Metal Gear Solid 5 sells 3 million copies — most of them on PlayStation 4

In the UK, 72 per cent of sales were on PS4, taking the game shooting to the top of the charts

Big Boss is back in Metal Gear Solid V (Konami)

Metal Gear Solid was bought 3 million times in the few days since it was released. But it’s still a long way from turning a profit.

The game cost $80 million to make, meaning that developers Konami need to sell another 2 or 3 million before the costs are made back, according to an estimate by Forbes.

Most of the players bought the game on PlayStation 4, according to numbers from the GfK Chart. PS4 accounted for 72 per cent of all sales, with Xbox One representing 22 per cent and PS3 and Xbox 360 making up the rest.

The same UK chart has the game surging to the top this week, following the huge sales. It is also makes it to the top-selling game in the series.

But it didn’t manage to make its way to the top of the charts for the fast-selling game this year. Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3 both sold more copies in their opening week.

The GfK chart only tracks the UK and traditional ways of buying the game. That means that it doesn’t account for Steam, which lets people buy games on their PCs, or PSN or Xbox Live sales.

The game has seen huge critical praise since it was release last week, with reviewers heralding it as a fitting close to the much-loved franchise.