Metal Gear Solid 5's multiplayer mode leaves beta, now availble on PC

Following a brief beta testing period, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain's traditional multiplayer mode, Metal Gear Online, is now officially available and ready for everyone to play on PC. Konami made the announcement Tuesday in a post on the game's Steam page.

"We took in a lot of feedback and made a few key adjustments," a representative said. "After some initial hiccups we're going forward, guns at the ready. However that doesn't mean we've stopped development, quite the contrary. Just like the previously released console versions of MGO, we'll be integrating new updates to the game to improve the experience and add content."

One of the "hiccups" mentioned above is likely a reference to a "possible exploit" that was discovered last week just hours after the Metal Gear Online beta started. According to reports, the exploit involved players being able to get free in-game currency.

Now that Metal Gear Online has officially launched, Konami is encouraging players to try it by offering everyone who plays at least one match between January 19 and January 26 a bonus of 3,000 Gear Points. These can be spent on gear customization items.

Konami also teased that 2016 is "shaping up to be an exciting year" for Metal Gear Online. You can expect further downloadable content (DLC) and other updates throughout the year for the PC edition, as well as consoles, though none were named specifically.

Metal Gear Online launched for the console versions of The Phantom Pain in October of 2015, a month after the main game arrived in September. Since its arrival, Konami has introduced a number of updates to the game, and even more DLC maps and Survival Mode are slated for the future.