METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Game
Game2024
Gray Zone Warfare
Developer MADFINGER Games, a.s.
Enter a high-stakes PvE-first open-world tactical shooter set on a quarantined Southeast Asian island torn apart by faction warfare. Deploy as an elite operator, fight solo or with your squad to carry out missions, earn reputation, and explore the truth behind the Event igniting the conflict. From the Steam store page
323 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
69
Fresh
188 positive · 85 negative
95% range 63–74%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 188 | 85 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
50 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
57,553 of 79,393 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 323 · most liked firstThis IS the game you wanted from Tarkov. So much polish, and 0.4 is the answer. It's a totally different game. 1. Want to farm loot as a bush wookie and a blade. CHECK 2. Don't want to deal with cheaters. CHECK 3. Want to PVP on your own terms after weeks of PVE. CHECK 4. Want the hectic rush of being hunted by mobs of enemeies after breaking both your legs and slowing bleeding out. CHECK 5. YOU HAVE A MAP (no more second map on another screen or 2000 hours of game play learning it) 6. NO…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have spent a significant amount of time playing Gray Zone Warfare and initially enjoyed the core gameplay concept. The open-world tactical approach has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, my recent experience with the anti-cheat and support process left me with serious concerns about how moderation and account suspensions are handled. Approximately two weeks ago, my account was suddenly suspended for what support described as “repeated synthetic or assisted inputs detected in gameplay.” I do…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed Gray Zone Warfare early on, but over time several decisions have pushed me away from the game. One of the biggest issues has been the increasing focus on Twitch campaigns and exclusive rewards. A large portion of the community has voiced opposition to locking items behind Twitch promotions, yet criticism often seems to be met with locked threads, removed discussions, or heavy moderation rather than meaningful engagement. The backlash to the most recent campaign became one of the most…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so idk too much about all the sweaty details cause i have a full time job and dont care about the ♥♥♥♥ people care about. but for me to just be able to log into a milsim esc game where its just PVE and can knock out like 2 missions before bed its ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ pretty great. this is a must have fps for us men with jobs
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like the game (obviously, played for 42hrs now), but I can't use any of my keys because everything is already looted every single time I go to use them. Making the PvE servers smaller and/or allowing people to play solo or make their own private servers would solve a massive issue with PvE. Currently can't use any keys due to things always being looted. There's just scraps left and dead NPCs everywhere. Not having to fight NPCs at all makes the game very very boring tbh. Join a server and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL:DR - 5.7/10~ Bring a friend, it'll be fun. Solo, expect frustration. I'm not usually a Realistic Mill-sim gamer, i do find this game fun. At least for the first 30 hours. Afterwards it went downhill quite fast. I always take it slow. No running when im in an area with potential enemies. Suppressor at all times if possible. Scout before shooting, all the "safe" ways of playing. At first if i were spotted, i'd be hit a few times, be in danger zone health, but be able to either revenge my…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I base my review of GZW on the part that frustrates me the most as a PvE-only player. I appreciate that the developers have spent time on designing the game in such a way that it can be enjoyed without having to engage in PVP, but I think the PvE mode is fundamentally broken. The issue is that, at least at time of writing when the new update has launched, you are in full servers, where almost everything on the map is already looted or cleared of enemies. You will constantly experience the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm putting this as a thumbs down, not because it's a bad game, so far it's actually pretty decent... But just simply because a game should not go for this long in an "early access" status, and I want to disincentivize game developers from doing this. The game isn't complete yet, but they're already selling DLC's as if it is. I'm sorry... what? You're producing DLC's, for a game, that you haven't even finished and launched? Why not just package those DLC's into the game? (We all know…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I own the Supporter Edition, play PvE, and this is a review from 0.4 (Spearhead) onwards. I played this game when it first released into Early Access, and I saw the vision of what it could be. I quit shortly after because the environments, though beautiful, were empty. The AI loved shooting through bushes, and the performance was terrible. The tasks were designed to move you around the map, but the world lacked a hook to draw you in. These issues have all been addressed. Although I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Devs said they fixed the AI in this last patch but I'm still getting lasered through bushes at 100+ yards consistently