Ground Branch Wiki: Complete Game Overview, Modes & Everything New in 1.0

Ground Branch is a tactical realism first-person shooter from BlackFoot Studios and MicroProse where you play an operator in the CIA's Special Activities Center (SAC/SOG) — the real-world "Ground Branch." After eight years of Early Access, V1.0 landed on July 16, 2026, adding the Operations campaign Prologue, the Extraction mode, a new armor system and two brand-new maps. It is the closest thing PC has to a spiritual successor to the original Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, built by one of their lead artists.

Here's what you'll learn:

• What Ground Branch actually is and who makes it
• Why the realism matters: true first person, real ballistics, no minimap or medkits
• Every game mode in V1.0 — PvE, PvP, Training and the Operations campaign
• The full map list, including the new Outpost and Border
• Platforms, price and whether it's worth $29.99
• Where to find official resources and the 2026–2027 roadmap

Official resources: Steam store page · Official site · Official wiki · IGN game page · V1.0 release notes

What Is Ground Branch?

Ground Branch is a deliberate, high-lethality tactical shooter that simulates close-quarters battle and small-unit tactics. You are part of the CIA's Special Activities Center/Special Operations Group — the paramilitary arm that carries out deniable operations the U.S. military officially cannot. Missions are covert: kill or capture, hostage rescue, intel retrieval, and demolition, with no reinforcements and no medals.

The game was conceived by John Sonedecker, a lead artist on the original Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon titles, and developed by his independent studio BlackFoot Studios. MicroProse has published the game since 2021 and acquired the IP in 2024. After launching on Steam Early Access on August 14, 2018, the game reached V1.0 on July 16, 2026 — a roughly eight-year run that ended with a refactored technical foundation.

Official source: the Ground Branch official FAQ states the game is "a thinking man's first-person tactical shooter in the same vein as the classic Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon titles from the late '90s and early 2000s," based on the CIA's SAC/SOG.

What Makes Ground Branch So Realistic?

Ground Branch's selling point is that it refuses the arcade conveniences of modern shooters:

• True First-Person System — the camera sits at your character's eyes and bullets originate from the weapon's muzzle. What you see is what you get; your foot sticking out of cover is visible (and shootable) by enemies.
• No minimap, no HUD ammo counter, no hit markers. You track ammunition by reloading and checking magazines; you navigate by terrain, your map tablet and your squad.
• No regenerating health and no medkits. One or two hits usually end you. There is no respawn mid-round in most modes. First aid is planned for a future update.
• Height over bore and zeroing matter — put a scope too far forward on the rail and your sight picture shrinks; fight from behind a low wall and your rounds impact where the barrel is, not where your eye is.
• Manual and tactical reloads — you decide whether to dump the partial magazine or keep it; the bolt locks back on empty; bolt-action rifles need a manual cycle.
• Encumbrance — every pouch, plate and spare magazine you carry slows you down and drains stamina.

If you came from Call of Duty, expect to unlearn sprinting into rooms. If you came from the 1998 Rainbow Six era, this is exactly what you've been waiting for. For the full onboarding, read the Ground Branch beginners guide before your first mission.

Game Modes: PvE, PvP and Training

Ground Branch is built around a lobby called the Ready Room — a physical hub (now part of "The Farm" training base) where up to 16 players plan together, inspect loadouts, test weapons at the firing range and pick insertion points. There is no matchmaking; you use the server browser, host a game, or join friends.

PvE / Co-op (solo or up to 8 players)

• Terrorist Hunt — the bread-and-butter mode: clear a map of AI enemies. Fully configurable difficulty, enemy count and time of day.
• Intel Retrieval — locate an objective (a laptop), retrieve it and exfiltrate as a team.
• Defuse — find and defuse all planted bombs before the timer runs out.
• Extraction (new in V1.0) — rescue a hostage held by two captors whose morale drains as combat unfolds; if it hits zero, the hostage is executed. Maps run 10–30 enemies.

PvP (up to 8v8)

• Deathmatch — free-for-all scored by eliminations.
• Team Deathmatch — team-scored eliminations.
• Team Elimination — no respawns; last team standing wins.
• Uplink — attackers locate and hack an intel device while defenders guard it.
• Defuse — attack/defend bomb-style rounds.
• Hostage Rescue — round-based rescue vs. PvP defenders.

