Console plans finally get a timeframe

When Gray Zone Warfare launched in April 2024, MADFINGER Games made it clear that consoles were part of the long-term plan. What it did not do, because apparently specificity remains optional in game development, was give anyone a date.

That did not change with the game’s 0.4 update, Spearhead, which arrived yesterday and represents the biggest step forward the game has seen so far. The update has pushed the game higher up the Steam charts, where it has reached a player-count peak not seen since launch, while review sentiment has also improved as MADFINGER continues to work on optimization and overall polish.

A console release is tied to 1.0

The clearest answer yet came after Rick Lagnese, MADFINGER’s PR director, responded to a question on social media about the console version. His reply was brief:

Console released is planned for 1.0

In other words, console players should not expect Gray Zone Warfare before the game reaches version 1.0. MADFINGER’s roadmap is still long, and the studio appears intent on continuing to expand and refine the game on PC before packaging it up for consoles as a finished release.

That approach is not exactly unprecedented. Escape from Tarkov, another major name in the extraction shooter space, followed a similar path, with its own 1.0 release and later discussion about console plans from Battlestate Games.

Why the console version matters

Since going through a few genre shifts over the past two years, Gray Zone Warfare has settled into a PvE-first tactical sandbox shooter. That gives it a fairly open lane on consoles, where there is not much direct competition in that specific space.

If MADFINGER brings the game to PlayStation and Xbox after 1.0, it would mean a dense, large-scale open-world shooter landing on consoles with room to grow. For players who like their tactical shooters sprawling and demanding, that is a notable prospect.

For now, though, the answer is simple: the console release is planned for the 1.0 version, and the wait continues.

What happens next?

MADFINGER has not announced a console release window beyond that 1.0 target. So while Spearhead has given the game a meaningful boost, the studio is still focused on future updates before making the jump to consoles.

If you are waiting for Gray Zone Warfare on console, you are not alone. You are also, conveniently, still waiting.