by dudes with iron sight AKs. Also I don't really understand the mechanic of the military AI going for mostly head shots. If you want realism especially when it comes to military AI, make them actually behave like military personnel i.e. aim center mass. This mechanic coupled with the Aimbot they have is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ annoying. Also, somehow dudes are still able to tank 5 plus…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Good: The core gameplay is really fun and engaging. The seamless experience with no loading screens is a huge plus. The Bad: Having to find every Landing Zone (LZ) on your own can be frustrating. You often have to walk for miles just to discover new locations. Overall: It's a great game with a lot of potential, but the exploration can feel like a bit of a "walking simulator" until you unlock more travel points.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, but the devs are predatory AF I want to start this review by saying the game is absolutely wonderful, and I have banked 280 hours in a couple months of playing... However the Devs are incredibly predatory. The base game is $40, but then they have several editions to help you start out, and if we are being honest you almost need them as the locker space is so limited early on... Or you will spend more time managing your locker than you will be going out and running missions. So…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really want to like this game, but it really makes that difficult to do. i will try to keep my issues somewhat brief and to the point. 1. the "mission" structures are obnoxious. spend 10 mins going here to take out 3 guys, then spend 15 minutes looking for whatever obscure piece of paper or whatever it is, or dead body amongst a world of everything being dead (more on that in a minute) to press E on and either finish that mission or now progress to the next 5 minute away obj where you need to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rat company censoring discussion around the cheating issues the game has
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To preface this review, I play exclusively PVE and most of the time solo. With that being said I have greatly enjoyed the gameplay loop it scratches the tactical shooter itch for me without having to worry about any of the BS that comes with PVP experiences like Tarkov. Or having to always have a 4 person party like in some of the other extraction or objective based shooters. Now don't get me wrong all those games have their place but this game allows me as a working father of 2 the opportunity…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wish I didn’t have to say this. Because I like this game. The map, the concept ... BUT ... TASKS AND PROGRESSION: Same mundane, boring task system as almost every other failed extraction shooter. “Take this box of food and medicine and drop it by a house next to the road” — meanwhile you’re getting shot at by AI from that same house. Everything wrong with Tarkov’s task system, multiplied by 100. There’s zero creativity, even in naming the tasks. Task name: “Negotiator.” Task…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →while the game certainly has a great foundation it also has an infestation of cheaters. Cant´t recommend it at this moment due to pvp being utter ♥♥♥♥.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They are banning content creators complaining about the cheaters that are really common and copy strike them, instead of fixing their anti cheat, no wonder they have only 3500 24 hours peak players, full of cheaters game not recommended.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright. Let's talk a little about Gray Zone Warfare, which at the time of this writing, has seen the release of the Spearhead update and witnessed quite a spike in new players, returning players, and overall concurrent and peak player counts. This was my entry point for the game as well. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3702794091 This game is still in what the devs call a "pre-Alpha" build, which is to say that despite being available in early access since April 2024,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →PVE solo isn’t worth it. Progression on PVE servers is often impossible because everything is cleared or looted. They only let streamers run private servers. You reach quest areas and find all enemies dead, quest items and bosses gone, and loot caches empty because other players got there first. This is especially bad at the start, it took me 3 days to finish the starter quests because I couldn't find any keys. I've dealt with this issue until the end game. (update: now they made it even…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game was bad, then game was good and now game is bad again. When it first dropped it was rough but that's what early access is for so no hate there, trudge through and give feedback. Then they got it running smooth and it was a blast especially with friends. Running missions with buddies was the peak experience for me. The game is still good solo but there is nothing like clearing a camp with the boys in my personal opinion. So naturally they decided to ruin that experience. Whoever thought…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I genuinely love what Gray Zone Warfare is building here. The gunplay feels excellent, the weapon systems are deep, and the overall tactical pacing is exactly what I want from a realism-focused shooter. When everything clicks, it’s intense in the best way. Visually? It’s a masterpiece. The atmosphere and environmental detail make it one of the best-looking