MADFINGER Games has just released what might be the most important update yet for its hardcore extraction shooter, Gray Zone Warfare. Patch 0.3.5.0 is now live, and it’s not just a simple fix—it’s a fundamental engine upgrade, moving the entire game to Unreal Engine 5.5.
This technical milestone, which follows the game’s major Winds of War content drop, is aimed squarely at tackling the community’s biggest feedback: performance.
A New Engine, A New Level of Performance
The headline feature of Patch 0.3.5.0 is the full-scale upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.5. The developer claims that this move enables parallel rendering, which provides a significant boost to mid- and lower-end CPUs.
In a statement, MADFINGER Games CTO Johanny Clerc-Renaud said the upgrade “allowed us to greatly improve performance on weaker hardware and heavy in-game locations, doubling performance on an Intel i7-8700.”
The patch also brings other major optimizations, including:
- Reduced VRAM usage by approximately 400MB.
- Reduced RAM usage by approximately 2GB.
- Updated to AMD FSR 4.
- A significant reduction in game stuttering and “hitches” caused by shader compilation and asset streaming.
The results are visually represented in a new performance heatmap (see image above), which shows a dramatic increase in players achieving 60+ FPS on the new 0.3.5.0 build compared to the previous version.
AI and Weapon Overhauls
Beyond the engine upgrade, this patch overhauls two of the game’s most critical systems: AI and weapon handling.
- Reworked AI Aiming: The AI has been “completely reworked” to simulate human-like behavior. Its accuracy now dynamically adapts based on difficulty, weather (fog/rain), suppression, and distance to the target. This aims to make AI encounters feel more believable and less “robotic.”
- New Recoil & Sway System: The weapon handling system features a “completely new recoil formula” based on real physics and recoil energy. This adds a greater need for player skill and makes weapon customization more meaningful, as parts like muzzle brakes and gas blocks now have a more realistic impact on performance.
Key Community Fixes and Additions
This update is packed with fixes and changes directly requested by the Gray Zone Warfare community. The developer fixed 120 crashes and 18 bugs reported by players.
Some of the most important community-requested fixes include:
- Fort Narith Key Drops: Fixed a major bug that caused the key drop frequency in Fort Narith to be “incorrectly low.”
- Night & Scope Visibility: Fixed issues that made nights and scopes “overly dark” under certain global illumination settings or weather conditions.
- Sound Tweaks: Shooting sounds have been improved for better directional perception.
- Death Camera: The player’s camera now turns toward the approximate direction of the fatal shot, helping you understand how you died.
- New China Servers: A new server region for Mainland China has been added to improve latency for players in the area.
This massive technical patch sets the stage for the game’s ambitious future. According to the developer’s official roadmap, the next major content update is scheduled for Fall 2025, titled Update 0.4: Dark Revelations.
Patch 0.3.5.0 is now live and available for all Gray Zone Warfare players to download on Steam.