<Tr> <Th> Mode (s) </Th> <Td> Single - player, multiplayer </Td> </Tr> <P> Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an action - adventure stealth video game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Konami for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One . It was released worldwide on September 1, 2015 . It is the ninth installment in the series that was directed, written and designed by Hideo Kojima following Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, a stand - alone prologue released the previous year, as well as his final work at Konami . </P> <P> Set in 1984, nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes and a decade before the events of the original Metal Gear, the story follows mercenary leader Punished "Venom" Snake as he ventures into Soviet - occupied Afghanistan and the Angola--Zaire border region to exact revenge on the people who destroyed his forces and came close to killing him during the climax of Ground Zeroes . It carries over the tagline of Tactical Espionage Operations first used in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker . </P> <P> The Phantom Pain was critically acclaimed upon release, with its gameplay drawing praise for featuring a variety of mechanics and interconnected systems which allow a high degree of player freedom in approaching objectives . While the story drew criticism from some critics for its lack of focus, others acknowledged its emotional power and exploration of mature themes . The game received perfect review scores from several publications, and was described by many to be one of the greatest stealth games of all time . A complete edition which bundles The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes together, titled Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience, was released in October 2016 . </P>

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