Gray Zone Warfare moved from pre-alpha to alpha on October 22, 2026, when MADFINGER Games released Rogue Ops (Update 0.5), the game’s fourth major update, as a free update for every player, according to the studio’s press release and its Steam changelog. The studio says the Early Access shooter has sold more than 1.7 million copies since it launched in April 2024.
The Details
- Hideout: a base you unlock at certain vendor ranks, with a Laboratory (medical items, stims and chemical products), an Electronics Workshop (intel and parts for tracking tags and hacking tools) and a Utility Room that powers both. Stations are built and upgraded with resources from the world, vendors or task rewards.
- Crafting: recipes and materials are found in the world. Stims can no longer be bought from vendors and must be crafted.
- Hacking: a universal hacking tool in three tiers opens keypad and card-reader locks.
- Smuggling and Hunting: timed deliveries of Hideout-made contraband. Taking one alerts opposing factions and marks Hunting zones on the map; in PvE, smugglers face AI instead.
- Up to four characters, one per faction and mode (PvE or PvEvP). MADFINGER says account wipes are retired.
- Three new Tier 4 locations (the RLSL-1 radio observatory, the Lakevale Sanctuary asylum and the Northern Reach research site) plus more than 15 smaller ones, including drug huts.
- Seven new guns: Benelli M4, FAMAS, G3, G36, Glock 18C, Steyr AUG and UMP, plus hundreds of new weapon parts.
- Combat changes: a streamlined health system with lower bleeding, AI that throws grenades and finishes off downed players, and an Unreal Engine 5.7 upgrade with new anti-cheat measures.
What This Means for Players
This is a soft wipe, not a full one. You keep completed tasks, rank, unlocked apparel, vendor ranks and statistics. Your equipment, locker and money are reset. The first time you log in, you pick which mode (PvE or PvEvP) your existing progress moves to, and MADFINGER warns that the choice is irreversible.
The Hideout is the new money loop. Stims can no longer be bought from vendors, so the Laboratory is now where you make them. Selling what you produce to vendors is the safer payout; smuggling pays more but marks you for hunters.
If you came from Escape from Tarkov’s wipe cycle, the trade-off will feel familiar. PvE players can compare it with ARC Raiders’ PvE mode, and base-building fans with Modern Warfare 4’s DMZ base or a WARDOGS FOB.
When and Where
- Out now: PC, on Steam, in Early Access.
- Price: Rogue Ops is free. MADFINGER says the game is 35% off on Steam until November 5.
- Twitch Drops: October 22 to November 6.
Source: MADFINGER Games, “Gray Zone Warfare Enters Alpha With Major Rogue Ops Update,” press release, October 22, 2026, and “Rogue Ops Update Out Now | Changelog,” Steam, October 22, 2026.