# Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
**Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain** is an open world action-adventure stealth game developed by [Kojima Productions](https://www.edgepedia.org/kojima-productions) and published by Konami, directed, designed, co-produced, and co-written by [Hideo Kojima](https://www.edgepedia.org/hideo-kojima), released on September 1, 2015 in North America, Latin America, and Europe, and on September 2, 2015 in Japan and Asia for PlayStation 4, [PlayStation 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-3), Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC (Steam).[1](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/36/) • [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0T7SPuT8UI) It is the main entry of Metal Gear Solid V, following the March 2014 prologue *Ground Zeroes*, and it moved the long-running stealth series into a large open world structure.[3](https://digibug.ugr.es/bitstream/handle/10481/63918/63746.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | September 1, 2015 (North America, Latin America, Europe); September 2, 2015 (Japan and Asia)[1](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/36/) |
| Platforms | PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC (Steam)[4](https://www.konami.com/mg/mgs5/tpp/faq/item.php?id=53&lang=en®ion=europe) |
| Developer / publisher | Kojima Productions / Konami; Hideo Kojima as director, designer, co-producer, and co-writer[2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0T7SPuT8UI) |
| Development | Started mid-2010 under the codename Project Ogre; roughly 5 years, the longest development in the series[5](https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_V%3A_The_Phantom_Pain) |
| Setting | 1984, during the Soviet-Afghan war in Afghanistan and the Angola-Zaire border region of Africa[6](https://time.com/4005807/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/) |
| Micro-transactions | Not required: the story and the FOB portion can be completed without them[4](https://www.konami.com/mg/mgs5/tpp/faq/item.php?id=53&lang=en®ion=europe) |
## Development and release
Development began in mid-2010 under the codename Project Ogre, with the subtitle The Phantom Pain decided internally at an early stage; the earliest publicly available concept art is dated December 29, 2010, making Metal Gear Solid V the series entry with the longest development period at about five years.[5](https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_V%3A_The_Phantom_Pain) In March 2015, amid organizational restructuring at Konami, the company confirmed the September 2015 release and stated that Kojima would remain involved throughout; Kojima said he was "100% involved" and determined to make it the greatest game he had directed.[1](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/36/) The game launched as planned on September 1, 2015, followed by Japan and Asia the next day.[1](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/36/)
## Gameplay
The game places the player in vast open world areas, first in a rendition of 1984 Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war and later in the Angola-Zaire border region of Africa, reached by helicopter from an offshore Mother Base.[6](https://time.com/4005807/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/) Missions are non-linear: players choose which missions to attempt and in what order, and can revisit completed missions to improve their rating, with later missions gated behind higher ratings.[8](https://www.denofgeek.com/games/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-ps4-review/)
**Player freedom.** Enemy bases and checkpoints can be approached in many ways, from undetected infiltration to open force, and the game no longer ends on detection: guards search in stages of alert without an arbitrary timer, and mistakes can be recovered from.[8](https://www.denofgeek.com/games/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-ps4-review/) Reviewers highlighted this systemic design; [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer) described a mission in which, after repeated failures, it destroyed the target's getaway helicopter in advance, calling the game one that "celebrates your choices and ingenuity".[9](https://www.pcgamer.com/metal-gear-solid-5-review/)
**Recruitment and buddies.** The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system attaches balloons to stunned or sleeping (not dead) soldiers and transports them to Mother Base, where they join the player's army, [Diamond Dogs](https://www.edgepedia.org/diamond-dogs).[9](https://www.pcgamer.com/metal-gear-solid-5-review/) Snake can call on AI companions including Quiet, a sniper with supernatural abilities; D-Horse, a horse with a customizable saddle; D-Walker, a manned mobile weapons platform; and DD, a wolf trained at Mother Base.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBIZfnaVc5M)
**Adaptive enemies.** Enemy behavior responds to player habits: soldiers who are repeatedly attacked at night begin wearing night vision goggles, and frequent sniper headshots lead enemies to equip bulletproof helmets.[11](https://www.stuff.tv/review/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/)
## Mother Base and FOB
Mother Base, first seen in *Peace Walker*, is greatly expanded: captured personnel and gathered resources build R&D, medical, and intel modules that unlock new gear and weapons, and staff are assigned to departments according to skill.[8](https://www.denofgeek.com/games/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-ps4-review/) The FOB (forward operating base) mode adds one-on-one PvP in which players build bases that generate resources and can be invaded by other players, who face security teams, cameras, security grids, and gun emplacements.[8](https://www.denofgeek.com/games/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-ps4-review/) Konami stated that the FOB mode would be fully accessible at launch and that its microtransaction layer "primarily acts as an accelerator"; the official FAQ confirms the story and FOB play are completable without additional purchases.[7](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/heres-how-payments-in-metal-gear-solid-5s-online-p/1100-6429981/) • [4](https://www.konami.com/mg/mgs5/tpp/faq/item.php?id=53&lang=en®ion=europe)
