Gray Zone Warfare

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Watch the September Recap in 5 Minutes

Hello, GZW community,

In the newest Community Briefing, we’re diving into all the latest development updates.

Learn about the upcoming Patch 0.3.5.0, the Unreal Engine update, and the launch of a brand-new community initiative: Operation Vanguard.


Video Contents:

  • Update 0.4: Dark Revelations

    • Update 0.4 is in active development, bringing major content and system upgrades to Gray Zone Warfare.

  • Patch 0.3.5.0

    • Patch 0.3.5.0 is nearing the second round of public testing. The patch introduces the powerful Unreal Engine 5.5 upgrade, along with several long-requested gameplay improvements.


    • You can expect a noticeable framerate boost, especially on lower-spec PCs and in demanding areas like Tiger Bay.


    • The current downside is that the engine upgrade also introduced a 1% increase in crash rate, which we’re actively working to bring down before the final release.


    • Alongside performance improvements, Patch 0.3.5.0 will also feature:

      • A revamped AI aiming system to reduce frustrating one-taps


      • A reworked weapon sway, so your character moves more like a trained PMC


      • A complete recoil overhaul, making every shot feel more powerful


      • Increased enemy vulnerability to headshots

    • The third round of public testing for Patch 0.3.5.0 is open from October 10 to October 15. If everything goes smoothly, the patch will go live shortly after.

  • Introducing Operation Vanguard

    • Operation Vanguard is our new community-driven testing campaign, launching alongside Patch 0.3.5.0. It’s your opportunity to join public tests, report bugs, suggest improvements, and help refine the game directly with our developers.


    • By joining the initiative, you’ll gain access to a number of benefits:

      • A unique Vanguard morale patch for your character once Update 0.4 releases


      • Early access to preview builds of Update 0.4


      • A special Discord role with access to private testing channels

    • A dedicated Operation Vanguard website is coming soon — we’ll share the link on our social media as soon as it’s live.


Got thoughts or ideas? Drop them in the comments or join the GZW Community on Discord and be part of shaping the future of Gray Zone Warfare.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

Continue reading...
 

Patch 0.3.5.0 Live for Testing #3

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Hey GZW Community,

We’ve been refining Patch 0.3.5.0 based on data and feedback from the earlier testing rounds, and it’s now ready for another run.

This Patch introduces significant improvements and addresses numerous issues reported by the community.


Main improvements to test:

  • Performance & Client Crashes after the UE 5.5 upgrade


  • Improved AI Aiming and Vulnerability


  • Weapon Sway and Recoil Tweaks


  • Improved Death Screen

You can find the complete CHANGELOG below. (Please note: some details may still change before the patch goes live.)

Public Testing Changelog \[Not Final]


Key Changes and Focus Areas

  • Focus on optimizing the movement animations in the first-person perspective in various ways:

    • Reduced the impact of several animations on the first-person perspective to minimize excessive character movement and animation blending. For example, the top half of the character’s body was decoupled from first-person animations, and the breathing animation was disabled in the first-person perspective.


    • The weapon sway was adjusted, making it more responsive when the player moves.


    • Weapon recoil has been tweaked to make it more realistic.

  • Focus on improved performance and reduced crash rate


  • Focus on reducing hitching during gameplay


  • Added a new and improved death sequence from the first-person perspective. Upon death, the player’s view now turns toward the approximate direction of the incoming shot.


  • Rebalanced AI aiming. The new system simulates human-like aiming behavior that changes dynamically based on AI difficulty, combat situation, injuries, suppression, weather, distance to the target, and weapon type.


  • Reworked reconnections. Players can now choose whether they want to reconnect to their original server, if within a reconnection window, or to abandon it and join a new one


  • Updated Unreal Engine to version 5.5
Most Important Community-Reported and Requested Changes and Fixes

  • Fixed a bug that caused the key drop frequency in Fort Narith to be incorrectly low


  • Fixed an issue where the sonic crack sound could play before the actual gunshot


  • Fixed an issue where the foliage might flicker and disappear under specific circumstances


  • Fixed missing Twitch Drops rewards for players who were unable to claim them until now


  • Fixed an issue causing very dark nights with the global illumination set to medium or higher


  • Fixed an issue where FSR frame generation was disabled on RX 580 graphics cards


  • Fixed an issue where lasers were not working correctly in specific locations, such as YBL-1 and parts of Midnight Sapphire


  • Fixed an issue that caused audio to cut out in the Tiger Bay Mall


  • Improved scope visibility under specific weather conditions where the image appeared overly dark


  • Improved the behavior of AI NPCs when they perform a hit animation to reduce the feeling of "sponginess"
Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where players always died if they got into a coma while in a helicopter


  • Fixed an issue where using the splint did not prioritize the most damaged bone


  • Fixed a rare issue where blood regeneration would stop after healing all wounds


  • Fixed an issue where the player's weapon can become invisible after examining another player with a grenade in hand


  • Fixed the RIS II 12 Handguard setup to correctly prevent its use with shorter barrels


  • Fixed a rare issue where the suppression blur effect would persist on the player's screen after death


  • Fixed an issue that allowed players to remove a scope from the SVD while loading the magazine into the weapon


  • Fixed a minor animation glitch when starting to run with a knife while in dynamic crouch


  • Fixed an issue where AI NPCs sometimes did not turn on their flashlights at night


  • Added the missing FDE AK Handguard to the military firearms box loot table


  • Added the missing HP Bunker key to the Hunter's Paradise Boss loot table


  • Adjusted the XP rewards of Squad Strike Missions located in lower-difficulty areas


  • Adjusted the extraction range for the Squad Strike mission ‘Fragile Goods’ from 2.5 m to 25 m
World

  • Fixed an issue where the rooftop of the Crusader COP was not recognized as part of the COP area


  • Fixed a missing collision on a wall near the Tiger Bay Central Southeast entrance


  • Fixed the incorrect collision around fountains in Midnight Sapphire that caused grenades to bounce off


  • Fixed several locations where players could get stuck:

    • Tiger Bay Wrecking Yard at 195, 130


    • Fanny Paradise - between a house and some pallets at 189, 121


    • In rocks near Sabai Lake Restaurant at 204, 152


    • In rocks near Inthavong Farm at 159, 133


    • Near Sawmill, between logs and a container at 138, 143


    • Outside the Nomad COP at 189, 157

  • Fixed a visual discrepancy between the sky and the environment during specific weather conditions on low settings.


