuclear weapon, called Metal Gear. In the Plant chapters, Raiden of the new Foxhound unit infiltrates an offshore plant occupied by terrorists.

New gameplay actions such as handling weapons from a first person viewpoint, holding up enemies at gunpoint, and grabbing and dragging fallen opponents were also incorporated into this title.