Ape Escape Mode and Metal Gear Solid Delta are the two phrases that have been stuck together in fans’ brains this week and for good reason. The remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is bringing back the little oddities that made the original charming, but not every platform gets the same nostalgia trip.
You may be confused by what’s actually happening, why it’s split by platform, and what players can expect from the replacement on Xbox. It’s a mix of technical limitations and licensing decisions shaping how each version plays out.
Is Ape Escape Mode Coming to Metal Gear Solid Delta?
The PlayStation version of Metal Gear Solid Delta will feature the nostalgic Ape Escape Mode, bringing back the light-hearted crossover from the original Metal Gear Solid 3. Xbox players, however, won’t see the monkeys return.
Instead, their version swaps the mode for a Bomberman-style mini-game, giving each platform its own exclusive throwback. This means fans on each system will have a unique piece of side content that can’t be played anywhere else.
Will PlayStation Get Ape Escape Mode?
Yes, Ape Escape mode is coming to Metal Gear Solid Delta, but with some caveats. PlayStation 5 (and PC via Steam) players are getting the original “Snake vs. Monkey” content ( the Ape Escape crossover minigame that first appeared in the PS2 classic). If Delta sticks to the old design, that means beating the main story once will unlock access to the mode, just like the original.
The Ape Escape tie-in was more than a goofy bonus back then: finishing stages and hitting score thresholds rewarded players with the Monkey Mask (which could confuse some bosses) and the Banana Camo (which boosted food/stamina effects). Those little, useless-in-stealth trinkets are part of the charm, and they’re headed back to PS5 and PC.
Will Xbox Get Ape Escape Mode?
No, Ape Escape mode will not come to Xbox’s version of Metal Gear Solid Delta. Because Ape Escape is a Sony-owned franchise, Konami can’t include it on Xbox. Rather than remove the extra entirely, Konami swapped it out for something Xbox players can actually feature: Bomberman. Konami quietly uploaded an Xbox-tailored version of the release trailer where the playful ending teases Bomberman content instead of the Ape Escape bits.
So Xbox Series X|S owners get a freshly made “Snake vs. Bomberman” style minigame in Delta, while PS5 and Steam players keep the Monkey chase. What that Bomberman mode will play like, or whether it hands out specific bonus items, hasn’t been revealed yet Konami apparently built a full, platform‑specific mini mode as a compromise rather than erasing the extra content outright.
Why is Xbox getting Bomberman mode for MGS Delta?
The swap comes down to rights and practicality. Ape Escape belongs to Sony, which is why the original Snake vs. Monkey was absent from past Xbox and handheld ports of MGS3. Konami’s solution here is pragmatic: keep the spirit of a quirky, unlockable minigame on every system, but replace the Sony-owned characters with one of Konami’s own, recognizable IPs.
Bomberman fits that bill as it is an established, family-friendly character Konami can use on Xbox without legal friction (and it’s also notable because Bomberman hasn’t been front-and-center in Konami projects since 2023). Rather than let Xbox players miss out, Konami created a different extra that preserves the original’s jokey bonus-mode vibe.
A few final practical notes: those mini-games in Delta likely won’t be available from the first menu; historically, you unlock them by beating the main campaign once. And the remake itself arrives August 28, 2025 so fans won’t be waiting forever to see how each platform’s swap actually plays.
Xbox owners should expect a Bomberman-themed diversion in place of the monkey-chasing fun, PlayStation and PC players can look forward to the classic Ape Escape crossover in Metal Gear Solid Delta, and everybody gets the same core remake just with slightly different after-party content depending on platform.