Every mode's rules are set per server, and the full details are in the missions & modes guide. Multiplayer specifics — player counts, VOIP, hosting and dedicated servers — are in the Ground Branch multiplayer guide.

Operations: The Campaign

V1.0 reintroduces Operations, Ground Branch's campaign framework, with a Prologue set in Northwest Pakistan (a "Kill or Capture" hotspot on the Afghan border). It contains two voiced-briefing missions — 01. Onyx Flame and 02. Gilded Arrow — playable solo (Lone Wolf) or in online co-op, with persistent progression. Friendly AI teammates are planned for Chapter 1 (V1.1.0), so at launch the Prologue is human-squad only.

This is not a 30-hour story campaign — it is the first chapter of an ongoing one. The 2026–2027 roadmap (official, via Intel Report #032) plans three more campaign chapters (V1.1.0–V1.1.2, each with a new hotspot and 3–4 missions) followed by a major Multiplayer Update (V1.2.0) with new modes, gear and the full Mod Kit. Walk through the Prologue missions step by step in the missions & modes guide.

Maps

Ground Branch's maps are day/night and weather variants of real-style environments. The V1.0 selection includes two brand-new maps, two ground-up remakes and an overhaul:

Doors now have a full interaction system — locked doors, breaching charges and ballistic entry — which is central to CQB play; see the tactics guide for how to use it.

Weapons and Customization

There are no unlocks, microtransactions or loot boxes. Every weapon, optic and attachment is available from the start: roughly 60 firearms across pistols, SMGs, assault rifles, battle rifles, precision rifles, machine guns and shotguns, plus fragmentation, flashbang, smoke and breaching charges. You build your kit in the armory, and every pouch and plate placement affects your encumbrance. The full arsenal and role recommendations are in the weapons guide.

Platforms, Price and Performance

• Platform: Windows only (Steam). No macOS, Linux or console version is announced; the official FAQ says the team "cannot commit to anything beyond Windows PC" for now.
• Price: $29.99 on Steam (launched with a one-week 20% discount).
• Reviews: 84% positive across roughly 24,700 Steam reviews (August 2026) — strong for a niche mil-sim, though launch-window criticism focused on a heavy install size and the fact that 1.0 is a foundation rather than a content dump.
• Tech: Unreal Engine 4, DX11 default with an optional DX12 mode, NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 with frame generation on RTX 40-series. No ray tracing, no HDR. Check the system requirements guide before you buy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ground Branch?

A tactical realism FPS from BlackFoot Studios and MicroProse where you play a CIA SAC/SOG "Ground Branch" operator. It simulates realistic CQB, ballistics and small-unit tactics with no HUD crutches — no minimap, no regenerating health, no hit markers.

When did Ground Branch 1.0 release?

July 16, 2026, after roughly eight years of Steam Early Access (which began August 14, 2018). V1.0 added the Operations campaign Prologue, Extraction mode, an armor system, AI rework, new maps and more.

Is Ground Branch multiplayer?

Yes — up to 16 players (8-player co-op or 8v8 PvP), plus solo Lone Wolf play for every PvE mission. There is no matchmaking; you use the server browser, host a game or join a dedicated server.

How many players does Ground Branch support?

16 per server at V1.0, usually split as 8-player co-op or 8v8 PvP. The Ready Room lobby itself holds up to 16.

Is Ground Branch realistic?

It is one of the most uncompromising realistic shooters on PC: true first-person view, bullets from the muzzle, manual reloads, height over bore, encumbrance, and no regenerating health or medkits.

What platforms is Ground Branch on?

Windows PC only, via Steam. There is no console, macOS or Linux version announced.

Related Guides

• Ground Branch Beginners Guide — Start Your First Session Like an Operator
• Ground Branch How to Play: Controls, Combat Flow & Objectives
• Ground Branch Multiplayer Guide: Co-op, PvP & Dedicated Servers
• Ground Branch Missions & Modes: Operations, PvE and PvP
• Ground Branch Weapons Guide: Every Class, Ranked & Recommended
• Ground Branch System Requirements: Minimum & Recommended PC Specs
• Ground Branch Tactics Guide: CQB Formations, Breaching & Entry

Last updated: August 14, 2026.