The competitive multiplayer component, Metal Gear Online, was originally planned to launch alongside the game but was delayed to October 6, 2015 on consoles and January 2016 on PC.[7](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/heres-how-payments-in-metal-gear-solid-5s-online-p/1100-6429981/)
## Story and setting
The story takes place in 1984, after *Metal Gear Solid 3* and before *Metal Gear Solid 4*, as the sequel to *Ground Zeroes*.[11](https://www.stuff.tv/review/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/) The protagonist is Big Boss, also called Naked Snake or Punished 'Venom' Snake, who awakens from a nine-year coma and seeks revenge on those who put him there, leading the Diamond Dogs private military outfit from Mother Base in the [Seychelles](https://www.edgepedia.org/seychelles).[11](https://www.stuff.tv/review/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/) Compared with earlier series entries, cutscenes are shorter and more action-focused, with much of the story delivered through in-game dialogue.[8](https://www.denofgeek.com/games/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-ps4-review/)
## Reception
The game received international accolades, including top honors at E3, the Critics Choice Award at the [Golden Joystick Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-joystick-awards) 2015, and awards from outlets including IGN, GameSpot, and Polygon.[12](https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/bitstream/200/9297/1/991022055758703411.pdf) Reviewers praised the stealth gameplay and open world design: Den of Geek rated it 5 out of 5 and called it open world stealth done right,[8](https://www.denofgeek.com/games/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-ps4-review/) PC Gamer called it "a generous stealth sandbox masterpiece",[9](https://www.pcgamer.com/metal-gear-solid-5-review/) and Windows Central judged it probably the best in the series for pure gameplay.[13](https://www.windowscentral.com/review-metal-gear-solid-v-phantom-pain) Common criticisms included repetitive side ops, an open world broken into mission segments by helicopter drops,[8](https://www.denofgeek.com/games/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-ps4-review/) • [11](https://www.stuff.tv/review/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/) and a portrayal of its principal female character that critics found problematic.[11](https://www.stuff.tv/review/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/) The wider Metal Gear Solid series had sold over 49.2 million copies worldwide as of March 2016 and stands as the best-selling stealth game series per [Guinness World Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinness-world-records).[12](https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/bitstream/200/9297/1/991022055758703411.pdf)
## References
1. [Notification Regarding "METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN", Konami Digital Entertainment](https://www.konami.com/games/us/en/topics/36/)
2. [Metal Gear Solid 5 Phantom Pain Walkthrough Part 6 - Mother Base, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0T7SPuT8UI)
3. [Metal Gear Solid V y el mundo abierto, Universidad de Granada thesis](https://digibug.ugr.es/bitstream/handle/10481/63918/63746.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=4)
4. [METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN FAQ, Konami](https://www.konami.com/mg/mgs5/tpp/faq/item.php?id=53&lang=en®ion=europe)
5. [Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Metal Gear Wiki (Fandom)](https://metalgear.fandom.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_V%3A_The_Phantom_Pain)
6. [Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Review In Progress, Time](https://time.com/4005807/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/)
7. [Here's How Payments in Metal Gear Solid 5's Online PVP Mode Will Work, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/heres-how-payments-in-metal-gear-solid-5s-online-p/1100-6429981/)
8. [Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain PS4 review, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/games/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-ps4-review/)
9. [Metal Gear Solid 5 PC review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/metal-gear-solid-5-review/)
10. [Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBIZfnaVc5M)
11. [Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review, Stuff](https://www.stuff.tv/review/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain-review/)
12. [PolyU thesis on the Metal Gear Solid series](https://theses.lib.polyu.edu.hk/bitstream/200/9297/1/991022055758703411.pdf)
13. [Review: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/review-metal-gear-solid-v-phantom-pain)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Action, horror, and shooter franchises › Metal Gear franchise*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license