  • Fixed the position of the interaction box for the laptop in the Shepherd COP


  • Fixed a visual discrepancy between the sky and the environment during specific weather conditions on low settings


  • Disabled lights that were unintentionally active during the daytime


  • Adjusted terrain and objects in the Spielberk COP to prevent players from climbing onto the roof


  • Removed an unused interaction option from a light switch in YBL-1
UI

  • Fixed an incorrect ‘joined squad’ notification when a player was promoted to squad leader


  • Fixed a missing notification that the squad had been disbanded after the squad leader, who created the squad, left


  • Fixed an issue where a messenger channel would get stuck in the pinned section after unpinning


  • Fixed an issue where the messenger window would fail to display when sending a message through the player interaction panel


  • Fixed the incorrect text wrapping in the feedback form text window


  • Fixed the incorrect DLC message wrapping in Czech


  • Fixed the conflict zone details in the Spanish localization


  • Fixed the conflict zone detail text not updating when changing the game language


  • Fixed the incorrect size of the maintenance notification widget in the main menu


  • Fixed an issue where the character level was displayed as zero instead of one after a wipe


  • Fixed a missing icon in the hair selection section of the character creation screen


  • Fixed an issue causing the weather forecast in the main menu to be out of sync with the in-game one


  • Removed the option to invite offline friends to a squad from the friends list


  • When reporting a player for a faction kill, the reason is now pre-selected in the report window
Custom Servers

  • Fixed an issue where the player count was not greyed out when a custom server was running


  • Fixed an incorrect text label in the player list on custom servers


  • Fixed an issue where players who joined a custom server for the first time had ‘Nickname’ displayed instead of their username


  • Fixed an issue where the player's rank was not set correctly on custom servers when using the ‘Everything Unlocked’ preset


  • Fixed a crash on custom servers when the invisible free-cam character was shot


  • Implemented support for gamepad control for the free cam on custom servers
Other changes

  • Improved the visuals of glass reflections in scopes


  • Fixed a visual movement glitch that caused a sudden bump after stopping while in dynamic crouch
Technical and performance fixes

  • Various performance, RAM, and VRAM optimizations


  • Numerous crash fixes


  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to freeze when closed with ALT+F4


  • Fixed an issue that caused the Load Friends Failed error if a player accumulated over 100 friends


  • Fixed an issue where Steam friends data failed to load after 60 minutes in the main menu


  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to join the server as a squad leader under specific circumstances


  • Fixed a rare issue that caused players to connect to a full server, resulting in a connection error message


  • Fixed an issue causing black borders on the bottom half of the screen when using NVGs


  • Added a recommended driver version pop-up that appears when starting the game after an update if outdated graphics drivers are detected


  • Improved the suggested default settings based on the player’s hardware


  • Optimized the VFX for barrel fire, campfire, explosive grenades, flashbang grenades, and mortar explosions to improve performance


  • Reduced flickering of various smoke effects in shadows
Technical Updates

  • Updated Oodle to 2.9.14 to prevent crashes related to specific Intel CPUs


  • Updated the NVIDIA DLSS plugin to version 8.1.0


  • Upgraded Wwise to version 2024.1.8


Instructions & Feedback Form:

We have a new feedback form. Please read the instructions carefully and complete the form once you finish your playtest: https://forms.gle/PdgMhbyMff2NetPP8


Known Issues:

We are actively working on fixing the following bugs, and you do not need to report them:


  • Suppression sometimes causes collimator reticles to disappear while using NVGs.,


  • AI can sometimes shoot at the player before being fully rotated visually.,


  • Clouds in the sky can sometimes pick up unrealistic speed or alternatively become extremely slow and pixelated.,


  • Lasers and flashlights can appear a bit too precise during movement.,


  • IR flashlight and a laser are visible in reflections of glass surfaces.,


  • Flashlights have a black circle artifact around the center of the light cone.


Available servers:

  • EU West


  • US East


  • US West
Modes:

  • Warfare (PvEvP)


  • Joint Ops (PvE)


In this public test, you will have adjusted progression, but your live progression will not be affected.

How to join?

  1. Go offline and online in Steam (via the Steam tab in the upper left corner).


  2. Right-click on Gray Zone Warfare and select "Properties."


  3. In the "Betas" tab, click on "none" ("Beta Participation" section) and select "public-experimental." server


  4. Update the game.

Feel free to discuss in the public-test-chat channel on our Discord. Playtest will last until Wednesday, October 15.


Thank you for your continued feedback and bug reports, they’re vital to making Gray Zone Warfare better with every update.

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

Continue reading...
 

Hotfix 0.3.4.5 Now Live – Changelog

Hey, GZW Community,

Hotfix 0.3.4.5 has just been deployed to the live servers and is available to download now. If the 'Update' option does not appear, please restart Steam.


Changelog

  • \[UPDATED] Epic Online Services SDK


  • \[FIXED] Additional fixes for an issue preventing players from connecting to a server

If you’re wondering about the jump from version 0.3.4.1 to 0.3.4.5, we implemented several server-side-only fixes lately, which were labeled internally as 0.3.4.2, 0.3.4.3, and 0.3.4.4. With this hotfix, the internal and public version numbers are now synced.


