Published by KONAMI in 2008 and developed by Kojima Productions, Metal Gear Solid series entry Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots arrived on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC in late August this year.
With the game making its long-awaited jump to modern platforms, Reddit's Today I Learned community recently revisited its place in Guinness World Records for the longest cutscene in video game history. The discussion also had plenty of players looking back on their memorable experiences with the game.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was positioned as Hideo Kojima's concluding chapter for the series at the time. With years of canon storylines, lingering mysteries, and other related material to wrap up, one of the game's defining features was the sheer length of its cutscenes.
According to Guinness World Records, the game features a single 27-minute cutscene, officially recognized as the "longest cutscene in a video game." Guinness World Records also notes that a sequence of cutscenes near the end of the game runs for a combined 71 minutes.
More than 18 years after the game's original release, the record once again became a hot topic in Reddit's Today I Learned community in October 2026.
The post behind the discussion noted that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots contains more than eight hours of cutscenes in total, quickly drawing plenty of attention.
In the comments, one player recalled staying up far later than planned: "The cutscene was even longer than I expected, and I ended up watching way past my bedtime."
Another user remembered reaching the game's final cutscene just as their mother called them downstairs for dinner. They said they would be done soon, only to emerge more than an hour later and find themselves eating cold spaghetti.
Someone else recalled their brother inviting a friend over to play the game. As one marathon cutscene followed another, the friend started wondering whether they had actually come over to watch a movie. Yes, they really were that long.
The thread also sparked a broader discussion about how cutscenes should be designed. Some users argued that pause and skip functions are essential, while others pointed to FINAL FANTASY XIV, which warns players before launching into an extended sequence of cutscenes.
Others joked that Hideo Kojima had always wanted to make movies and simply found himself working in game development instead.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots may be 18 years old, but its arrival on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and Nintendo Switch has introduced the game to a new generation. At the same time, veteran players are once again reliving the shock of discovering just how long those cutscenes could be.
via： Reddit