The headline feature of GROUND BRANCH V1.0 (live since July 16, 2026) is Operations — the game’s story campaign, back and rebuilt as the foundation for everything on the post-launch roadmap. V1.0 opens it with a Prologue set in Northwest Pakistan. Here’s what Operations is, how the Prologue works, and how to play it with your squad.
What is Operations mode?
Operations is GROUND BRANCH’s campaign framework. You access it from the main menu to enter the Operations Menu, where you browse hotspots — CIA areas of interest — directly on a world map or via a list. Hover a hotspot and a news feed pops up in the top-right with recent events tied to that area.
Unlike the quick-mission modes you set on a server’s rotation, Operations is story-driven, launched from a new Ready Room built into The Farm (the training map, aka Camp Peary). It’s played lone-wolf or online co-op.
The V1.0 Prologue: Northwest Pakistan
V1.0’s campaign content is the Prologue, set in the new Northwest Pakistan hotspot — a “Kill or Capture” area of interest. It contains two operations, played in succession:
- 01. Onyx Flame — the opening operation.
- 02. Gilded Arrow — unlocks after you complete Onyx Flame. This is where the new Outpost map (a fort on a ridge along the Afghan border) makes its debut.
Both can be played offline solo or online (solo or co-op). The story is set two years before the campaign’s main events, acting as an on-ramp into the Operations loop.
Story, briefings and voice-overs
Story is now a central focus. The hotspot and each mission open with fully voiced briefings, delivered by characters John Hawk and team handler “Forge”, with playback controls at the top of the briefing box to play, pause and rewind the audio. BlackFoot Studios has also built in special scripted events for the new operations — worth staying alert for. The MENA and Western PMC factions received all-new art, with their names and motives set to be revealed across the campaign’s future releases.
Playing solo vs co-op (and friendly AI)
At launch, Operations is lone-wolf and co-op only. A proper friendly-AI system — teammates you can command through missions solo — is planned for Chapter 1 (V1.1.0), so for now the way to run the campaign with a full fireteam is co-op with real players.
What comes after the Prologue
The Prologue is the beginning of the campaign, not the end. BlackFoot Studios’ roadmap adds three chapters after launch, each a new hotspot with its own themed Ready Room:
- V1.1.0 — Chapter 1 (also brings friendly AI to Operations)
- V1.1.1 — Chapter 2
- V1.1.2 — Chapter 3
Each chapter adds a new hotspot with 3–4 missions. For the full plan, see our GROUND BRANCH roadmap.
Play the campaign — and everything else — with your squad
Operations is playable solo or co-op, and co-op is where GROUND BRANCH shines. The most reliable way to play together — for the campaign, co-op Terrorist Hunt, the new Extraction mode and 8v8 PvP — is a dedicated server that stays online 24/7, no host PC required. XGamingServer’s GROUND BRANCH server hosting runs on AMD Ryzen 9 7950X hardware with instant setup, one-click updates and a visual config panel. New to hosting? Start with our guides on game modes & missions and connecting to your server.
Read more
- GROUND BRANCH 1.0: Everything New
- Every GROUND BRANCH Map Explained
- GROUND BRANCH Extraction Mode Guide
Ready to play?
Run your own Ground Branch server with XGamingServer
Spin up an always-on Ground Branch server your friends can join in minutes — no port-forwarding, no tech headaches.
