Quick Answer
Check maintenance first, then match your queue or warning to its fix. For Gray Zone Warfare server status, check the dated official announcements before treating a queue or Network Error as an outage. If you need to switch servers with your squad, have deployed players end their expedition at base before you start again together.
Gray Zone Warfare: is it down or a connection problem?
Check the dated maintenance announcements first; a queue, Network Error, or warning icon alone does not establish a game-wide outage.
Check the announcement date and scope
Check the game's official Steam news, Discord, website, or X announcements. Match the date, maintenance window, and affected branch to the problem you have now. A past server fix does not mean maintenance is happening today.
Treat report-based status as an estimate
Report-based status services infer problems from report counts and patterns. Their operational labels do not guarantee that you can connect to your particular server. Use them to see whether other players are reporting problems right now, then confirm with the official channels.
Follow the symptom you actually have
A queue while joining a squad mate can mean your faction has reached its capacity on that server. Repeated Network Error disconnections or an unusually long wait at queue position 1 call for connection troubleshooting. Warnings during deployment need a different response depending on whether they concern server FPS, your network, shaders, or VRAM.
Report thresholds also differ. Technobezz marks an hour as degraded at 6 or more reports and as an outage at 20 or more. OutageScope considers report volume, time windows, spikes, and patterns. These are report classifications, not official server availability measurements.
What should you do during maintenance and when login returns?
Finish your deployment before the announced shutdown, then try logging in after maintenance ends.
New joins stop about 30 minutes before the announced downtime starts, so players already in a deployment can finish. Once you see the shutdown notice, you cannot start a new deployment until maintenance ends.
Server-side fixes such as Backend Hotfix 0.5.0.1 need no download. When a client update is out but does not appear in Steam, restart Steam to pull it.
How do you fix Network Error and Steam Authorization Failure?
For repeated Network Error disconnections or an unusually long wait at queue position 1, work through firewall, antivirus, and network settings; for 0X0001000F or Steam Authorization Failure, try the IPv6 step below.
Allow the game programs through Windows Firewall
Open Control Panel, then System and Security, Windows Firewall, and Advanced settings. Select Inbound Rules, New Rule, then Program and Next.
Browse to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Gray Zone Warfare\GZW\Binaries\Win64\GZWClientSteam-Win64-Shipping. Select Open, then Allow the connection. Check Domain, Private, and Public, name the rule GZW, and select Finish.
Repeat for these programs:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Gray Zone Warfare\GZWClientEACC:\Program Files (x86)\EasyAntiCheat_EOS\EasyAntiCheat_EOS.exe
If you use third-party antivirus software, follow its instructions to add exceptions for the same three programs.
Try turning off IPv6
Open Control Panel, Network & Internet, then Network and Sharing Centre. Outside Category view, go straight to Network and Sharing Centre.
Select Change adapter setting, double-click the Ethernet adapter you use, and open Properties. Untick Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), select OK, then Close, and restart your PC.
This is also the targeted troubleshooting step for 0X0001000F and Steam Authorization Failure. Treat it as a troubleshooting attempt rather than a guaranteed repair.
Try a manual DNS configuration
Return to Change adapter setting. Right-click your connection and open Properties. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then Properties, and choose Use the following DNS server addresses.
One listed option is Google DNS:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Preferred DNS server | 8.8.8.8 |
| Alternate DNS server | 8.8.4.4 |
Select OK and restart your computer.
Restart the router and compare connections
Turn off your modem or router, wait 15 minutes, then turn it back on. If you use Wi-Fi, try an Ethernet cable. If another Wi-Fi or wired connection is available, try it and check whether the connection problem persists.
If you still cannot access the servers after these steps, submit a request through the official Help Center support form.
A game crash needs separate troubleshooting from a failed connection. If the game closes or becomes unstable, continue with Gray Zone Warfare crashing fixes.
Why are you stuck in a Gray Zone Warfare queue when joining a squad mate?
Your faction can be full on your squad mate's server, so joining that server puts you in a queue even while your squad mate is playing.
Each server limits the number of players from each faction. You have two joining options.
Wait for a faction slot
Stay in the queue if you want to join that particular server. When another player from your faction leaves, you connect automatically.
Start a new expedition together
Have your squad mate end their expedition at base and return to the main menu. Once you are both in the main menu, start a new expedition together to be matched to a server with free slots for both of you.
End the expedition at base to avoid losing items when regrouping. If you have already died, follow the death and gear recovery steps for that situation.
Capacity is not the only reason joining can fail. Backend Hotfix 0.5.0.1 fixed players failing to connect after waiting in the queue, with no download needed. If you still sit at position 1 for a long time, run through the connection checks above.
What do Gray Zone Warfare server alert icons mean, and how do you recover safely?
Match the warning to its name and symptoms before choosing a fix; a red alert description alone does not identify which server or network problem you have.
Status notifications appear in the top-right corner, directly below the FPS counter.
| Warning | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Low Server FPS | Slow server world and action updates |
| Very Low Server FPS | Severe server FPS problems |
| Packet Loss | High network packet loss |
| High Latency | High ping |
| High Latency Variation | Large ping spikes and drops |
| Shaders Compiling | Graphics driver shader compilation |
| Low VRAM | Insufficient available video memory |
Low Server FPS can affect everyone connected to that server. Changing servers or regions may improve performance. For Very Low Server FPS with unusual performance problems, safely end your deployment, then deploy again on another server or region.
Packet Loss can cause rubberbanding and stuttering. Try deploying to another region. High Latency can cause lag and desync, so changing region may help. High Latency Variation means ping is swinging sharply; try another region with playable latency.
Shaders Compiling needs a different response. Wait in the main menu until compilation finishes before joining a server. Compilation progress appears at the top-left of the main menu. A brief shader notification during gameplay can occur even after the initial compilation has completed.
Low VRAM concerns your graphics card's available memory. Lower graphics settings, especially Display Resolution, Texture Resolution, Shadow Quality, and Shading Quality.
Shaders Compiling and Low VRAM are client or hardware notifications, not server FPS warnings. For instability or crashes associated with Low VRAM, move to the crashing troubleshooting page.
If your next problem is a character physically stuck in the world, continue with the character unstuck steps. Use the warning and connection checks here when the problem is rubberbanding, lag, or joining a server.
FAQ
Network Error by itself does not establish a widespread outage. Check dated maintenance announcements, then troubleshoot your connection if the problem is repeated disconnections or an unusually long wait at queue position 1.
Joining a squad mate can place you in a queue because your faction has no free slots on that server. Wait for a same-faction player to leave, or have your squad mate end their expedition at base so you can start another expedition together.
The color description alone does not tell you which warning is active. Match it to Low Server FPS, Very Low Server FPS, Packet Loss, High Latency, or High Latency Variation before choosing a recovery step.
An operational label from a report-based status service does not guarantee access to your server. Faction capacity and local connection problems can still prevent you from joining.
Try disabling Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) on your Ethernet adapter, then restart your PC. This troubleshooting step also applies to error 0X0001000F.