tactical shooters out right now. That said, it can feel time-taxing. You invest a lot of effort into missions only to hit a repetition…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First and foremost - I really believe the devs need to stop labeling this game as an extraction shooter. its not. this game is a Tactical MMOFPS. this was confirmed in May 2025 by their PR director, Rick Lagnese. So if you are looking for a game thats going to replace Tarkov - THIS IS NOT IT - GZW is more like Ghost Recon Wildlands than Tarkov at this stage in its development. That being said, I cant recommend this game more. Having started playing in version 0.3.5, I missed a lot of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is so much fun, I have met people in game and those are the ones I play with every night. This is by far one of the greatest shooters I have played. I only play PVE mode and I am a father, so I play at my on pace.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't buy until they fixed the cheaters. I've accumulated a 170 hours faster than probably any other game I ever owned. It's really addictive. The PVE is nice for a time, but where the real metal is, is in the PVP. This game has the best PVP experience I have ever seen. But there also lies the problem, because apparently the pressure is too much for some people to handle and they resort to cheating. You can see what those cheats look like on YouTube. Why anyone would play that is beyond me.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Devs actively censor concerns about cheaters. If you were wondering, YES. The game is infested with cheaters in the PvP mode. They do not plan on fixing it. They have one guy who doesn't even play PvP extraction shooters as the sole barrier between cheaters and people trying to have a good time. Don't give them your money unless you're aware you're playing in a cheater's paradise, or you're going to play PvE.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty horrible AI. Either they miss every shot or they one shot you from across the area with an ak through the bushes that you can't see them through. Not sure what the point of that is but it's pretty obnoxious. Uninstalled after about 100 hours. Can't seem to clear out certain areas so I assume they program the AI to be more accurate the further you get into the game but literally dying to enemies you can't see is not enjoyable.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At the moment there are a LOT of cheaters. There have never been so many. It's impossible to play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My favorite military shooter ever. Its exactly what I was looking for in a game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I put off making this review for probably way too long : This game has a very important place in gaming. You can choose whether or not you want PVE or PVP. While there are factions, you can change factions without too much hassle (within limits). Unlike games like ABI or Tarkov, Gray Zone doesn't have a forced extraction timer (which I love. I hate timers). The game, while it does have issues because it is STILL IN DEVELOPMENT, is worth playing. You can play at your own pace and be fine if you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this game because the gunplay and atmosphere are actually solid, but the cheating problem is getting out of hand. I’ve got over 506.5 hours in the game, so I’m not just complaining after one bad match. Running into obvious ESP and aimbot users this often completely kills the experience, especially in a game where you can lose a lot of progress and gear in one fight. What made it worse for me was seeing an obvious cheater already at level 31, which honestly says a lot…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →0.4 update edit: Game is still a mess and devs dont care. DO NOT BUY!! im not even taking the time to adress the problems point by point they dind't take the time to finish the update before shiipping it and yeah it's ai slop no human puts streets lights at 15 cm off the floor and adds for example admin desk to storage without making it possible to put anything in it. Game ded. This is my honnest toughts about the game at the time of writing i have 320 hrs playtime and have experienced all…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is in Alpha, and yes, it has a lot of issues that still need to be fixed. That said, as a PvE-only player, here is my experience so far. - Pros Beautiful world & strong immersion. The environment is stunning, and immersion is one of the strongest aspects of the game. Being alone can feel genuinely scary, while playing with a group feels rewarding and memorable. Slow, tactical gameplay. Playing carefully, intelligently, and cautiously is encouraged, which I really enjoy. It’s not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When the game was advertised as PVE I was not expecting to deal with an always online system. Joining my local regions server was not great, Ping is over 100ms when other games in my region are typically 30ms. I was getting better ping for European servers. Since its always online, you have to wait for enemy respawns. In the tutorial area I was finding myself walking around into zones that have already been cleared. Add a system that lets me play offline or allow private instances and the game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gray Zone Warfare is currently the best truly tactical military shooter. It's the anti-COD, the anti-Battlefield, and the anti-any modern shooter that dares to call itself "tactical" or "military." What this game offers is rare. It models