Patch 0.3.5.0 In Progress

We are also working hard to improve Patch 0.3.5.0, based on feedback from the first rounds of Public Testing. Once we are satisfied with the results, we will launch another round. We will keep you updated!

If you encounter any issues while playing Gray Zone Warfare, please report them to our support team so we can look into them properly.

Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support!

Every Move Matters,

MADFINGER Games Team

bb84e875ff8d4c6e643bf155a0ac4dc173a6f948.jpg


Continue reading...
 

Server Fix Now Live – Changelog

Hey, GZW Community,


A server fix has just gone live.


Changelog

  • \[FIXED] Additional fixes for an issue preventing players from connecting to a server


This fix was implemented server-side only, meaning you don’t need to download an update.


If you run into any further issues, please report them to our support team so we can look into them properly.


Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support!


Every Move Matters,

MADFINGER Games Team

6fe45c42f5f601ec7b48301d72dc4927c80e39ba.png


Continue reading...
 

Patch 0.3.5.0 Live for Testing #2

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Hey, GZW Community,

Thanks everyone for testing Patch 0.3.5.0 and providing us with your valuable feedback. We’ve updated the build on the public-test branch, and the Patch is now live again for continued testing.

This patch brings significant changes to the game, along with fixes for numerous community-reported issues.


Main improvements to test:

  • Performance & Client Crashes after the UE 5.5 upgrade


  • Improved AI Aiming


  • Weapon Sway Tweaks

You can find the complete CHANGELOG below. (Please note: some details may still change before the patch goes live.)

Public Testing Changelog \[Not Final]


Key Enhancements and Changes

  • Focus on optimizing the movement animations in the 1st person perspective in various ways:

    • Reduced several animations affecting the 1st person perspective, reducing excessive character movement and animation blending. For example, the top half of the character’s body was decoupled from the 1st perspective animations, and the breath animation was disabled in the 1st person perspective.


    • The weapon sway was adjusted, making it more responsive when the player moves


    • Pistol recoil has been tweaked to make it more realistic

  • New and improved death sequence from the 1st person perspective. The player’s vision turns to the approximate direction from which the player was shot.


  • AI aiming rebalancing: The new system simulates human-like aiming behavior that varies based on AI difficulty level, combat situation, injuries, suppression, weather conditions, distance to the target, and weapon type.


  • Updated Unreal Engine to version 5.5
Most important changes and fixes reported by and requested by the community

  • Fixed an issue where lasers were not working correctly in specific locations, such as YBL-1 and parts of Midnight Sapphire


  • Fixed a bug that caused the key drop frequency in Fort Narith to be incorrectly low


  • Fixed the gunshot sounds where the sonic crack can be heard before the gunshot


  • Fixed missing Twitch drops rewards for players who were unable to claim them until now


  • Fixed an issue causing very dark nights with the global illumination set to medium or higher


  • Fixed an issue where players would get stuck under the ground or would fall through the map after getting revived


  • Fixed the disabled FSR frame generation on RX580 graphics cards
Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where players always died if they got into a coma while in a helicopter


  • Fixed an issue where using the splint didn't prioritize the most damaged bone


  • Adjusted the extraction range for the squad strike Fragile Goods from 2,5m to 25m to allow for easier completion of the task


  • Fixed a rare issue where blood stops regenerating after healing all wounds


  • Fixed an issue where the player's weapon can become invisible after examining another player with a grenade in hand


  • Fixed the RIS II 12 Handguard compatibility with shorter barrels


  • Added the missing FDE AK Handguard to the military firearms box loot table


  • Added the missing HP Bunker key to the Hunter's Paradise Boss loot table
World

  • Adjusted the ground assets in the Spielberk COP to prevent climbing on top of the roof


  • Fixed the area on top of the Crusader COP, which was previously not recognized as a part of the COP area


  • Fixed a missing collision on a wall near the Tiger Bay Central South East entrance


  • Fixed an issue where the clouds were sometimes moving too fast


  • Fixed the incorrect collision around fountains in the Midnight Sapphire that caused grenades to bounce off


  • Fixed several locations where players could get stuck:

    • Tiger Bay Wrecking Yard at 195, 130


    • Fanny Paradise - between a house and some pallets at 189, 121


    • In rocks near Sabai Lake Restaurant at 204, 152


    • In rocks near Inthavong Farm at 159, 133


    • Near Sawmill, between logs and a container at 138, 143


    • Outside of the Nomad COP at 189, 157


    • Disabled lights that were unintentionally on during the daytime


    • Fixed an obsolete interaction option on a light switch in YBL-1
UI

  • Fixed an incorrect "joined squad" notification when a player was promoted to the squad leader


  • Fixed an issue where a messenger channel would get stuck in the pinned section after unpinning


  • Fixed an issue where the messenger window would fail to display when sending a message through the player interaction panel


  • Removed the option to invite to a squad from offline friends in the friend list


  • Faction kill is now pre-selected as the reason in the reporting window when reporting a player for a faction kill


  • Fixed the incorrect text wrapping in the feedback form text window


  • Fixed the incorrect DLC message wrapping in Czech


  • Fixed the conflict zone details in the Spanish localization


  • Fixed the conflict zone detail text not updating when changing the game language


  • Fixed the incorrect size of the maintenance notification widget in the main menu


  • Unified the position of the maintenance window on various resolutions/screen sizes


  • Fixed an issue where the character level was displayed as zero instead of 1 after a wipe


  • Fixed an empty icon in the hair section of the character creation screen


  • Fixed an issue causing the weather forecast in the main menu to be out of sync with the in-game one
Custom Servers

  • Fixed an issue where the player count was not greyed out when a custom server was running


