Konami has officially pulled the Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker from the Xbox Store, marking the end of an era for the 2011 HD port. The delisting, which occurred without a formal prior announcement from the publisher, affects the standalone digital version of the game that had remained playable on modern hardware through Xbox’s backward compatibility program. While users who previously purchased the title can still redownload and play it, new players are now locked out of acquiring this specific iteration of Big Boss’s Central American operations.
The removal of the 2011 remaster is widely viewed as a tactical maneuver by Konami to clear the runway for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2. Although the publisher has yet to reveal the full tracklist for the second volume, industry analysts and series veterans have long expected Peace Walker to serve as a cornerstone of the package alongside Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. By retiring the legacy version now, Konami ensures that the version included in the new collection becomes the primary point of entry for modern console owners.
Originally released as a PSP exclusive in 2010, Peace Walker bridged the narrative gap between Snake Eater and Ground Zeroes, introducing the base-building mechanics that would later define the series’ final chapters. Its transition to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the HD Collection was praised for successfully translating handheld cooperative play to the big screen with improved textures and dual-analog controls. Its sudden absence from the Xbox digital storefront is a stark reminder of the fragile nature of digital preservation as publishers consolidate older titles into modern bundles.
This delisting follows a broader trend of Konami revitalizing the franchise, coming off the heels of the successful launch of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater last year. As the studio continues to lean into the Master Collection strategy to bring its back catalog to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, legacy digital storefronts are being pruned to fit the new distribution model. While a release date for the next volume remains unconfirmed, the departure of the standalone Peace Walker suggests that a formal reveal for the next batch of remasters is imminent.
