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Steam offers three days to earn Metal Gear Solid’s Big Boss rank
Developed over time first seen 4 months ago
Steam has opened a three-day free-to-play period for Metal Gear Solid 1, giving players a brief chance to pursue the game’s highest Big Boss rating without buying it. The promotion is notable because the rank requires a highly controlled, efficient playthrough, making the short window particularly demanding for anyone unfamiliar with the game.
The offer applies to the original Metal Gear Solid release on Steam and is a temporary trial rather than a permanent giveaway. To secure Big Boss, players must complete the game while meeting strict performance conditions, so success depends on careful planning, speed and avoiding mistakes.
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In short
- Metal Gear Solid 1 is free to play briefly on Steam.
- Players have three days to attempt the Big Boss rank.
- The challenge is especially difficult for newcomers.
How this story developed
- 4 months ago Steam has made the original Metal Gear Solid free to play for three days, giving players a brief chance to attempt its exacting Big Boss rank before access expires.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Free access to a seminal game is valuable to consumers regardless of achievement. Even if most players don't secure Big Boss rank, they experience an influential title at no cost, and the time-limited challenge creates compelling engagement and community excitement. The promotion demonstrates goodwill, introduces new audiences to the franchise, and those who enjoy it may purchase the full game or sequels. For dedicated players, the three-day window makes the achievement genuinely aspirational rather than routine.
The case against
A three-day window for Big Boss rank is unrealistically tight and suggests the promotion is designed for spectacle rather than genuine consumer benefit. New players will almost certainly fail to achieve it, potentially leaving them frustrated rather than convinced to buy the game. The promotion appears to prioritise marketing buzz around an impossible challenge rather than enabling meaningful engagement with the game itself. A more consumer-friendly approach would either grant adequate time for real progress or focus on helping players simply enjoy the story, rather than pursuing its most demanding achievement.
Explained simply
Metal Gear Solid is a 1998 stealth action game in which players control Solid Snake, a soldier sent to stop a group threatening to use nuclear weapons. Much of the game involves avoiding detection, using limited equipment and working out how to get through guarded areas.
Big Boss is the game’s highest completion rating. It is awarded only to players who finish under strict limits, such as completing the story quickly, avoiding alerts and using very few saves.
Steam is the PC games store and launcher run by Valve. A short free-play period lets people try a game temporarily, but a demanding end-of-game rating can be harder to achieve when players have little time to learn its rules.
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Originally published by PC Gamer as “You have 3 days to obtain Big Boss rating in Metal Gear Solid 1’s free-to-play period on Steam”.