organs, not just limbs. You lose your breath if your lungs are hit. You pass out if the pain overwhelms you. And sometimes, your teammate can’t be healed, they must be dragged out of the line of fire to safety before you even get the chance. That’s not just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As the game currently sits, the gunplay is amazing, graphic detail is on another level that other AAA games cant compete with on a game this scale, looting mechanics are a little on the basic side but easy to use, and missions are definitely challenging (that could be a positive or negative depending on what type of player you are). The negatives on this game are way to huge to ignore though. Every time they update the AI they are either special forces level and will headshot you in pitch black…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Reinstalled game to see if it was any better yet graphics still looks good and is somewhat manageable at this point all on lowest (11400f/3060TI) AI still shoots through walls so i uninstalled it again, not dealing with that again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Too little to actually do, and the game cycle is boring, too few challenges, it it honestly too easy and I cannot justify buying this. It was okay for a while. Graphics are nice though, unless they're bugging out because your character cosmetics/hair.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yeah this game fucks. The Good: ▣ PvE is extremely solid, MMO style and has an amazing community ▣ Gameplay is very solid, it's a fun shooter. It's closer to STALKER rather than Tarkov, which I like. ▣ The world/map is genuinely interesting, and the gameplay areas are asymmetrically symmetrical if that makes sense. Each 3 factions have areas ranging from low to high difficulty. The high difficulty areas are where two factions would regularly intermix, but it's all high risk, high…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game definitely scratches my immersive shooter experience without the unwanted stress of Tarkov. played Tarkov for a while with friends but was always stressing. Im a DAD not a CHAD. very fun game and i love the open world aspect. no raid timers, just me, my kit and snacks. run, shoot, loot, and repeat until im tired of it for the day. good game. 9/10 for me.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Grayzone Warfare is a game where I go on a helicopter and that is VERY COOL. The helicopter goes WHOP WHOP and then I jump out and I am in a big green jungle and I must be very quiet. Everything is serious. If I run too fast I get hurt. If I don’t look properly I get hurt. I get hurt a lot but I learn. I have to check my backpack and my gun and my pockets and it feels like packing my school bag but with danger. There are bad guys hiding and I don’t see them but they see me and I say “oh no”…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After 100 hours, I think Gray Zone Warfare’s biggest problem isn’t simply a lack of content. It’s a lack of depth. The graphics and atmosphere are genuinely good. When you first start playing, especially in the starting area, there is real tension. You’re thinking about where enemies might come from, where you should move, whether you should take cover, and how carefully you need to approach an area. That was exactly what I wanted from this game. But as you progress, that feeling almost…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My friend and I loved the PvE mode, but as soon as we tried a PvP server for a change of pace, we got instantly killed by an obvious cheater. Gave it a second chance later, but ran into the exact same issue. This game will never work if they do not instant ban these people more frequently.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have been playing exclusively in PvE mode and it feels relaxing and immersive. The core mechanics are cool, and the map is beautifully constructed with plenty of missions. The only downsides are that the game is a bit heavy and some missions currently have bugs with their location markers, which can cause you to lose a lot of time searching for the right location. I definitely recommend it, but I hope to see those mission bugs patched soon.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game, but very little gameplay... AND A LOT OF CHEATERS. Last 3 times I got ended by someone coming to me (while I literally lied in the bushes in the forrest) by one-two shots. That's not luck or skill. They exactly knew where I am.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The performance is a joke. Edit: Before yapping about my hardware, take a look at the games recommended specs. Since recommended specs seem to be a very hard concept to grasp, and a lot of people are commenting: If the game advertises itself with a 2080, it should be able to run with a 2080. If the 2080 isn't powerful enough, it shouldn't be recommended. "You use a 2080" is not a gotcha in this case, but comment anyways please. The game forces upscaling/DLSS, in a pathetic attempt to cover…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Im only here for the PvE gameplay and have been here from the start and even though it has been rocky they have slowly been making progress and making it a better game with each patch
