The PC copy of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain wasn't supposed to arrive until September 15, more than two weeks after the game's initial launch on consoles. That seems to have changed, as Konami announced that it has found a way to make the PC version available on the same day as consoles.
Those who pre-order the game via Steam will get a copy of the game's prequel, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, for free. Additionally, players will own a video showing behind the scenes footage and a "unique documentary," as well as downloadable content in the form of a Venom Snake emblem and additional staff for Mother Base.
With this new release date, there are also updated requirements for PC players, and the game will also support 4K resolutions for players who have money to burn on GPUs and expensive monitors.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 7x64, Windows 8x64 (64-bit OS Required) | Windows 7x64, Windows 8x64 (64-bit OS Required) |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 (3.40 GHz) or better; Quad-core or better | Intel Core i7-4790 (3.60 GHz) or better; Quad-core or better |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 (2 GB) or better (DirectX 11 card Required) | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (DirectX 11 graphic card required) |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 28 GB available space | 28 GB available space |
| Sound Card | DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card | DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card (Surround Sound 5.1) |
However, there is a downside to the good news. The game's multiplayer counterpart, Metal Gear Online, won't see the light of day for quite some time. For consoles, it won't come out until October 6. PC gamers will have to wait even longer, specifically January 2016.
Regardless, the simultaneous launch on PC, PS4 and Xbox One is a first for the series. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the fifth game in the franchise with a PC version. The first was Metal Gear Solid: Integral an expansion of the first Metal Gear Solid. It was released in 2000, two years after the original game came out on consoles, and one year after Metal Gear Solid: Integral came out in Japan. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty also showed up on the PC in the form of another expanded version called Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, which came out two years after the original game, and one year after the expanded version hit the Xbox and PlayStation 2. The console version of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance arrived in February 2013, but the PC version wasn't available until January 2014. The gap was slightly shortened for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, with the PC version arriving on December 2014, only nine months after the game's initial release on consoles.
Update: 8/4/2015, 11: 25 a.m. PDT: We corrected the information regarding the number of Metal Gear Solid titles released for the PC.
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