Surprise! 'Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater' grabs the Xbox Play Anywhere tag, joining other Konami titles like Silent Hill 2 and ƒ

Surprise! Metal Gear Solid 3 remake is now available on Xbox Play Anywhere.

Metal Gear Solid 3 is a legendary stealth action game, and for many (myself included) the apex of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. Developed by the legend himself Hideo Kojima and Konami, Metal Gear Solid 3 takes place during the Cold War, and follows the early days of Big Boss' career, codenamed Snake.

The prequel contains huge revelations about the overarching conspiracy that made Metal Gear a legend in its own right, and has existed on modern systems as part of HD ports and PC versions.

Last year, we exclusively reported that Konami was gearing up to re-build faith in its handling of the Metal Gear franchise, following a high-profile falling out with series creator Hideo Kojima. Since, we've had a re-release of the original Metal Gear Solid as part of the Master Collection, and now, a full remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, named Delta. Built by Konami and port maestros Virtuous, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a to-the-pixel remake of the original, albeit with modern graphics. And now, modern cross-buy features too!

Spotted by our pal HazzadorGamin, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has now joined the Xbox Play Anywhere program. Similarly to Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill ƒ, Metal Gear Solid Delta hit the Xbox PC store without the Xbox Play Anywhere tag, making fans wonder if it wouldn't join the program. Thankfully, it arrived later, and is now available to buy cross-platform on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming on a single purchase.

Xbox Play Anywhere has over 1,000 games as of writing, which is particularly great for users of devices like the Xbox Ally. With one purchase, you get access to a variety of endpoints for your license, notably including Xbox PC and Xbox Series X|S consoles, but also often Xbox Cloud Gaming. Xbox Cloud Gaming is part of Xbox Game Pass, and lets you run intensive games on phones and TVs that typically aren't capable of running these types of games natively.

PlayStation is thought to be gearing up for a similar cross-buy program for PS5 and PC, although it remains to be seen if it materializes in reality.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater: $69.99 at xbox.com

Metal Gear Solid 3 remake is here, and it's fantastic. Developed by Konami and port experts Virtuous, Metal Gear Solid Delta is a strong return to form for the long-dormant franchise.

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More good news for Xbox Play Anywhere, and the Xbox Ally initiative

Since the advent of the Xbox Ally, I've become something of a handheld-first gamer. My Xbox and my TV is at my work desk, so being able to take the Xbox Ally downstairs to a comfy (warm) sofa or wrap up with it in bed has really boosted my playtime hours.

The Xbox Ally works really well with Xbox Remote Play if you have a strong home Wi-Fi set up, but being able to play natively adds a ton of value in scenarios where powerful Wi-Fi might not be available. Every time a game hits Xbox Play Anywhere it immediately makes me far more likely to actually pick up and play the game.

Microsoft has been advertising Red Dead Redemption on the Xbox PC store as of late, but it is, frustratingly, not Xbox Play Anywhere. Games that aren't part of Xbox Play Anywhere typically have a (PC) tag in brackets.

Microsoft's big uphill battle is convincing the big AAA studios to join Xbox Play Anywhere. Japanese developers like Sega, Square Enix, and Konami have been really strong supporters here, but western publishers like EA, Ubisoft, and Take-Two have been utterly ambivalent.

The next Xbox is expected to be PC-first, which will add more headaches to the equation potentially, with games launching on the Xbox Series X|S development platform without Xbox Play Anywhere will end up being locked to past-gen hardware. With Microsoft moving its users to Xbox PC over time, grabbing more high-profile games like Metal Gear Solid Delta into Xbox Play Anywhere is becoming paramount.

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