And all this while the game is still far from version 1.0. There are no words to describe it other than superlatives.

In 2026, there was a lot of debate about player numbers. The decline in Highguard’s player count was treated almost like a spectator sport. One might think that some people actually want Marathon to fail, given how obsessively they monitor the concurrent player count. At the end of March, the military rescue shooter Gray Zone Warfare received its major Spearhead update, which seems to have breathed new life into the FPS. According to developer Madfinger Games, player numbers increased by more than 1,000% following the update.

“The third major update for Gray Zone Warfare, Spearhead, is here and brings a wave of new content, new features, and major core reworks shaped by player feedback. More importantly, players are coming back, and they have a lot to say about how the game feels now. Spearhead has already been described as a new beginning for Gray Zone Warfare,” Madfinger wrote on Steam.

Following the update, the monthly peak player count rose by 1,076%, the daily peak active player count reached 126,600, and the number of concurrent users hit 30,954. Spearhead offers players much more to do. It introduces 100 new tasks and missions and updates 50 existing ones. It also revamps the mission system to make Gray Zone Warfare more replayable. Missions now include puzzles and various in-world interactions. They can be completed at any time of day and offer cash rewards rather than specific items. This gives players greater freedom to customize their gear.

Madfinger said that it made the artificial intelligence in Gray Zone Warfare more human-like and less robotic. Non-player characters (NPCs) are less accurate when shooting from a distance, so they’re less likely to instantly kill you from across the map. The AI is also less adept at tracking player positions and reacting to sounds. Character movement has been improved as well; jumping, sprinting, and falling are now smoother. The AI’s reactions to gunfire have been enhanced for greater readability, making combat more dynamic. Additionally, the game has been updated with 25 new locations, eight new weapons, new factions, boss enemies, and 150 new pieces of gear.

This update brings the Early Access game to version 0.4 and is available until April 9 with a 33% discount for €/$26.79.

Source: PCGamer, Steam, SteamDB