Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes Sneaks Onto Steam This December

This holiday season, Konami Digital Entertainment is placing an unwrapped cardboard box under your virtual Christmas tree, which just so happens to contain a war-hardened super spy intent on infiltrating your Steam library. In other words, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is heading to PC this December.

It’s taken a while for Snake to make his way to PC this time around, but you can only travel so fast while crawling on the ground and ducking behind cover every few seconds. Konami announced this morning that PC gamers with a need for non-lethal combat and CQC don’t have much longer to wait before their appetite can be sated, with Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes arriving on Steam Dec. 18. According to a press release from the publisher, this latest version of the game will also be 4K compatible, feature more simultaneous light sources, more models displayed on-screen and an increased shadow resolution. Graphics hounds, rejoice.

Rumors started circulating about a potential PC launch date for Ground Zeroes last week, with sites like PC Gamer offering up a date that turned out to be on the money. Buzz apparently began courtesy of Director Hideo Kojima himself, who mentioned the date at the Russian gaming expo, Igromir 2014.

We knew that Ground Zeroes, as well as the upcoming Phantom Pain, would be making its way to PC but, until now, there was no ETA on a Steam release. For those who didn’t play the console version of the game, Konami supplied a quick introduction.

“Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes takes place in 1975 and sets in motion a series of events that culminate in the stunning plotlines of The Phantom Pain,” reads the synopsis. “Ground Zeroes centers on Big Boss—legendary hero and mercenary—as he infiltrates a sprawling secret prison base called ‘Camp Omega’ in Cuba on a rescue mission. He soon finds himself behind enemy lines with a truly non-linear mission that showcases key advances to the series made possible by its use of Kojim a Productions’ FOX Engine.”

While Ground Zeroes originally got a lot of flak for its short runtime and comparatively high price point, the game also includes a handful of extra missions to give the experience some legs. While you’re only exploring the one camp, it’s still a pretty large environment. And Konami isn’t joking when it says the area is completely open. Your run through the story may only take an hour or two, but actually exploring the various nooks and crannies available will require a greater investment of your time. If nothing else, it hints at great things for the game proper.

A couple key plot points also left some gamers questioning how they felt about Ground Zeroes. Without spoiling the tale for you PC gamers fresh to the experience, Ground Zeroes dives into darker, grittier territory than typical of the series, so you might be shocked by some of what unfolds. Fair warning, I guess.