GROUND BRANCH has a wide spread of game modes across PvE co-op and PvP — and V1.0 (July 16, 2026) added the Extraction mode and brought back the Operations campaign. Here’s every GROUND BRANCH game mode explained, and how to set them on your own dedicated server.
PvE modes (co-op vs AI)
| Mode | Players | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Terrorist Hunt | Solo / up to 8 co-op | Hunt down AI at a chosen difficulty, time of day and target count. The bread-and-butter co-op mode. |
| Intel Retrieval | Co-op | Locate and retrieve an objective, then exfiltrate to the extraction point as a team. |
| Extraction (new in V1.0) | Solo / co-op | Rescue a hostage guarded by two captors whose morale drains under combat — hit zero and the hostage is executed. 10–30 enemies per map. |
See our full Extraction mode guide for the rescue mechanics.
PvP modes (player vs player)
| Mode | Format | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Uplink | Attack / Defend | Defenders guard an intel device; attackers locate and hack it to win. |
| Defuse | Attack / Defend | Attack and defend a target objective in a bomb-style round. |
| Team Elimination | 8v8 | Last team standing wins — no respawns. |
| Deathmatch | Free-for-all | Combat scored by eliminations. |
Operations (the story campaign)
V1.0 also brought back Operations, GROUND BRANCH’s story campaign, launched from the main menu (not your server rotation). It opens with the Northwest Pakistan Prologue — missions Onyx Flame and Gilded Arrow — playable lone-wolf or online co-op. Full breakdown in our Operations campaign guide.
On the roadmap
Raid, Defense and Hostage Rescue (PvE and PvP versions) are planned for post-launch releases — see the GROUND BRANCH roadmap.
How to set a game mode on your server
On GROUND BRANCH, the game mode is determined by the mission you assign to a map in MapList.ini. For example, a co-op Intel Retrieval round on SmallTown:
MapList=/Game/GroundBranch/Maps/SmallTown/SmallTown?Mission=/Game/GroundBranch/Mission/SmallTown/IntelRetrieval?opforcount=30?difficulty=2Available missions include TerroristHunt, IntelRetrieval, Extraction, Uplink, Defuse, Deathmatch and TeamElimination (availability varies per map). Full walkthrough in our game modes docs, or set it with a click on managed hosting.
Play every mode with your squad
Running the full rotation — co-op Terrorist Hunt and Extraction, plus 8v8 PvP — is best on an always-online dedicated server. XGamingServer’s GROUND BRANCH hosting runs on AMD Ryzen 9 7950X hardware with instant setup, a visual config panel and one-click updates.
Read more
- GROUND BRANCH Server Settings Guide
- GROUND BRANCH AI & Difficulty Guide
- GROUND BRANCH 1.0: Everything New
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