It feels like a good time to be a fan of modern military FPS games. Black Ops 6 is the best Call of Duty has felt in a while, Battlefield contender Delta Force is imminent, and Escape From Tarkov recently laid out a new roadmap. But my eyes are locked on the Gray Zone Warfare Night Ops update, the first major overhaul for the 2024 tactical shooter. Boasting a day and night cycle, high-tier loot drops, upgrades to enemy AI, and a wealth of quality-of-life changes, developer Madfinger Games now has its launch date – and it’s soon.
With more than a million sales since its early-access launch, Gray Zone Warfare is well-positioned to push into the future. Offering a more persistent open-world setting than the in-and-out extraction formula popular among many of the best FPS games right now, Madfinger is taking the first step along its extensive three-year Gray Zone Warfare roadmap with the launch of the GZW Night Ops update.
Introducing a full day/night cycle, the overhaul also adds new night-specific operations to the mix. To supplement that, Madfinger is further upgrading the realism on all counts, beginning with its NVGs. You’ll have several options at your disposal, and you can read my Night Ops preview to learn about the work the team has put into ensuring these are as close to their real-life counterparts as possible, down to key details like retaining your peripheral vision.
There are new weapons to track down – the Colt 1911, the AKS-74U, and the AK-Ratnik series – along with all the attachments and modifications to tune them to your liking. To ensure you’re ready to go when darkness falls, you can opt for a flashlight or a laser sight, but keep in mind that the enemy troops can see them just as clearly as you can. There are also options such as bullet tracers
Alongside all this come enhanced ballistics and anatomy modeling, meaning your shot placement matters more than ever before, along with the introduction of weapon and equipment degradation over time. Damage to certain objects such as NVGs can impact their functionality, so you’ll need to take care of your gear.
Rounding the update out is enhanced enemy AI – hopefully there will fewer frustrating moments now where you’re shot down before you realize what’s happening. Additionally, a the ‘aggressor’ system should help mitigate Gray Zone Warfare trolls by marking players that hurt their teammates, opening them up to retribution from those looking to keep the peace.
The Gray Zone Warfare Night Ops update launches Wednesday November 27. You can find the game on Steam in early access, priced at $34.99 / £29.50. Get it here. This is just the beginning of Madfinger’s nighttime plans, however. It’s also working on introducing features such as shooting out lights and destructible fuse boxes for future updates.
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