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →0.4 preview has been amazing so far! This game was already the best extraction shooter for PVE on the market and it is keeping that position from what I have played. The gunplay is nice and smooth while giving you a lot of control. The visuals are next level outside of some blur issues when using a scope and NVG at the same time. I just use canted sights and lasers at night since it gives me the best LOS to my target. This is milspec and extraction done right and the devs are incredible. They…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is fantastically fun when it works. Often times though, there are a handful of people on a server with ESP, and they ruin the game for everyone else. It's a prettier tarkov. It's prettier, but it's still not fun. With a group of friends it's more fun, but inevitably, almost all of our sessions end with: "There's nobody on this server and no pvp." , or "That guy is suss..." ... "Oh he's certainly cheating, lets try another server.".... "This one is dead, lets play something else."…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am a strictly PVE player, and have had this game for maybe a week now. I LOVE this game, HOWEVER, I have been BANNED for 90 DAYS for quote "Using third party software for your mouse". I can with 110% certainty tell you that i have NEVER had third party software for my mouse and have never cheated in any game in my life because i am boring and don't even know how I would do that. Maybe the Anticheat saw my wireless mouse as some sort of cheat, if so that is a HUGE Problem in the system. Very,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Started playing on launch, was very clunky and had a ton of issues Re-installed after 0.3.5 and the game has improved significantly For early access this game is actually very good Looking forward to the future updates and development of this game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really cool concept. Crazy to believe this is only Pre Alpha. I can't wait to see this fully finished. Would be nice to see it more populated. Like people working in the rice fields. Cars driving around. Some wildlife. Etc. This is fun though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of people don't understand this game judging by the reviews. As of the current 0.3.5 update this game has a very solid foundation. Injuries are supposed to be somewhat realistic, meaning if you get hit in certain spots then it is very difficult to stabilize your health or will just be immediate death. The gun modification is fairly realistic and I appreciate that. A few of the quests will have you looking up online where the objective is on the map, but IMO that doesn't make it any less…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't usually write reviews; this is my first one. PvE is great in this game; I've achieved 100% quest completion. After that, I wanted to try PvP, but it's really annoying with all the hackers. That's why I took a break from the game for a few months. With the new 0.3.5 update, I was hoping there would be no more hackers. Unfortunately, I've played a few games now and the hackers are still there. For me, this is a real game-breaker and I'll have to take another break for now. Please,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I always wanted to play Escape From Tarkov but every time I tried I died over and over and would uninstall the game. This always made me sad because I absolutely love the idea and feel of Tarkov. But then I found this game and was amazed, it had relatively the same idea and feel but it wasent as hard as Tarkov. Instead of an inclosed map with a timer it was a giant open map where I wasent constantly running into sweaty players. I felt like I could actually play it without being constantly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got to test the game for 5 hours (first session), and honestly, the game is cool, even though there are a few optimization issues and I ran into a glitch in one of the early quests where one of the clues wouldn’t spawn (the game is in Early Access, so it’s not like no one was warned). I wish the developers the best of luck in polishing their game, because it has a solid foundation… but… HOWEVER If you have money to waste here, you’ve come to the right place. Welcome. I ran into a problem…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played 50+ hours on this game with the exact same setup as when I started. Got back into it recently, really starting to get into a flow, then all of a sudden the game goes black and a screen comes up with the text: You have been banned for 90 DAYS for "Using third party software for your mouse". Wasn't even using a mouse, was using a PS5 controller, which the game never had an issue with before for 50+ hours. Now normally this wouldn't be enough for me to write a negative review of a game…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After 150 hours, this is my overall opinion. I really like the core idea of the game — the atmosphere, the map, and I was hoping the fights would be slower and more tactical. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The AI bots are either literal Terminators that kill you with a single bullet, or they do absolutely nothing except give away your position. I honestly don’t know how they designed the armor system, but every time I start shooting, there are insane ricochets everywhere. One time I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →amazing game needs to have some update soon as there is little new content but for new players defenetly a great game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here I thought this week would be a bit slower for games. Turns out everything's today. The Long Dark, Sultan's Game, Arc Raiders and Gray Zone Warfare getting big updates. And then Super Meat Boy 3D, The Posthumous Investigation, Tombwater, Grime 2, Crown Of Greed, Raccoin, Sprint City and more..
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