Metal Slug Rush launches as Vampire Survivors-style shooter

SNK has released Metal Slug Rush, a mobile title that adapts the franchise into a Vampire Survivors–style survivor shooter. The game is available on Android now and is undergoing a gradual rollout to iOS users.

Players select familiar Metal Slug characters and enter short, timed stages where the primary objective is to survive until the clock runs out. Each match pits players against waves of enemies while they collect power-ups and upgrades that stack to boost offensive and defensive abilities.

The game retains the series’ pixel-art visuals, signature animations and familiar sound effects. Enemy death sequences and gory animations from earlier arcade entries are present in the new format.

Gameplay centers on positioning, movement and gathering upgrades under pressure rather than manual weapon switching or stage exploration common in earlier side-scrolling installments. Matches are structured around a time limit and increasingly dense enemy patterns, with progression coming through repeated runs and equipment or power-up combinations.

The release has had limited promotional activity compared with recent Metal Slug mobile entries. Metal Slug Rush follows SNK’s broader mobile strategy that includes other adaptations of the franchise for phones and tablets.

Metal Slug began as an arcade side‑scrolling shooter noted for tight controls and expressive pixel art. Metal Slug Rush applies the series’ characters and aesthetic to a looped survival format that relies on short sessions and incremental progression.