Short answer: pick Gray Zone Warfare if you want the biggest, best-looking solo-capable mil-sim and you do not mind early access. Pick Incursion Red River if you want a pure PvE extraction loop with zero chance of another player ever hunting you. Both are excellent, both are built for players like us, and plenty of people own both. The rest of this is why.
These are the two extraction shooters I push hardest on this channel, precisely because both of them actually care about the solo and PvE player. If you have decided you want the loot-and-extract loop without other humans hunting you, it usually comes down to these two (you will also see the first one searched as “grey zone warfare”, it is the same game).
| Gray Zone Warfare | Incursion Red River | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Big-budget mil-sim spectacle | A pure, no-PvP PvE loop |
| PvP risk | PvP is optional and secondary | None: PvE and co-op only |
| Official identity | Now officially PvE-first | PvE and co-op from day one |
| Scale and visuals | Huge, stunning (Lamang) | Modest but tightly focused |
| Price model | Paid early access, the pricier of the two | Paid early access, the cheaper entry |
| Solo viable | Yes, whole game playable solo | Yes, built for it |
| Difficulty feel | Slow, long-range, atmospheric | Tight spaces, dense enemy waves |
| Momentum | 1.5M+ copies, PvE-first pivot | On a steady update roll |
| Roadmap | Battle Forge crafting, smarter AI | Campaign, Outskirts, new maps |
| WillyB’s pick | My number one, most played | The criminally underrated one |
The quick version. Gray Zone Warfare is the gorgeous, big, cinematic mil-sim with the bigger world and the higher ceiling. Incursion Red River is the leaner, more focused, purpose-built PvE extraction machine. Both are excellent, and honestly you could happily own both. But they scratch slightly different itches.
PvE focus. This is closer than you might think, which is the whole reason both make my recommendations, and it has actually shifted in Gray Zone Warfare’s favour recently. GZW always had AI factions and a PvE-friendly way to play, but it was originally designed with PvP options in mind. That has now changed: MADFINGER has officially repositioned the game as PvE-first, putting the solo and co-op experience front and centre and moving PvP to the secondary slot. I broke that down in Gray Zone Warfare is officially PvE-first now. Incursion Red River, meanwhile, has been almost entirely PvE and co-op from the ground up, with no real player-versus-player pressure to worry about at all. So if your single hard requirement is zero chance of ever running into another player, Incursion still edges it structurally. But the gap has narrowed, because GZW is now openly built around the same PvE crowd.
Scale and polish. Gray Zone Warfare is the more ambitious, better-looking game. The island of Lamang is stunning, the scope is huge, and it feels like a big-budget production. Incursion is more modest in scale and visuals, but it makes up for it with focus. It is not trying to be everything, it is trying to be a really good PvE extraction shooter, and it largely succeeds. If you want spectacle and a world you can get lost in, GZW. If you want a tight, no-filler experience, Incursion.
Feel and difficulty. These two play differently even though they sit in the same lane. Gray Zone Warfare is slow, deliberate and long-range: Lamang is dangerous because the sightlines are long, the guards are lethal, and a careless approach to a hotspot gets you deleted from three hundred metres away. Incursion Red River tends to be tighter and more intense, capable of throwing dense waves of enemies at you in a smaller space, which is exactly why I keep pushing its higher enemy-count runs. Neither is a casual shooter, and both have punished me for briefly forgetting that. If you want atmosphere and tension over distance, GZW. If you want a more concentrated firefight, Incursion.
Price and getting in. Both are paid early access rather than free-to-play, so neither is a zero-cost try. Gray Zone Warfare is the pricier, bigger-budget product, and Incursion Red River is the cheaper entry. If budget is the deciding factor, Incursion is the smaller outlay and gives you the purest version of the no-PvP loop for less. If you want the flagship and do not mind paying more for scale and polish, GZW justifies it.
Content and progression. Incursion has been on a roll, adding a campaign, proper player levelling, safehouse upgrades, an overhauled economy and the Outskirts update, with more maps and weapons on the way. I covered the trajectory in the Incursion roadmap for 2026 and what is next after Outskirts. Gray Zone Warfare has the bigger long-term roadmap, including gear crafting through Battle Forge and AI improvements, which I broke down here, and it recently passed 1.5 million copies sold on the back of its 0.4.5 update, covered in the 0.4.5 patch notes. Both developers are clearly committed for the long haul.
