Military survival FPS Gray Zone Warfare blows past even Manor Lords to become Steam's new hit, selling 500,000 copies after just 3 days despite Early Access troubles

Gray Zone Warfare is the hot new shooter on Steam with over 500,000 copies sold in just a few days, and it's one of TikTok owner Bytedance's big success stories.

Gray Zone Warfare launched into Steam Early Access on April 30, but it already looks like a certified hit for developer Madfinger Games. As of May 1, the FPS game had sold over 400,000 copies, but a press release earlier today reveals that Gray Zone Warfare has now managed to shift over 500,000 copies in total since launch.

What's more, the press release claims that 250,000 of these users have purchased any one of the "DLC editions" of Gray Zone Warfare. This means half of the total player base has purchased an upgrade edition of the FPS game, and there are three to choose from in total - the Tactical Edition, Elite Edition, and finally the Supporter Edition.

Gray Zone Warfare is so popular that it's even overtaken Manor Lords on Steam's best-sellers chart. The new strategy game might've sold one million copies in just one day, but Gray Zone Warfare has blown past it in terms of copies sold over the last few days, and right now, it sits only behind the free-to-play Counter-Strike 2 on Steam's best-sellers list.

This isn't to say that it's been a flawless launch for Gray Zone Warfare. The game currently sits at a 'Mixed' average review grade on Steam, with the main complaint being that the FPS game is very poorly optimized, and players frequently encounter issues like stuttering and crashes.

In short, Gray Zone Warfare is a PvPvE game set within a vast jungle, where you join a private military company and explore a big MMO island. You'll need to keep yourself fed and hydrated while exploring Lamang Island, which is to say nothing of fending off enemy squadrons, whether they're player or AI-driven. Gray Zone Warfare looks a lot more tactical than your Call of Duty or Battlefield games.

Additionally, it's interesting to note that Gray Zone Warfare is another hit for TikTok owner Bytedace. Developer Madfinger Games, based in the Czech Republic, received funding for the game from the Chinese company back in 2021, which came well before late 2023, when reports claimed that Bytedance would be restructuring its gaming division and winding down investments.

Check out our new games 2024 guide for a look ahead at all the other great new games we can look forward to this year.