  • Fixed wrong wording on the player list on custom servers


  • Implemented support for gamepad control for the free cam on custom servers


  • Fixed an issue where players who join a custom server for the first time have "Nickname" displayed instead of their username


  • Fixed an issue where the player's rank was not set correctly on custom servers despite using the Everything Unlocked preset
Technical and performance fixes

  • Various performance, RAM, and VRAM optimizations


  • Numerous crash fixes


  • Improved the suggested default settings based on the player’s hardware


  • Fixed an issue where closing the game by pressing ALT+F4 might lead to the game freezing


  • Fixed an issue that caused the Load Friends Failed error if a player accumulated over 100 friends


  • Fixed an issue where Steam friends data was not loaded after 60 minutes in the main menu


  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to join the server as a squad leader under specific circumstances
Technical Updates

  • Updated Oodle to 2.9.14 to workaround crashes related to specific Intel CPUs


  • Updated DLSS to 8.1.0

Updated Epic Online Services SDK to version 1.17.1.3

Compared to Patch 0.3.5.0 Testing #1, we improved the analytics data we’re gathering on performance and crashes and applied a few additional fixes.


Additional Changelog compared to Patch 0.3.5.0 Testing #1:

  • \[Fixed] Incomplete weapon shadow on the ground


  • \[Fixed] Black artifacts sometimes appearing when using NVGs with the XeSS upscaling method


  • \[Fixed] Choppy sprinting animation transition when repeatedly pressing the Shift key


  • \[Fixed] Splints not healing damaged bones under certain circumstances


  • \[Fixed] Noticeable bump after stopping in the dynamic crouch animation


  • \[Fixed] Weapon becoming invisible in 1PV after being revived from a coma while holding a grenade

We will continue working on fixes based on your feedback.

Instructions & Feedback Form

We have a new feedback form. Please read the instructions carefully and complete the form once you finish your playtest: https://forms.gle/PXfF32Xpak6xHrg56


Available servers:

  • EU West


  • US East


  • US West
Modes:

  • Warfare (PvEvP)


  • Joint Ops (PvE)


In this public test, you will have adjusted progression, but your live progression will not be affected.

How to join?

  1. Go offline and online in Steam (via the Steam tab in the upper left corner).


  2. Right-click on Gray Zone Warfare and select "Properties."


  3. In the "Betas" tab, click on "none" ("Beta Participation" section) and select "public-experimental." server


  4. Update the game.

Feel free to discuss in the public-test-chat channel on our Discord. Playtest will last for a few days.


Thank you for your continued feedback and bug reports, they’re vital to making Gray Zone Warfare better with every update.

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

Continue reading...
 

Server Fix Now Live – Changelog

Hey, GZW Community,


A server fix has just gone live.


Changelog

  • \[FIXED] An issue that sometimes prevented players from connecting to a server


This fix was implemented server-side only, meaning you don’t need to download an update.


If you run into any further issues, please report them to our support team so we can look into them properly.


Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support!


Every Move Matters,

MADFINGER Games Team

3b526ceb8b2024424c967c9a1a27bd7c9ddd4403.png


Continue reading...
 

Patch 0.3.5.0 Live for Testing #1

f87718632d4ed2a68eb91485f5b7a8464ad66471.jpg


Hey, GZW Community,

Patch 0.3.5.0 is now live on the public-test branch for testing.

This patch brings significant changes to the game, along with fixes for numerous community-reported issues.


Main improvements to test:

  • Performance & Client Crashes after the UE 5.5 upgrade


  • Improved AI Aiming


  • Weapon Sway Tweaks

You can find the complete CHANGELOG below. (Please note: some details may still change before the patch goes live.)

Public Testing Changelog \[Not Final]


Key Enhancements and Changes

  • Focus on optimizing the movement animations in the 1st person perspective in various ways:

    • Reduced several animations affecting the 1st person perspective, reducing excessive character movement and animation blending. For example, the top half of the character’s body was decoupled from the 1st perspective animations, and the breath animation was disabled in the 1st person perspective.


    • The weapon sway was adjusted, making it more responsive when the player moves


    • Pistol recoil has been tweaked to make it more realistic

  • New and improved death sequence from the 1st person perspective. The player’s vision turns to the approximate direction from which the player was shot.


  • AI aiming rebalancing: The new system simulates human-like aiming behavior that varies based on AI difficulty level, combat situation, injuries, suppression, weather conditions, distance to the target, and weapon type.


  • Updated Unreal Engine to version 5.5
Most important changes and fixes reported by and requested by the community

  • Fixed an issue where lasers were not working correctly in specific locations, such as YBL-1 and parts of Midnight Sapphire


  • Fixed a bug that caused the key drop frequency in Fort Narith to be incorrectly low


  • Fixed the gunshot sounds where the sonic crack can be heard before the gunshot


  • Fixed missing Twitch drops rewards for players who were unable to claim them until now


  • Fixed an issue causing very dark nights with the global illumination set to medium or higher


  • Fixed an issue where players would get stuck under the ground or would fall through the map after getting revived


  • Fixed the disabled FSR frame generation on RX580 graphics cards
Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where players always died if they got into a coma while in a helicopter


  • Fixed an issue where using the splint didn't prioritize the most damaged bone


  • Adjusted the extraction range for the squad strike Fragile Goods from 2,5m to 25m to allow for easier completion of the task


  • Fixed a rare issue where blood stops regenerating after healing all wounds


  • Fixed an issue where the player's weapon can become invisible after examining another player with a grenade in hand


  • Fixed the RIS II 12 Handguard compatibility with shorter barrels


  • Added the missing FDE AK Handguard to the military firearms box loot table


  • Added the missing HP Bunker key to the Hunter's Paradise Boss loot table
World

  • Adjusted the ground assets in the Spielberk COP to prevent climbing on top of the roof


