Off The Grid Ranked Mode Arrives

Gunzilla Games is closing the year with one of the most significant updates yet for Off The Grid (OTG). Ranked Mode is officially arriving this December, reshaping the way players compete, progress, and trade inside the game’s cyberpunk battlegrounds. If you’ve been waiting for a fair, skill-based matchmaking experience in this Extraction Royale shooter—this is it.

In this article, we break down everything you need to know about the new system, how it stacks against Casual play, and why this shift matters for competitive Web3 gaming. If you’re exploring more titles like OTG, check out our curated list of the best Blockchain games to discover what’s shaping the future of digital ownership.

What Makes Off The Grid Unique?

Before diving into Ranked Mode, it’s worth taking a step back to understand why OTG stands out in the first place.

Off The Grid is a cyberpunk PvP shooter built around:

• High-speed movement

• Jetpack-driven vertical combat

• A modular limb-swapping system

• Player-driven item trading

• Fully swappable, tradable gear

• A cinematic 60-hour story campaign (still in development)

Set on Teardrop Island, players enter a televised battle royale environment where every piece of equipment can be looted and traded on the GUNZ marketplace—or even on OpenSea.

Gunzilla Games, founded in 2020 and backed by filmmakers like District 9’s Neill Blomkamp (now Chief Creative Officer), has secured over $76M in funding to expand both OTG and its blockchain infrastructure.

The game is already available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox with active PvP, and now it's getting the competitive system players have been waiting for.

Ranked Mode Is Finally Coming

The developer team—Executive Producer David Nicholson, Game Director Dmitriy Markov, and Associate Game Director Hunter Wright—recently broke down how Ranked Mode works in a detailed interview.

The update arrives in December and introduces two separate XR (Extraction Royale) experiences:

• Ranked XR – Competitive, structured, skill-based

• Casual XR – Relaxed, progression-friendly, cooperative

The goal is simple: give competitive players a real ladder to climb while making sure newcomers and casual players have a stress-free place to play.

Ranked vs Casual: How the Modes Differ

This update officially splits OTG gameplay into two distinct paths.

Casual Mode

Perfect for new players or those focused on story progression, Casual XR offers:

• Standard loot

• XP for leveling and campaign access

• No entry fees or rank penalties

• A relaxed environment for experimentation

• Easier gear progression

Players who want to focus on PvE elements, explore the world, or build inventory without pressure will feel right at home here.

Ranked Mode

Ranked XR is the serious arena where players get matched by skill and compete for exclusive rewards. Core features include:

• Entry fees paid in rank points

• Performance-based point recovery

• Scaling difficulty as ranks increase

• HEX quality upgrades

• Exclusive cosmetic items and badges

• Higher XP and weapon progression multipliers

Ranked Mode is built for players who want higher stakes—and higher rewards.

Entry Fees, Point Scaling, and HEX Rewards

One of the biggest changes is the introduction of entry fees. Every Ranked match costs a certain amount of rank points. To break even or gain points, players must:

• Get kills

• Extract successfully

• Survive longer than opponents

• Complete key match objectives

The system ensures matches stay competitive and discourages passive play.

Ranked Mode also enhances the quality of HEX loot, the extraction-based reward system at the heart of OTG. While both modes offer the same number of HEX drops, Ranked increases their rarity—especially at higher tiers.

How to Unlock Ranked Mode

Ranked XR won’t be available right away to fresh players. To keep matches fair and skill-driven, Gunzilla added key requirements:

• Complete several Casual matches first

• Reach a specific account level

• Build a custom loadout before joining Ranked

This ensures every Ranked player enters with at least foundational knowledge, combat readiness, and proper gear.

Seasonal Resets and Competitive Integrity

Ranked Mode will run on two-month cycles, giving players a clear timeline to grind for rewards before a soft reset. This reset preserves part of your rank progress, allowing you to climb more efficiently next season.

Other competitive systems include:

• Strict leaver penalties for rage-quitting or early exits

• Skill-based matchmaking

• A developing leaderboard system

A new visual style for leaderboards is also planned in a future update.

These rules ensure that Ranked play remains fair, competitive, and resistant to griefing or abuse.

Community Feedback Will Shape Future Seasons

Gunzilla emphasized that Ranked Mode is still evolving. Everything—from HEX balancing to matchmaking flow—can be adjusted based on player input.

The team wants players to test, experiment, and give honest feedback over the next few seasons. This iterative approach reflects the studio’s long-term plans for OTG and shows their commitment to building a player-driven ecosystem.

Final Thoughts: A Big Step Forward for Off The Grid

Ranked Mode marks a new chapter for Off The Grid, bringing structure, fairness, and high-stakes competition to its Extraction Royale formula. With exclusive rewards, better HEX quality, a stable economy, and blockchain-enabled item ownership, OTG is quickly establishing itself as one of the most innovative shooters in the Web3 space.

Gunzilla hasn’t shared an exact release date, only confirming that the feature arrives sometime in December—so be ready. Whether you're a casual explorer or a competitive grinder, this update gives every type of player a meaningful place in Teardrop Island’s evolving battlefield.

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