The verdict. If you want the most complete, best-looking solo-capable extraction experience and you do not mind it being an early access work in progress, Gray Zone Warfare is my number one, the one I play most, and it is now officially built around PvE players. If you want the purest PvE extraction loop with the least faff, for less money, a game built specifically for the no-squad crowd, Incursion Red River is the one, and it is criminally underrated. The genuinely good news is that there is no wrong answer here. Both respect your time and your preference for playing without toxic lobbies, which is exactly why this channel champions them both. If you can only pick one, let your priority decide: spectacle and scale point to GZW, purity and price point to Incursion.
If you want to judge Incursion’s side of this for yourself, I made the case in The New King of Tactical Shooters? | Incursion Red River 1.3 (Part 1).
Want the deeper verdicts before you buy? I have full write-ups on is Gray Zone Warfare worth it in 2026 and is Incursion Red River worth it in 2026. If you want the feel rather than the table, I played Incursion like it was Gray Zone Warfare and the AI hunted me. If your one hard rule is never seeing another player, also read can you play Gray Zone Warfare solo and offline, and for the whole field see the best solo PvE extraction shooters of 2026.
Dig into the full runs: WillyB’s Gray Zone Warfare and WillyB’s Incursion Red River, or let the extraction shooter matcher make the call for you.
FAQ
Should I play Incursion Red River or Gray Zone Warfare?
If you want the most complete, best-looking solo-capable experience and do not mind early access, Gray Zone Warfare is the pick, and it is now officially a PvE-first game. If you want the purest PvE loop built for the no-squad crowd with zero chance of a rival player, Incursion Red River is the one. Many people happily own both.
Which is cheaper, Incursion Red River or Gray Zone Warfare?
Incursion Red River is the cheaper entry of the two. Gray Zone Warfare is the pricier, bigger-budget product with the larger world. Both are paid early access titles rather than free-to-play, so neither is a zero-cost try, but Incursion is the smaller outlay if budget is the deciding factor.
Which has less chance of meeting other players, Incursion or Gray Zone Warfare?
Incursion Red River. It is almost entirely PvE and co-op from the ground up, so there is no rival-player pressure at all. Gray Zone Warfare was originally designed with PvP options in mind, but MADFINGER has since officially repositioned it as PvE-first, and you can run the entire game solo or co-op against AI in Joint Operations with no other players.
Which is the bigger, better-looking game?
Gray Zone Warfare. The island of Lamang is stunning and it feels like a big-budget production, while Incursion is more modest in scale but tightly focused. If raw spectacle and world size matter most to you, Gray Zone Warfare wins that side of the comparison comfortably.
Which is harder, Incursion Red River or Gray Zone Warfare?
Both are punishing tactical shooters where the AI is genuinely lethal and careless play gets you killed. Gray Zone Warfare leans into slow, long-range, atmospheric tension across huge distances, while Incursion Red River can throw dense waves of enemies at you in a tighter space. Neither is a casual shooter, and that difficulty is the point for the audience both games are chasing.
Can you play both Incursion Red River and Gray Zone Warfare solo?
Yes, both are solo viable. Incursion Red River is built for the no-squad crowd from the ground up, while Gray Zone Warfare is fully solo capable inside a bigger, more flexible mil-sim and is now officially PvE-first, so the whole game can be played alone against AI.
Should I buy Gray Zone Warfare or Incursion Red River first?
If you have never played either, start with the one that matches your priority. Buy Gray Zone Warfare first if you want the flagship, best-looking experience and the bigger long-term roadmap. Buy Incursion Red River first if you want the cheaper, purest, no-PvP loop and the fastest route to a stress-free solo raid. Neither is a wrong first pick.
What is on the roadmap for each game?
Incursion Red River has added a campaign, player levelling, safehouse upgrades, an overhauled economy and the Outskirts update, with more maps and weapons on the way. Gray Zone Warfare has the bigger long-term roadmap, including gear crafting through Battle Forge, AI improvements and its ongoing PvE-first expansion, and it has now passed 1.5 million copies sold.