The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan has given the Cold War a new twist, and in 1984, a one-eyed man with a prosthetic arm appears in the country. Those who know him call him Snake, the legendary mercenary who was once swept off the stage of history and left in a coma by the American private intelligence agency Cipher. Snake is accompanied by Ocelot, an old friend who saved him from an attack when he finally woke up.

Now, Snake's former partner Kazuhira Miller is being held captive by Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Snake must undertake a solo mission to rescue Miller and prove to the world that the legendary mercenary is not dead and gone. This first step will lead to a quest for vengeance against Cipher, which has slaughtered so many of Snake's men, and to a conflict that will affect the entire world...

What began in Ground Zeroes must end with V.