  • Fixed the area on top of the Crusader COP, which was previously not recognized as a part of the COP area


  • Fixed a missing collision on a wall near the Tiger Bay Central South East entrance


  • Fixed an issue where the clouds were sometimes moving too fast


  • Fixed the incorrect collision around fountains in the Midnight Sapphire that caused grenades to bounce off


  • Fixed several locations where players could get stuck:

    • Tiger Bay Wrecking Yard at 195, 130


    • Fanny Paradise - between a house and some pallets at 189, 121


    • In rocks near Sabai Lake Restaurant at 204, 152


    • In rocks near Inthavong Farm at 159, 133


    • Near Sawmill, between logs and a container at 138, 143


    • Outside of the Nomad COP at 189, 157


    • Disabled lights that were unintentionally on during the daytime


    • Fixed an obsolete interaction option on a light switch in YBL-1
UI

  • Fixed an incorrect "joined squad" notification when a player was promoted to the squad leader


  • Fixed an issue where a messenger channel would get stuck in the pinned section after unpinning


  • Fixed an issue where the messenger window would fail to display when sending a message through the player interaction panel


  • Removed the option to invite to a squad from offline friends in the friend list


  • Faction kill is now pre-selected as the reason in the reporting window when reporting a player for a faction kill


  • Fixed the incorrect text wrapping in the feedback form text window


  • Fixed the incorrect DLC message wrapping in Czech


  • Fixed the conflict zone details in the Spanish localization


  • Fixed the conflict zone detail text not updating when changing the game language


  • Fixed the incorrect size of the maintenance notification widget in the main menu


  • Unified the position of the maintenance window on various resolutions/screen sizes


  • Fixed an issue where the character level was displayed as zero instead of 1 after a wipe


  • Fixed an empty icon in the hair section of the character creation screen


  • Fixed an issue causing the weather forecast in the main menu to be out of sync with the in-game one
Custom Servers

  • Fixed an issue where the player count was not greyed out when a custom server was running


  • Fixed wrong wording on the player list on custom servers


  • Implemented support for gamepad control for the free cam on custom servers


  • Fixed an issue where players who join a custom server for the first time have "Nickname" displayed instead of their username


  • Fixed an issue where the player's rank was not set correctly on custom servers despite using the Everything Unlocked preset
Technical and performance fixes

  • Various performance, RAM, and VRAM optimizations


  • Numerous crash fixes


  • Improved the suggested default settings based on the player’s hardware


  • Fixed an issue where closing the game by pressing ALT+F4 might lead to the game freezing


  • Fixed an issue that caused the Load Friends Failed error if a player accumulated over 100 friends


  • Fixed an issue where Steam friends data was not loaded after 60 minutes in the main menu


  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to join the server as a squad leader under specific circumstances
Technical Updates

  • Updated Oodle to 2.9.14 to workaround crashes related to specific Intel CPUs


  • Updated DLSS to 8.1.0

Updated Epic Online Services SDK to version 1.17.1.3

Instructions & Feedback Form

Please read the instructions carefully and complete the form once you finish your playtest:

https://forms.gle/ZJq3BhKZetve6w6c8


Available servers:

  • EU West


  • US East


  • US West
Modes:

  • Warfare (PvEvP)


  • Joint Ops (PvE)


In this public test, you will have adjusted progression, but your live progression will not be affected.

How to join?

  1. Go offline and online in Steam (via the Steam tab in the upper left corner).


  2. Right-click on Gray Zone Warfare and select "Properties."


  3. In the "Betas" tab, click on "none" ("Beta Participation" section) and select "public-experimental." server


  4. Update the game.

Feel free to discuss in the public-test-chat channel on our Discord. Playtest will last for a few days.


Thank you for your continued feedback and bug reports, they’re vital to making Gray Zone Warfare better with every update.

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

Continue reading...
 

Server Fix Now Live – Changelog

Hey, GZW Community,

A server fix has just gone live.


Changelog

  • \[Fixed] Custom server creation


  • \[Fixed] An issue that prevented proper reconnection after a disconnection for inactivity or a crash

This fix was implemented server-side only, meaning you don’t need to download an update.

If you encounter any further issues, please report them to our support team so we can look into them properly.


Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support!


Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team


4c81cf824ea9f25021373d821ca87ca736eec306.jpg


Continue reading...
 

Patch 0.3.5.0 Details Revealed at Gamescom 2025

Hello, GZW Community,

Live from the MADFINGER Games booth at Gamescom 2025, we brought you the latest on Gray Zone Warfare. Join the team as they reveal all the exciting new changes coming in Patch 0.3.5.0:


  • Major AI Enhancements – Revamped AI aiming mechanics


  • Engine Upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.5 – Bringing better visuals, stability, and performance in key areas


  • Reduced Crashes & Performance Optimizations – A smoother experience across the board


  • Death Screen Improvements - More information about your last moments


Catch behind-the-scenes insights, community shoutouts, and live Q&A straight from the show floor:

youtube_16x9_placeholder.gif


Thanks again to everyone who joined us live, and to those continuing to support Gray Zone Warfare through testing, feedback, and bug reporting. Your involvement is helping shape the future of the game.

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2479810/Gray_Zone_Warfare/

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Server Fix Now Live – Changelog

Hey, GZW Community,

A server fix has just gone live.


Changelog

  • \[Fixed] A matchmaking issue that caused players to connect to full servers, resulting in a network error

This fix was implemented server-side only, meaning you don’t need to download an update.

If you encounter any further issues, please report them to our support team so we can look into them properly.


Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support!


Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team


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Hotfix 0.3.4.1 Now Live - Changelog

Hey, GZW Community,

Hotfix 0.3.4.1 has just been deployed to the live servers. This hotfix focuses on various memory-related crashes.


