Alright guys, it’s finally here. The review for Gray Zone Warfare is live after hundreds of hours of gameplay. I might have gone overboard with the guides, so I had to step back and create this review. Yes, there’s a lot to talk about, and since I don’t know where to start, let’s begin with a brief overview of the game.
Thoughts on the Concept
First, the concept. The game feels like a perfect war. When you think there are no enemies around, some sneaky rat surprises you from a bush. But that’s not something that would stop you from playing. It reminds me of Arma Wasteland or Arma Exile. You have a base, a vehicle for infiltration and extraction, you go on a mission to survive and become rich. Yes, there’s also the aspect of raising your reputation with traders to unlock better tiers of weapons, ammo, attachments, and so on.
I love it as a concept, and I must note that it’s completely different from Escape From Tarkov, even though everyone said it’s the same kind of game.
After hundreds of hours in the game, I enjoy it. I’ve created tons of guides for it and did all the missions in PvE, even though I enjoyed tormenting a few people in PvP. Yes, the way you get to your desired destination isn’t great, so I’d advise playing PvE instead of getting frustrated by someone camping at a landing zone.
Graphics and performance, are the only issue atm
There’s nothing to complain about here, visually. But under the hood, there might be a couple of issues. This review is based on a gaming rig with an i9-14900k and RTX 4090, so I didn’t have many performance issues.
However, there was a small problem that everyone seems to know about. We have to use DLSS technology, or we won’t get the desired frame rates. I don’t like DLSS, because it makes the image super blurry. Also, the RTX 40 series have AI frame generation, but older gens don’t, so pick your poison.
Annoying stuff to be aware of
Now, although I enjoyed the game and spent hundreds of hours on it, I have to mention the things that annoyed me.
There are only four helicopters available, and when all of them are called by players, it becomes a big problem. Yes, you simply have to wait for them to return to base and exit the map before they can be called again. If you’re not quick on the mouse trigger, then… good luck… you can go and make a cup of coffee while they’re back.
Another thing, even though at one point the game seems perfect and runs smoothly, it can drop FPS like crazy out of nowhere. This especially happens when you initiate in a larger zone teeming with AI, and when you aggro them, the whole game goes nuts. Yeah. FPS drops like crazy just because we aggroed the beasts. Not so nice, right?
The AI, as AI, can be too much sometimes. It’s like fighting Terminator or something. There’s no way I can go with a suppressed weapon, sit on a mountain, kill a military AI from a distance, especially in Midnight Sapphire, and his buddies know exactly where I am. Not only that, but they also return fire too! A bit unrealistic for a realistic game.
Another thing that annoys me is the strength of those AI with AKs. It’s actually priceless, as it has happened multiple times… they turn around and in one burst, you’re gone. It is what it is, I guess.
Despite all of that, I have to say that for $35, the game offers a lot of solid gameplay (a bit of frustration too), and the possibility for Co-Op activity with your buddy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have to say that Gray Zone Warfare is worth buying if you meet the requirements to play the game, especially if you have a gaming rig that can pull the frames you need. I had a friend with an RTX 3070 who didn’t have the best experience, so he decided to refund. Sadge.
A ton of missions available, a ton of fun, but also some frustration. I didn’t manage to complete all the mission guides because I had problems farming keys, but still, I won’t give up and will continue to look for them. 150+ hours on Steam were not wasted. If the game wasn’t good, I wouldn’t stick to it, plain and simple.
That’s all I have to say about Gray Zone Warfare. As for the rating, I’d give it a 7.5, not because it lacks content but due to the performance issues and difficulties that still need to be addressed. Let’s not forget, GZW is an Early Access game, which means it will be refined for a long time and will likely offer great fun in the future.
Stay well, and I hope this helped you make your mind if you should purchase GZW or not.
Stay tough, ANGE1K out!
