Metal Gear Solid V PC Disk Is Just A Steam Installer

Purchasers of the PC version of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain physical edition have found that their disks do not contain the actual game. Instead, the install disk contains an 8.78 MB version of Valve's Steam installer. While this is not the first time this sort of situation has happened, it is the first time many Metal Gear Solid fans have seen such a disk without actual game files. Some of them are displeased.

Many games released over the past several years have come with minimal files and links to downloadable files online. The disk, therefor, is just a portal for you to use your purchased game key. The game key is the agreement between you and the distributor of the game, a guarantee that you payed for what you're about to download and use.

Of course, for people without the internet – the very, very few people out there in the world with such a situation AND a desire to play Metal Gear Solid – this is a bit of a bummer.

The (modified) screenshot you see above comes from Twitter user @graphure. A vast set of arguments in reply show users who've seen similar partial-game loads on disks for other games – some who suggest they've been getting games on disks like these since 2009.

We think @Felicityful sums up the situation nicely. Stay tuned for our full Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review soon!