METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION is slated for release in 2027, compiling ten titles and featuring new emulation options and extras. SNK has not announced a new mainline entry; the collection is the anniversary project currently in the pipeline.
SNK announced METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION during the Nintendo Direct 2026.9.9 livestream on September 9, 2026. The compilation gathers ten titles, starting with the 1996 original and running through METAL SLUG 2, METAL SLUG X, METAL SLUG 3, METAL SLUG 4, METAL SLUG 5, METAL SLUG ADVANCE, METAL SLUG 6, and METAL SLUG 7, plus a location test version that sources describe as rarely shown and never officially released. M2 handles porting. The package adds online two-player co-op with a friend invite feature, a rewind function, quick save and load, and a gallery and museum feature. It is planned for packaged and download versions on Switch, Switch 2, PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2027.
A follow-up report on October 6, 2026, from a Game Spark interview with SNK producers clarified two decisions behind the lineup. The collection was built around M2's porting work, and the selection rule prioritized numbered entries. METAL SLUG 7 was chosen over METAL SLUG XX, which was left out. The same interview detailed a location test build of the original game that staff found while searching past data, explaining the tenth entry's origin.
Before the collection was announced, SNK hosted a 30th anniversary stage at Tokyo Game Show 2026 on September 17, from 12:45 to 13:15, hosted by 4Gamer. Producer Shiro Mukaude and series brand manager Song Seung-ju appeared, with wrestler Danshoku Dino as MC, to discuss the series and the then-upcoming collection. That stage was the first concrete look at the anniversary project.
SNK's wider licensing activity also touched the series. The company exhibited at Licensing Japan 2026 from June 17 to 19, presenting licensing programs for Metal Slug alongside The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Samurai Shodown, with merchandise and collaboration examples across apparel, figures, publishing, events, and digital content. In August 2026, SNK's subsidiary SNK Entertainment dissolved after its licensing and development duties had transferred to parent SNK in July 2022; the subsidiary had handled contract development and licensing for properties including Metal Slug.
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Oct 14
Nintendo added three Game Boy Advance titles to its Nintendo Classics library on October 14, 2026. The lineup is Kururin Paradise (2002), Metal Slug Advance (2004), and Monster Farm Advance (2001). Subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack can play all three at no additional cost. Kururin Paradise is the sequel to Kuru Kuru Kururin, with a rotating stick called a Helirin that players guide to the goal. It adds Mini Game Paradise, a collection of 16 minigames themed around the rotating stick. Metal Slug Advance is a side-scrolling shooter set on a solitary island in the southern seas, where PF squad cadets Walter and Tyra undergo simulated combat training. The game includes Metal Slug Cards, obtained by meeting conditions, that change item effects and character performance. Monster Farm Advance is a breeding simulation set on Age Island, where players input words into ancient stone tablets to revive and raise monsters. The monster that appears changes with the word entered.
Oct 6
SNK producers discussed METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION in a Game Spark interview, covering the project's origin with developer M2, the decision to include every numbered entry plus METAL SLUG ADVANCE, and a location test version of the original game that staff found while searching past data. The collection adds quick save, rewind, online co-op, and score attack. METAL SLUG 7 was prioritized over METAL SLUG XX.
Sep 16
4Gamer will host a stage event for the 30th anniversary of METAL SLUG at Tokyo Game Show 2026 on September 17, from 12:45 to 13:15. Producer Shiro Mukaude and series brand manager Song Seung-ju will appear, with wrestler Danshoku Dino as MC, to discuss the series and METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION, the anniversary's first announced project, scheduled for release in 2027.
Sep 10
Happinet announced on September 10 that Yokai Buster Navinosuke will be released in 2027 for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, under its Happinet Indie Collection label. The yokai-collecting pixel RPG is set in a fictional ancient Japan where Navinosuke, an apprentice onmyo student and karakuri puppet, resolves yokai incidents across various regions. Players seal and recruit more than 200 types of yokai, which have five attributes, and build freely customized parties for turn-based battles that use a shikigami system. Development is handled by KOHACHI STUDIO, the studio led by pixel artist akio, who worked on R-Type and Metal Slug. The game was originally produced in the early 2000s for the Game Boy Advance by the Metal Slug development team, completed but shelved, and after rights processing KOHACHI STUDIO holds the IP. Happinet also said a new trailer is out and a playable exhibit is planned for Tokyo Game Show 2026.
Sep 9
SNK announced METAL SLUG ULTIMATE COLLECTION during the Nintendo Direct 2026.9.9 livestream on September 9, 2026. The collection gathers 10 titles from the side-scrolling action series and is scheduled to launch in 2027. The lineup runs from the 1996 original through METAL SLUG 2, METAL SLUG X, METAL SLUG 3, METAL SLUG 4, and METAL SLUG 5, plus METAL SLUG ADVANCE, METAL SLUG 6, and METAL SLUG 7. The tenth entry is a location test version that sources describe as rarely shown to the public and never officially released. The package adds online two-player co-op with a friend invite feature, a rewind function that rolls back play by several seconds, quick save and load, and a gallery and museum feature covering series logos and visual material. Porting work is handled by M2. The release is planned for packaged and download versions, and Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 owners get it alongside PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Aug 20
SNK's wholly owned subsidiary SNK Entertainment has dissolved, according to a public notice in the Official Gazette on August 20. The company, which restarted in 2016 after a dormant period, ran contract development and licensing for properties like The King of Fighters and Metal Slug. Its game and digital content operations transferred to parent SNK in July 2022.
Jun 17
SNK is exhibiting at Licensing Japan 2026, a trade show held at Tokyo Big Sight from June 17 to 19. The company is showcasing licensing programs for its game IPs including The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown, and Metal Slug, with displays of domestic and international merchandise and collaboration examples. SNK aims to build new business partnerships and expand its multi-faceted licensing business across apparel, figures, publishing, events, and digital content.