Konami is phasing out online support for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear Online on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 beginning today.
A post on Konami’s website says that Metal Gear Solid V’s purchase system on PS3 and 360 are shutting down. All DLC for Metal Gear Online will no longer be available for purchase beginning on November 30.
The full shutdown of online play won’t happen until May 31, 2022. Konami does confirm, of course, that the main game will still be playable offline on the impacted systems.
Metal Gear Solid V includes two multiplayer modes. One is Metal Gear Online, a PvP mode that supports up to 16 players hunting each other down with the game’s stealth and espionage mechanics across three game modes. The other is an online version of the game’s base-building feature, which can be used to get items and money for the main game.
The Phantom Pain released back in 2015. At the time, IGN called it a masterpiece in our Metal Gear Solid 5 review, saying, “The Phantom Pain doesn’t just respect my intelligence as a player, it expects it of me, putting it in a league that few others occupy.”
The Phantom Pain was the last game Hideo Kojima worked on with Konami before parting ways with the company. The Director’s Cut of his latest game, Death Stranding, is due out on PlayStation 5 this year. The legendary creator is also writing a book about his creative process.
As for other players still making use of their PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the PS3 and 360 are losing GTA Online on December 16 of this year. This lines up closely with GTA V’s launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.