Metal Slug is getting a new game for its 30th anniversary

SNK has announced a slate of projects for Metal Slug's 30th anniversary. The list includes the development of a brand new game in the series. I love Metal Slug. I actually think it might have the best pixel art in all of gaming. I am also completely terrible at it, but that has never stopped me from feeding it quarters.

The anniversary plans fall under a new "Mission Reboot" initiative. The standout announcement is the confirmation of a new title currently in development. SNK is keeping quiet on the specific genre or target platforms for now. The project is part of a broader push to restart the franchise.

A new game and a white console

Hardware collectors are getting something very specific. SNK is releasing a limited all-white edition of the Neo Geo AES+. This console comes bundled with a reproduction of the original Metal Slug cartridge. The original 1996 AES release of Metal Slug is notoriously one of the most expensive and heavily counterfeited games in the retro market. It often commands five-figure prices at auction. A modern official reissue bundled with new hardware gives people a way to own a legitimate copy without taking out a second mortgage.

Other anniversary plans include a dedicated social media account, though specific details about a giveaway campaign and its start date have not been explicitly announced. SNK also released a special anniversary trailer and is publishing a series of tribute illustrations over the coming months.

I still die on the second level

The original game hit arcades in 1996 on the Neo Geo MVS hardware. It was developed by Nazca Corporation, a studio formed by former Irem employees who had previously built In the Hunt and GunForce 2. You can see the shared DNA in the obsessive attention to mechanical detail and the chaotic, screen-filling destruction. SNK eventually absorbed Nazca, and the run-and-gun shooter became a defining pillar of the Neo Geo platform.

The sheer density of the animation still looks ridiculous today. Every enemy soldier in General Morden's army has a dozen different reaction frames for panicking, laughing, or running away in terror. The SV-001 tank itself moves with a heavy, bouncy weight that makes piloting it incredibly satisfying. The pixel artists at Nazca and SNK packed the backgrounds with tiny jokes and destructible elements that you only notice on your tenth playthrough.

The audio design is just as memorable. The booming announcer shouting weapon names is burned into the brain of anyone who walked through an arcade in the late 1990s. Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving carried the first game, and the roster expanded in Metal Slug 2 with the addition of Eri Kasamoto and Fio Germi.

The series peaked for many players with Metal Slug 3 in 2000. That game introduced branching paths, zombie transformations, and a final mission that takes longer to beat than the entire first game. Later entries experimented with different mechanics, and we recently saw the franchise pivot to grid-based strategy with Metal Slug Tactics.

SNK has spent the last few years successfully reviving fighting game properties like The King of Fighters and Fatal Fury. Applying that same revival energy to their premier action franchise is a logical next step. I am eager to see what a mainline reboot looks like in 2026. Modern 2D action games have evolved, but very few have ever matched the raw visual energy of a 1990s SNK arcade cabinet. I just hope the new game gives me a few extra continues.