Changelog

  • \[Fixed] Various memory-related crashes

While the fixes don’t solve everything, it’s a meaningful step forward, and we’ll actively work on further improvements. If you encounter any issues, please report them to our support team so we can look into them properly.

Update Now

The new version of Gray Zone Warfare is now available! If the update option doesn’t appear, restart Steam.

Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support!


Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

fa6ac8dc40076ca0afa1f27fc5f41402288636c9.jpg


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Check Out the July Recap in 5 Minutes

Hello, GZW community,

Missed the latest Gray Zone Warfare news? Here’s everything you need to know from July in under 5 minutes!

In this Community Briefing, we’re covering Gray Zone Warfare’s Patch 0.3.3.0 and 0.3.4.0, packed with gameplay improvements, critical bug fixes, and performance enhancements that push GZW closer to the polished tactical shooter experience you expect.


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Got any feedback or suggestions? Share it with us in the comments below and help shape the future of Gray Zone Warfare!

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

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Patch 0.3.4.0 Now Live - Changelog

Hey, GZW Community,


Patch 0.3.4.0 is now live on the public branch. Download the update and dive in.


This patch addresses numerous community-reported issues, ranging from key respawn rates in Fort Narith, AI vision tweaks, a fix to the Vulture's location, and many other improvements.


Thanks to everyone who joined the Experimental Testing and contributed with their feedback. We're already working on the next patches, so stay tuned.


Changelog


Community-requested changes and adjustments

  • Improved clarity of the notification message when logging out from the server outside of the friendly area


  • Boosted the drop rate of keys in Fort Narith


  • Adjusted the weather schedule to provide a more varied overall weather profile


  • Removed collisions on wooden logs placed on the ground


World

  • Added more vegetation to the area around the India 2 landing zone


  • Fixed several locations where players could get stuck in the environment:

    • Near Spielberk COP


    • Hill next to the stairs in Sunset Chalet


    • Rocks near the UNLRA refugee camp


    • Rocks near the Fishing hut


    • Rocks near India 3


    • Next to a concrete fence in Ban Phouphienge


    • Bush in the starter towns
Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where task items randomly disappeared when handing over task items in specific tasks


  • Fixed an issue that caused safes to reset without also resetting the loot inside of them


  • Fixed an issue that might cause the canting to get stuck if you spam the button


  • Fixed an issue where more than one Squad strike mission was present in the same area


  • Fixed an issue where players were able to capture a COP by interacting with the flag pole


  • Fixed an issue where repair kit charges were not consumed under specific circumstances


  • Fixed an issue where Vulture's location was not synced correctly between all servers


  • Fixed the light direction of AI flashlights to better reflect where they are looking


  • Adjusted AI's vision to better address the environment and weather conditions


  • Adjusted the way sliding from a steep hill is detected, which should result in a decrease in accidental and unrealistic deaths


UI

  • Fixed a rare issue where the player locker was unavailable for some players under specific circumstances


  • Fixed an issue where adding tracking tags to mortar shells resulted in an error and consumed the tag


  • Fixed an issue that caused the maintenance notification to disappear after opening the game menu


  • Improved the visibility of the server maintenance notification when in-game


  • Fixed missing ban description on the ban notification screen


Technical & rendering

  • Various client crashes and a rare server crash were fixed


  • Fixed a rare issue where the game cannot be started due to a 'Steam not Running' error if the path to the 'Documents' folder is invalid


  • Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to connect to a regular server after crashing on a custom server under specific circumstances


  • Implemented a benchmark to adjust the optimal graphical settings for given PC specs when running the game for the first time


  • Adjusted the default upscaler method to reflect the player's graphics card better


  • Disabled NVidia Reflex when using FSR frame generation to prevent possible crashes


  • Disabled DLSS Frame generation when using XeSS or FSR upscalers


  • Implemented various RAM optimizations in the Skalla engine


If you encounter any further issues, please report them to our Customer Care. Your bug reports and feedback are invaluable in helping us improve Gray Zone Warfare: https://support.madfingergames.com/hc/en-us/requests/new


We're committed to improving Gray Zone Warfare with every step of development and will continue to share updates along the way.


Thanks for being part of the Early Access journey.


Every Move Matters,

MADFINGER Games Team

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Watch the 0.3.4.0 Deep Dive & Winds of War Trailer Breakdown on VOD

Hello, GZW Community,

Catch up on our latest Dev Stream for an in-depth look at Patch 0.3.4.0, future updates, and the making of the Winds of War trailer.

Watch the full stream now and see what’s coming next:

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Stream Summary:

In our latest development stream, we kicked things off with a deep dive into Patch 0.3.4.0, which is currently available for testing (for more info, visit our Discord).

This update focuses heavily on community-requested changes and stability improvements. Among the most impactful adjustments are a boosted key drop rate in Fort Narith, improved logout notifications to help players avoid item loss when leaving outside of friendly zones, and significant improvements to AI behavior, particularly how AI vision and flashlight direction respond to weather and environmental conditions.

The patch also addresses a wide variety of world and gameplay issues, such as fixing areas where players could get stuck, resolving bugs with safe loot and task hand-ins, and reducing accidental deaths caused by unrealistic sliding on steep terrain. On the technical side, we implemented memory optimizations, resolved several rare crashes, and fixed visual issues tied to global illumination settings and upscaling methods. We've also added a new benchmark system to better calibrate graphics settings based on your system specs when running the game for the first time.

Looking ahead, we offered a sneak peek at what’s coming in Patch 0.3.5.0, which will bring a number of critical improvements. Most notably, we're working on revamping AI aiming systems, addressing GPU-related crashes, and potentially upgrading the project to a newer version of Unreal Engine. This patch will have a dedicated week-long experimental phase to allow for broader testing. We also shared ongoing progress toward Patch 0.3.6.0, where we’re still actively balancing the game’s night lighting, aiming for darker, moodier environments without compromising playability.

