Gray Zone Warfare was released into early access on April 30, and it quickly became the talk of the town. Within just two days, it had sold more than 500,000 copies, and the developer, MADFINGER, was hard at work improving every aspect of the game possible based on community feedback. It proved to be a hit with fans of the extraction shooter genre, as that’s one of the core principles of the game – but it’s so much more than just an extraction shooter, which you’ll discover in this Gray Zone Warfare review.
Gray Zone Warfare is a tactical FPS, an open-world survival game, and a multiplayer shooter all wrapped up in one neat, affordable package. There’s a lot to see and do, and the game is still in an alpha state. In Gray Zone Warfare, players are getting a solid deal for their investment. There’s a vast open-world environment that’s built to mimic the likes of Vietnam and Laos, there are customisation mechanics, realistic ballistics and weapon mechanics, and plenty of quests to keep players busy for hours.
So, read on and get into the depths of this snapshot Gray Zone Warfare review.
Gray Zone Warfare Has Raised the Bar
Gray Zone Warfare is effortlessly competing against the likes of Escape from Tarkov, and it’s not even a traditional extraction shooter. There are the core elements: players must gear up, enter their ‘raid’, and then survive and get back to their base with everything they’ve looted and quest items they’ve secured. But that’s where things start to deviate from the typical extraction shooter formula.
In Gray Zone Warfare, there are no time limits, no loading in and out of raids, and no insurance mechanics. You’re free to spend as long as you want to explore the massive open map of Lamang, provided you can find enough resources to keep yourself healthy and alive. This is a world populated with AI-powered enemies and other players, and there’s always another fight lurking around every corner.
It all unfolds in real-time. If you want to go to a specific part of the map, you’ll call in a chopper and fly there. Similarly, if you want to get back to your base again, you’ll radio for a pick-up and you’ll need to wait while that chopper flies across the map to get you. It’s so real-time that you can sit there and watch the chopper approach as a little icon on the map screen. This is just one example of how realistic Gray Zone Warfare is, and that’s one of the game’s most monumental selling points.
Out of the Gate
Gray Zone Warfare truly has hit the ground running. There were some issues with the game at launch, such as some frame rate issues, but things are getting tidied up quite nicely over time. Some content creator-backed campaigns brought hundreds of thousands of eyes onto Gray Zone Warfare, and from there, things blossomed epically.
One thing I’ll confirm in this Gray Zone Warfare review is that this game isn’t difficult. There are some hindrances in how mission objectives are explained vaguely, but that’s just a small hurdle to overcome. With the map being so large, you’ll rarely run into other players unless you go looking for them, and there’s even a PvE-exclusive mode if you don’t want to fight other players at all. Food and drink are plentiful, and the AI has been nicely tweaked so that it puts up a good fight but can be outclassed easily.
That means it’s more accessible than the uber-difficult Escape from Tarkov, which prides itself on being one of the most challenging games on the market.
From the moment you launch Gray Zone Warfare, you’ll be welcomed with basic character customisation screens and then within minutes, you’re in the thick of it, learning the ropes. At first blush, Gray Zone Warfare is gorgeous, and that’s thanks to the Unreal Engine 5 foundations and the proprietary Skalla engine that MADFINGER has created. As you march through miles of jungles and thick forests, across rice paddies and into villages, you’ll be won over by the ambient sounds, remarkable lighting, and sumptuous visuals.
And again, all this is present despite the game being in an alpha state. I poured hours into the game before writing this Gray Zone Warfare review, and I’ve had barely any issues at all. I picked the best edition of Gray Zone Warfare to soak up the most benefits, and I’ve been exploring the map and completing tasks at a fantastic pace.
What’s the Verdict?
People can often be hesitant to invest in an early access title, but Gray Zone Warfare shouldn’t be slept on. This is a remarkable game with a bright future in store, and the developer is nothing but committed to serving the community to the best of their ability. It’s a beautiful and hauntingly realistic first-person shooter with tactical elements and extraction-based mechanics. That’s a tantalising formula on paper, and once you get into the nitty-gritty of Gray Zone Warfare, you understand that it also works beautifully in its practical application.
There isn’t a roadmap yet for what’s coming, but the developer has already spoken about controller support, console versions of Gray Zone Warfare, vehicles, and more in-depth looting mechanics. I’m extremely excited to see what comes from Gray Zone Warfare and I am well and truly signed up for the long run.
Gray Zone Warfare is available exclusively on Steam.
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