Gray Zone Warfare has significantly changed its gameplay with the Winds of War update. The tactical shooter wasn’t supposed to be an extraction shooter when it was released in early access, but the developers decided to classify their game in that genre after all, and now they’re making it clear with Winds of War on X:
GrayZoneWarfare Isn’t An Extraction Shooter
1️⃣Back in Update 0.1, we said Gray Zone Warfare wasn’t an extraction shooter. Why? Because you don’t leave the map—you’re in a persistent world. No time limits, no raid timers, no vendor screens in a separate menu. You load into… pic.twitter.com/F2uvLFTq7o
— WindsOfWar Closes In (@rick5292) May 16, 2025
“This is not an extraction shooter.”
The trailer already introduces some of the new features of the patch: The storm is a clear hint at the new weather conditions in Gray Zone Warfare. The video also shows that injured allies can now be dragged to safety so they can be treated in a better position.
The most important change to break away from the extraction genre, however, are the new Combat Outposts. These outposts not only serve as respawn points, but also allow players to adjust their inventory. Previously, players had to return to base to do this, which made the parallels with Hunt: Showdown, Escape from Tarkov, and similar games more apparent.