After the patch discussions, we shifted gears to explore the creation of the Winds of War trailer. Jimmy, our Video Artist, joined to break down the entire production pipeline, from early concepting and scripting based on gameplay themes, to storyboarding and capturing live-action reference footage for motion capture sessions. We highlighted the challenges of assembling custom environments and locations in Unreal Engine 5, and the intensive animation and VFX work involved.

We also touched on the recent and upcoming events, including our presence at ChinaJoy and our plans for Gamescom. A community meet-up is being planned. We’ll share time and location details soon. We introduced several new team members across key areas such as rendering, AI, gameplay design, and analytics.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us live, and to those continuing to support Gray Zone Warfare through testing, feedback, and bug reporting. Your involvement is helping shape the future of the game.

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2479810/Gray_Zone_Warfare/

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Patch 0.3.4.0 Live for Testing #2

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Hey, GZW Community,

Patch 0.3.4.0 is now live on the public-experimental branch for testing #2. We need to gather more feedback on the fixes we've implemented, and your input would be greatly appreciated.


Even if you submitted the previous feedback form for testing #1, we encourage you to test and fill it out again for the new build. Thank you!


This patch addresses numerous community-reported issues, ranging from key respawn rates in Fort Narith, AI vision tweaks, a fix to the Vulture's location, and many other improvements.

This time, please also keep an eye on performance and let us know at the end of the feedback form if you notice any differences from the live version.

You’ll find the changelog below. (Please note: some details may still change before the patch goes live.)


Experimental Changelog \[Not Final]


Community-requested changes and adjustments

  • Improved clarity of the notification message when logging out from the server outside of the friendly area


  • Boosted the drop rate of keys in Fort Narith


  • Adjusted the weather schedule to provide a more varied overall weather profile


  • Removed collisions on wooden logs placed on the ground


World

  • Added more vegetation to the area around the India 2 landing zone


  • Fixed several locations where players could get stuck in the environment:

    • Near Spieberk COP


    • Hill next to the stairs in Sunset Chalet


    • Rocks near the UNLRA refugee camp


    • Rocks near the Fishing hut


    • Rocks near India 3


    • Next to a concrete fence in Ban Phouphienge


    • Bush in the starter towns
Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where task items randomly disappeared when handing over task items in specific tasks


  • Fixed an issue that caused safes to reset without also resetting the loot inside of them


  • Fixed an issue that might cause the canting to get stuck if you spam the button


  • Fixed an issue where more than one Squad strike mission was present in the same area


  • Fixed an issue where players were able to capture a COP by interacting with the flag pole


  • Fixed an issue where repair kit charges were not consumed under specific circumstances


  • Fixed an issue where Vulture's location was not synced correctly between all servers


  • Fixed the light direction of AI flashlights to better reflect where they are looking


  • Adjusted AI's vision to better address the environment and weather conditions


  • Adjusted the way sliding from a steep hill is detected, which should result in a decrease in accidental and unrealistic deaths


UI

  • Fixed a rare issue where the player locker was unavailable for some players under specific circumstances


  • Fixed an issue where adding tracking tags to mortar shells resulted in an error and consumed the tag


  • Fixed an issue that caused the maintenance notification to disappear after opening the game menu


  • Improved the visibility of the server maintenance notification when in-game


  • Fixed an issue causing the weather forecast in the main menu to be out of sync with the in-game one


  • Fixed missing ban description on the ban notification screen


Technical & rendering

  • Various client crashes and a rare server crash were fixed


  • Fixed an issue causing the environment to go completely dark at night with the global illumination set to medium or higher, and a related issue that scopes made the zoomed image darker than intended


  • Fixed a rare issue where the game cannot be started due to a 'Steam not Running' error if the path to the 'Documents' folder is invalid


  • Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to connect to a regular server after crashing on a custom server under specific circumstances


  • Implemented a benchmark to adjust the optimal graphical settings for given PC specs when running the game for the first time


  • Adjusted the default upscaler method to reflect the player's graphics card better


  • Disabled NVidia Reflex when using FSR frame generation to prevent possible crashes


  • Disabled DLSS Frame generation when using XeSS or FSR upscalers


  • Implemented various RAM optimizations in the Skalla engine

If you’re interested in future testing opportunities, this is a great chance to get involved. We will always prioritize those who take part in 'smaller' tests and provide valuable feedback. Jump in, join the testing, and help us ensure a smooth and polished launch!


STEPS FOR TESTING & FEEDBACK FORM:
https://forms.gle/GwatxmKiVw159gocA

Please read the instructions carefully and fill it out once you are done with the playtest.


Available servers

  • EU West


  • US East


  • US West


Modes

  • Warfare (PvEvP)


  • Join Operations (PvE)

In this experimental, you will be playing with maxed out accounts. Your live progression WILL NOT BE AFFECTED by playing in the experimental.


How to join?

  1. Go offline and online in Steam (via the Steam tab in the upper left corner).


  2. Right-click on Gray Zone Warfare and select "Properties."


  3. In the "Betas" tab, click on "none" ("Beta Participation" section) and select "public-experimental." server


  4. Update the game.

Feel free to discuss in the experimental-chat channel on our Discord. Playtest will last for a few days.


Thank you for your continued feedback and bug reports, they’re vital to making Gray Zone Warfare better with every update.

Every Move Matters,

MADFINGER Games Team

Continue reading...
 

Join Us Live & Learn How GZW Trailers Come Together

Hello, everyone,

Ever wondered how Gray Zone Warfare trailers are made? Tune in this Thursday as our Video Artist pulls back the curtain on our creative process.


Our Associate QA Lead will also join us to share insights on the game’s development.


