Gray Zone Warfare might be a little too early access right now.
I sometimes question if I can call myself a fan of extraction shooters when I don’t enjoy the most popular game in the genre: Escape From Tarkov. I bounced off the hardcore milsim after a few painful gear wipes at the hands of extraction campers. I’ve almost reinstalled it a dozen times in the years since, hopeful that I could get into it with the right mindset, but always stop short of pressing play.
That’s why I’m eager to give Gray Zone Warfare, the latest tactical FPS pressed from the Tarkov mold that’s oozing with buzz from EFT devotees, a real shot. If I’m gonna suck, at least I’ll suck right alongside a bunch of other new players.
Turns out I was very wrong to assume Gray Zone is another Tarkov clone. The first clue was discovering there’s a whole cooperative element to the game you won’t find in any other major extraction shooter. Before I even picked up a gun, I had to join one of three factions. It turns out this is a pretty important decision—you can only group up with players in your faction, and you can only change your faction after a full server reset that’ll happen «every few months.»
The other reason factions matter is that each one has a persistent base camp on the 42km x 42km island of Lamang, and players in your faction are automatically allies. I was surprised by how much the faction system eases the tension of playing solo. Even if my faction mates are ultimately playing for themselves, it’s really nice to have strangers watching your back.
At least during this early launch period, the geographic divide between the factions creates these «safe» zones in the corners of the map where you can be fairly confident there are no real enemy players. In my first hour exploring a town outside camp, I only encountered friendly players and NPCs. The closer you get to the center or opposing corners of the map, the more likely you are to run into the other factions.
