Latest GROUND BRANCH update and what comes next
As of October 31, 2026, the live build is still version 1.0, last patched by Build Update #068 (V1.0 Hotfix 3) on August 25. That hotfix rebalanced the AI difficulty presets, reworked weapon sway, recovery and exhaustion so they work together, optimized the Outpost map and trimmed shadow and LOD costs for better performance.
The next major update is V1.1.0, which BlackFoot Studios says releases November 12, 2026. It brings Chapter 1 of the Operations campaign: a new Persian Gulf hotspot with three missions on the Tanker, Rig and Docks maps, the first campaign-specific Ready Rooms, AI updates for idle animations, hostages and high-value targets, shoulder-tapping, new weapons, attachments and face paint. The studio also confirmed that the game will move to Unreal Engine 5 later, but V1.1.0 still ships on Unreal Engine 4. Like every planned update, it is free for owners.
The rest of this report explains what version 1.0 changed, because that is still the foundation V1.1.0 builds on.
What GROUND BRANCH 1.0 changed
GROUND BRANCH reached version 1.0 on July 16 with the Operations prologue, Extraction mode, a substantial enemy-AI rework, armor and door systems, revised locomotion and weapon handling, new and rebuilt maps, additional equipment, and a refactored technical foundation.
That breadth produces a capped 100 Patch Impact score and a 94 Reinstall Signal. This is not merely the Early Access build with a campaign label attached; the tactical rules, mission selection, and moment-to-moment handling all changed.
Operations gives missions a campaign frame
The Northwest Pakistan hotspot contains two voiced operations, Onyx Flame and Gilded Arrow, played in sequence. They provide the prologue rather than a full campaign, so 1.0 establishes a beginning and a delivery structure more than a finished long-form story.
Extraction is a new solo and co-op hostage-rescue mode. Captors react to combat, the hostage can follow or move to commanded positions, and teams can hand control between players. It is available on five maps at launch.
Campaign-minded players and co-op groups gain the clearest reasons to return. Solo players benefit too, but one major promised aid was missing at launch: the 1.0 notes moved friendly AI to version 1.1 and Chapter 1. The V1.1.0 previews published so far focus on missions, AI behavior and animation, so check the November 12 notes before counting on AI teammates.
Protection, movement, and enemies all need relearning
Hard armor now depends on individual plates with limited coverage and added weight. Soft armor protects broader areas against pistol rounds. Hit reactions can disturb aim, locked doors can be breached, and door replication has been revised for online play.
Enemy AI now sees farther, reacts more consistently, uses morale and suppression, and behaves differently around guard points and retreat decisions. Movement and weapon handling use a new animation set and retuned speeds. Returning players cannot safely assume old timing, exposure, or loadout tradeoffs remain correct.
That produces a Returning Player Tax of C. Start at The Farm, rebuild a familiar kit with explicit armor choices, and run a known map before attempting the Operations prologue.
The map package includes Border and Outpost, full remakes of Airbase and Hospital, an overhaul of Creek, and smaller revisions elsewhere. New weapons and equipment widen kit choices, while crash, VOIP, spawn, round-start, and visual-effect fixes support the launch foundation.
Known problems matter. The Extraction hostage can slow down or struggle with pathing, animation issues remain, rare wall-visibility edge cases are acknowledged, and an unusual friend-join sequence can produce an invalid player count. Friendly AI’s delay is the largest gap for solo tactical players.
The best first hour back
Use the training space to verify movement speed, aiming sway, armor weight, and door interaction before joining a live team. Then run a familiar quick mission to separate map-memory mistakes from new AI behavior. Extraction should come after that refresher because hostage commands add another failure condition. This sequence favors returning players who want to learn deliberately and protects co-op groups from discovering basic control changes in the middle of an operation.
Compared with the last Early Access build, 1.0 is a genuine return point because it combines content with systemic and technical change. Players waiting specifically for a mature friendly-AI campaign may reasonably wait for the V1.1.0 notes on November 12; nearly everyone else has a strong reason to reassess the game now, and the three hotfixes since launch have already addressed sway and performance complaints.