And in the second half of the stream, we'll jump into some GZW gameplay with our community Game Master Tyy.


We'll go live at 12 PM ET / 6 PM CEST on Twitch and YouTube.


Prepare your questions, we'll answer them live!


See you there,

MADFINGER Games Team

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Patch 0.3.4.0 Live for Testing

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Hey, GZW Community,

Patch 0.3.4.0 is now live on the public-experimental branch for testing.

This patch addresses numerous community-reported issues, ranging from key respawn rates in Fort Narith, AI vision tweaks, a fix to the Vulture's location, and many other improvements.

This time, please also keep an eye on performance and let us know at the end of this form if you notice any differences from the live version.

You’ll find the changelog below. (Please note: some details may still change before the patch goes live.)


Experimental Changelog \[Not Final]


Community-requested changes and adjustments

  • Improved clarity of the notification message when logging out from the server outside of the friendly area


  • Boosted the drop rate of keys in Fort Narith


  • Adjusted the weather schedule to provide a more varied overall weather profile


  • Removed collisions on wooden logs placed on the ground


World

  • Added more vegetation to the area around the India 2 landing zone


  • Fixed several locations where players could get stuck in the environment:

    • Near Spieberk COP


    • Hill next to the stairs in Sunset Chalet


    • Rocks near the UNLRA refugee camp


    • Rocks near the Fishing hut


    • Rocks near India 3


    • Next to a concrete fence in Ban Phouphienge


    • Bush in the starter towns
Gameplay

  • Fixed an issue where task items randomly disappeared when handing over task items in specific tasks


  • Fixed an issue that caused safes to reset without also resetting the loot inside of them


  • Fixed an issue that might cause the canting to get stuck if you spam the button


  • Fixed an issue where more than one Squad strike mission was present in the same area


  • Fixed an issue where players were able to capture a COP by interacting with the flag pole


  • Fixed an issue where repair kit charges were not consumed under specific circumstances


  • Fixed an issue where Vulture's location was not synced correctly between all servers


  • Fixed the light direction of AI flashlights to better reflect where they are looking


  • Adjusted AI's vision to better address the environment and weather conditions


  • Adjusted the way sliding from a steep hill is detected, which should result in a decrease in accidental and unrealistic deaths


UI

  • Fixed a rare issue where the player locker was unavailable for some players under specific circumstances


  • Removed the option to add tracking tags to mortar shells


  • Fixed an issue that caused the maintenance notification to disappear after opening the game menu


  • Improved the visibility of the server maintenance notification when in-game


  • Fixed an issue causing the weather forecast in the main menu to be out of sync with the in-game one


  • Fixed missing ban description on the ban notification screen


Technical & rendering

  • Various client crashes and a rare server crash were fixed


  • Fixed an issue causing the environment to go completely dark at night with the global illumination set to medium or higher, and a related issue that scopes made the zoomed image darker than intended


  • Fixed a rare issue where the game cannot be started due to a 'Steam not Running' error if the path to the 'Documents' folder is invalid


  • Fixed an issue that caused players to be unable to connect to a regular server after crashing on a custom server under specific circumstances


  • Implemented a benchmark to adjust the optimal graphical settings for given PC specs when running the game for the first time


  • Adjusted the default upscaler method to reflect the player's graphics card better


  • Disabled NVidia Reflex when using FSR frame generation to prevent possible crashes


  • Disabled DLSS Frame generation when using XeSS or FSR upscalers


  • Implemented various RAM optimizations in the Skalla engine

If you’re interested in future testing opportunities, this is a great chance to get involved. We will always prioritize those who take part in 'smaller' tests and provide valuable feedback. Jump in, join the testing, and help us ensure a smooth and polished launch!


STEPS FOR TESTING & FEEDBACK FORM:
https://forms.gle/JSZdoU4QXhgpiwJH6

Please read the instructions carefully and fill it out once you are done with the playtest.


Available servers

  • EU West


  • US East


  • US West


Modes

  • Warfare (PvEvP)


  • Join Operations (PvE)

In this experimental, your progression has been copied from live servers from July 18th. However, your live progression WILL NOT BE AFFECTED by playing in the experimental.


How to join?

  1. Go offline and online in Steam (via the Steam tab in the upper left corner).


  2. Right-click on Gray Zone Warfare and select "Properties."


  3. In the "Betas" tab, click on "none" ("Beta Participation" section) and select "public-experimental." server


  4. Update the game.

Feel free to discuss in the experimental-chat channel on our Discord. Playtest will last for a few days.


Thank you for your continued feedback and bug reports, they’re vital to making Gray Zone Warfare better with every update.

Every Move Matters,

MADFINGER Games Team

Continue reading...
 

Catch Community-Requested Improvements Dev Stream on VOD

Hello, GZW Community,


In our latest dev stream, Game Designer Petr and Community Manager Fawxic break down key pain points we’re tackling in the upcoming Patch 0.3.4.0 and beyond.


We’re also joined by Technical Animator Matthieu, who gives a peek behind the scenes and shares some of his work on Gray Zone Warfare.


Curious about answers to the community’s most burning questions? Watch the VOD now:

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c972326ffad3d101f92a90fee394f71a533bb675.jpg


Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2479810/Gray_Zone_Warfare/

Continue reading...
 

Join the Stream: Community-Requested Fixes Incoming

Hello, GZW Community,

Are you interested in what the developers of Gray Zone Warfare are working on? Join our live stream this Thursday, our Lead Gameplay Programmer will walk you through the upcoming patches shaped by your feedback.


Then, our Technical Animator will share insights into his work on GZW and jump into a gameplay session.

We'll go live at 12 PM ET / 6 PM CEST on Twitch and YouTube.

Prepare your questions, we'll answer them live!

See you there,

MADFINGER Games Team

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