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Yes: MADFINGER Games explicitly described Gray Zone Warfare as a pre-alpha open-world extraction shooter. Its 2025 evolution was led by Winds of War (Update 0.3), which launched on May 22 with dynamic weather, new locations, PvP features, weapons and quality-of-life changes. The other major update originally planned for 2025, Dark Revelations (0.4), was delayed beyond the year.
Why Gray Zone Warfare is officially an extraction shooter
MADFINGER used the phrase “open-world extraction shooter” in a January 2025 Steam announcement. The label reflects the game’s extraction-shooter framing, but it does not mean every player must engage in PvP: the developer has also described the game as PvE-first and said PvE remains a key focus alongside PvP.
That distinction matters when interpreting the 2025 changes. Winds of War added PvP options, but MADFINGER presented the update as expanding choice for both PvP and PvE players—not as a removal of the PvE focus.
What actually changed in 2025
January to April: a reshaped roadmap
In January, MADFINGER said the game was still in pre-alpha and that its priorities included resolving issues, improving performance and stability, and delivering two major updates during 2025. In March, the revised roadmap put PvP improvements into the spring Winds of War update, while the fall Dark Revelations update was planned around lore and narrative. The developer later marked that roadmap outdated, so its dates should be read as plans rather than guarantees.
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An April developer update previewed the world and weather work, describing more than 60 new locations planned for Winds of War alongside dynamic weather and a more reactive world.
May 22: Winds of War (Update 0.3) shipped
Winds of War was the substantial major update that did arrive in 2025. MADFINGER’s launch announcement listed:
- Dynamic weather and new locations; the developer had previewed more than 60 locations in April.
- Capturable Combat Outposts and PvP Conflict Zones.
- Four new weapons, more than 80 weapon parts, and two new ammunition types.
- Eleven new localizations.
- A full progress wipe.
- Quality-of-life changes, including field task management, shared squad progress for elimination tasks, and tracking tags for lost gear.
The item counts and location figure are developer-reported. The wipe is a consequential part of the update: players’ progress did not carry through unchanged, so the new content arrived alongside a reset rather than as a purely additive patch.
December: Update 0.4 moved out of 2025
Dark Revelations did not follow Winds of War in 2025. On December 1, MADFINGER said Update 0.4 would not release that year because its scope had expanded to include major changes to core systems. The developer did not give a replacement release date in that announcement.
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- HISTORICAL SIMULATION: Advanced Squad Leader module covering the 82nd Airborne Division's actions at Chef-du-Pont bridge during June 6-9, 1944 in Normandy as part of Operation Overlord
- GAME COMPONENTS: Includes one 22" x 34" historical map, 6 detailed scenarios, campaign game rules, and comprehensive chapter documentation
- GAMEPLAY DETAILS: 2-player strategic warfare simulation with 2-hour minimum playing time, featuring units of 5-10 men with individual leaders, vehicles, and guns
- STRATEGIC DEPTH: Recreates the critical battle for control of the Merderet River bridge, with authentic terrain features including bocage and slope interactions
- REQUIREMENTS: Base game Advanced Squad Leader plus Beyond Valor and Yanks modules needed for play. Designed for players aged 18 and above.
In a January 2026 retrospective, MADFINGER reported 17 releases during 2025 and called Winds of War the year’s most significant update. It also reported that 25 colleagues had joined during the year, bringing the team to 110 people. Those are the developer’s figures, not independent measurements; they offer context for the year’s work but do not mean that 17 major updates shipped.
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As of October 8, 2026, MADFINGER’s official site listed Rogue Ops (Update 0.5) as scheduled for October 22, 2026. The announced plans include crafting, hideout building, and smuggling activities involving rogue PMCs. The developer said the update was intended to move the game from pre-alpha to alpha. These were upcoming plans on October 8, not features or a release date that had already been delivered.
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- New Pointstreak system that rewards players both for landing kills and completing objectives
- Weapons proficiency system that allows you to customize your favorite weapons, making them more effiecent in any map or mode
- Online/offline 2-player co-op Special Ops Survival mode that earns you experience through 16 frantic objective-based missions
- New play modes, including: Kill Confirmed mode, Team Defender mode and user generated match modes
- Integration with 'Call of Duty: Elite,' an online multiplayer oriented service launched simultaneously with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
A Supporter Edition preview was announced to begin October 19, 2026. The first Update 0.5 developer preview also described work on multiple playable characters, audio and animation upgrades, AI improvements, and a streamlined health system. Those items were presented as development plans; the preview does not establish that they were all included in the scheduled release.
How to read the 2025 story
- Official genre framing: MADFINGER called the game an open-world extraction shooter, while also emphasizing PvE as a key playstyle.
- Delivered in 2025: Winds of War (0.3) launched May 22, bringing weather, locations, PvP features, new equipment, a wipe, and quality-of-life changes.
- Announced but not delivered that year: Dark Revelations (0.4) was delayed after its scope expanded; it was not a second completed major update of 2025.
- Later plans: Rogue Ops (0.5) was listed for October 22, 2026, as of October 8. Its announced features should not be mistaken for shipped content.
This account reflects official developer announcements and does not independently assess performance, network quality, or how the changes feel in play.
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