Thirty years after Metal Slug began turning arcades into pixelated war zones of tanks, explosions, rescued prisoners and rapidly depleted continues, the series is getting a broad Nintendo-focused compilation. Metal Slug Ultimate Collection is planned for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027, bringing together 10 games from across the run-and-gun franchise.
The headline number is substantial by itself, but the set has an especially unusual inclusion: the Metal Slug Location Test Version. This early version has not previously appeared on consoles, and its arrival gives the collection something beyond a familiar greatest-hits package. For fans interested in the evolution of an arcade classic—not merely another chance to blast through its established entries—that is likely to be the most intriguing item on the roster.
Online co-op and a gallery mode are also planned. Those additions could make the compilation a convenient way to revisit a series defined as much by frantic shared play as by its instantly recognizable animated sprite work. Players will have plenty of time to prepare their trigger fingers, since Metal Slug has never been known for politely allowing a leisurely stroll through enemy territory.
Every game included in Metal Slug Ultimate Collection
The compilation is set to contain the following 10 titles and versions:
- Metal Slug
- Metal Slug 2
- Metal Slug 3
- Metal Slug 4
- Metal Slug 5
- Metal Slug 6
- Metal Slug X
- Metal Slug 7
- Metal Slug Advance
- Metal Slug Location Test Version
That lineup spans the series’ early arcade identity, later numbered installments, the revised Metal Slug X, and portable-era entries in Metal Slug 7 and Metal Slug Advance. Rather than limiting itself to a single generation or format, the package aims to put several branches of Metal Slug history in one place.
For newcomers, the basic appeal is easy to explain: Metal Slug is a run-and-gun series in which players push forward through hostile stages, shoot nearly everything in sight, rescue captives, find weapons and vehicles, and attempt to survive escalating chaos. The details are charmingly excessive. A quiet approach is not generally on the menu. Neither, in practice, is a relaxed afternoon unless the player has made peace with the possibility of beginning the same section again.
The Location Test Version is the collection’s biggest curiosity
Among nine recognizable Metal Slug releases, the Location Test Version stands apart. It is described as making its console debut through this collection and as being playable again for the first time in 30 years. That makes it more than a bonus with a fancy label: it represents an uncommon opportunity to see a version associated with the series’ early development and arcade testing history.
Location tests have a particular mystique in arcade culture. They are part of the road between a game concept and the version players eventually encounter publicly. The name signals that this is not simply another numbered sequel or a routine re-release. It is a piece of Metal Slug’s past that has been largely out of reach for players over the decades.
Related coverage includes Metal Slug Ultimate Collection Announced for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.
Exactly how this version will sit alongside the other nine selections, including its presentation and any differences players will notice, has not been detailed here. Still, its inclusion provides a distinct reason for longtime Metal Slug followers to look beyond the standard question of whether their personal favorite is present. In this case, the answer involves an entry many players will not have had an opportunity to access on a home console at all.
Online co-op suits a series made for shared chaos
Metal Slug’s arcade energy has always made it a natural fit for co-op. Two players tackling the same barrage can turn an intimidating screen full of enemies into either a well-coordinated advance or a spectacular mutual panic. Both outcomes are very much in the spirit of the series.
Metal Slug Ultimate Collection will add online co-op, allowing players to team up without needing to occupy the same room. That is a meaningful feature for a franchise whose run-and-gun design encourages quick decisions, constant shooting, and the sort of on-the-fly support that becomes important when the screen is crowded with incoming threats.
The announcement does not lay out further specifics on online functionality, such as supported player counts, matchmaking options, cross-platform play between Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, or whether every included title will have the same online modes. Those details remain to be clarified. What is confirmed is the presence of online co-op, which puts a modern social option beside games rooted in classic arcade play.
Nintendo players with an eye on other upcoming Switch 2 software can also check out Mega Man: Dual Override, which is scheduled to bring Mega Man and Proto Man to Switch 2 in spring 2027. Between that project and this Metal Slug compilation, fans of action games with long histories have a busy future lineup taking shape on Nintendo hardware.
A gallery gives the collection a historical angle
The package will also include a gallery mode intended to let players learn more about the games. No complete list of gallery materials has been provided, so it is not yet clear what form that archive will take. Even so, the feature fits neatly with a collection that includes a rarely available Location Test Version and covers releases from multiple points in the franchise’s history.
Compilations can serve two audiences at once. For someone who simply wants to pick a game, grab a weapon, and transform a small army’s vehicle fleet into wreckage, the essential requirement is direct access to the games. For more dedicated fans, however, a gallery can offer welcome context around a series that has remained visually distinctive and closely associated with Neo Geo and arcade gaming.
Metal Slug’s appeal does not depend on complexity in the conventional sense. Its premise is immediately readable: advance, fire, dodge, improvise, repeat. Yet the games can be demanding, requiring quick reflexes and an ability to react when the battlefield suddenly becomes much busier than it looked one second earlier. That blend of straightforward objectives and high-pressure execution is a major part of why the series has endured.
Why this lineup matters for Switch and Switch 2
For players who never owned Neo Geo hardware or encountered these games in an arcade setting, the collection promises a simple entry point into a defining run-and-gun catalog. The first six numbered installments are here, while Metal Slug X, Metal Slug 7, and Metal Slug Advance broaden the selection beyond a basic chronological sequence. The Location Test Version then adds an archival wrinkle that differentiates the release from a conventional anthology.
It is also notable that the collection is planned for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. That gives current Switch owners and players moving to Nintendo’s newer system a shared destination for the series. Beyond the announced platforms, no additional versions, release date, pricing, physical edition information, or feature breakdown have been confirmed in the available details.
For now, the essential picture is clear. Metal Slug Ultimate Collection arrives in 2027 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, with 10 games, online co-op, a gallery mode, and a console appearance for the Metal Slug Location Test Version. It is a packed ammunition crate for veterans, a potentially approachable on-ramp for newcomers, and a reminder that three decades later, Metal Slug still knows the value of solving a problem with a very large gun and an even larger explosion.
