Alongside big names like Arma 3 and Escape From Tarkov, there are a growing number of contenders for the throne of the best tactical shooter simulators for PC. Amidst the likes of Ready or Not and the upcoming Exfil and Arena Breakout: Infinite, one of the strongest contenders looks to be War in the gray area. The new, ultra-realistic FPS game has received a mixed reception from players on Steam, but developer Madfinger Games reports that the first month since launch has seen the game reach almost a million copies sold.
Gray Zone Warfare is very much all-in on the slower, realistic side of the shooter spectrum. His precisely modeled weapons are capable of incredible damage, and wounds to certain body parts will affect your performance and require proper healing to recover. Despite peaking at 72,548 concurrent players in its first week, initial launch issues including crashes and lag saw the FPS game drop to a “mostly negative” 38% user score on Steam, but it has since slowly recovered – and, looks like it continues to sell quite well.
“Gray Zone Warfare has officially sold over 900,000 base game units and an additional 475,000 DLC upgrade editions within the first month,” Madfinger wrote in a post shared on the game’s Steam store page. “This achievement means a lot and certainly left us in awe,” he continued, calling the number “an incredible milestone that speaks to the dedication and passion of our community.”
“This success ensures our long-term commitment to Gray Zone Warfare, ensuring that the game will continue to improve and evolve over time,” he continued. “We’re excited to bring you new content, improvements and experiences as we move forward together. Thank you for being an essential part of this incredible adventure.”
Steam reviews for Gray Zone Warfare also continue to slowly climb. A few days after launch, the initial score of 38% rose to 63%, and it now has a 68% positive score over the last 30 days (and 67% overall), bringing it close to eschewing Valve’s “mixed” showcase score in favor of more positive balance.
While things seem to be moving in the right direction, Madfinger says there’s still a long way to go. “With one month, one patch, and four hotfixes under our belts, we recognize that there is still much to do to improve the GZW experience. We deeply appreciate your patience and continued support as we work to make the game the best it can be.”
One top-rated review reads: “I witnessed the developers release hotfixes on the fly as I played. I find their level of proactivity, drive and passion very refreshing.” However, others note that they still suffer from performance issues, especially if they play on anything other than the best graphics cards, or lose weapons due to crashes. “This game is absolutely on the right track, but it runs very, very poorly,” says another user review. “I hope they fix it soon because it’s a lot of fun.”
“We’re hard at work optimizing the game,” Madfinger wrote, “and patch two is right around the corner. Your feedback is invaluable and we are committed to addressing your concerns, bug bites and quality of life improvements. We will soon reveal our roadmap for upcoming major content updates. Stay on the line.”
If you’re planning to jump in, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best Gray Zone Warfare settings for maximum fps and performance. Alternatively, here are the best multiplayer games for many more options to test your mettle against the rest of the gaming world.
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