Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a developed by and published by . It was released for , , and in March 2014, and for in December 2014. It is the eighth game in the series directed, written and designed by , and serves as a prologue to , released the following year.
Set in 1975, a few months after the events of , the story follows "Big Boss" as he infiltrates an American in Cuba called Camp Omega, attempting to rescue Cipher agent and former child soldier . The game offers players new sneaking and traversal methods as well as the choice in what order the story events take place by selecting missions in any order they chose.Ground Zeroes was originally developed as a mission for The Phantom Pain but an extended development time resulted in director splitting the specific portion of the game as a stand-alone product so that players could get early access to Metal Gear Solid V. Critical reception to Ground Zeroes was generally positive, with praise for its mechanics, voice acting, story, and graphics, while the majority of the criticism concerned its short length. The game also generated some controversy for its handling of themes of sexual violence. Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience, a bundle that includes both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain, along with all additional content for both games, was released in October 2016