Pioner screenshot

Pioner: Free content update brings new raid, PvP map, and story missions to post-apocalyptic MMO shooter

Post-apocalyptic shooters have a habit of either flaming out early or coasting quietly into obscurity, but PIONER seems determined to do neither. GFA Games’ bleak MMO shooter is barely out of Steam Early Access, and, while it’s fair to say it’s not been the smoothest of rides so far, at least we now have a roadmap and a patch of incoming content to pore over.

PIONER has dropped its first major update, alongside a promo discount, and it brings tons to the previous wasteland. New story missions, a full-fat multiplayer raid, extra PvP real estate, and a grab bag of new threats all arrive in one sizeable download.

The update is now available for free to all PIONER players, and there is also a 20% discount for a limited time. The promotion runs until February 16, 2026.

The update includes:

  • New Raid: Crab Island – A multiplayer activity that puts players face to face with disgraced pirates, mutant crabs, and several new bosses.
  • New PvP Map: Dawn, available for the 6v6 “Brawl” mode
  • New World event “Power of Earth” and secret World event “A Gift from Heaven” both giving players a chance to obtain valuable rewards, including M60, M60 Hybrid, and P90 weapons.
  • Added special recipes for resource downgrading, available from certain traders.
  • Significant amount of bug fixes and quality of life improvements across the board

Pioner’s journey so far

Meanwhile, the devs have released some interesting stats on how Pioner has fared in the wild so far, which we have broken down for ease into the table below.

StatisticValue
Total Hours Played2,326,972
Raids Completed69,123
Players on Tartarus83,412
Hexes Collected371,543,219
Hexes Spent on Slots107,913,655
Enemies Killed26,471,368
Artifacts Found107,466
Weapons Found1,185,634
Quests Completed973,121
Materials Gathered4,313,412
PvP Kills94,137
World Bosses Killed3,724
Beer Consumed399,216

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Paul McNally
Managing Editor
Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine, PlayStation Pro, Amiga Action, Mega Action, ST Action, GQ, Loaded, and the The Mirror. He has also hosted panels at retro-gaming conventions and can regularly be found guesting on gaming podcasts and Twitch shows. Believing that the reader deserves actually to enjoy what they are reading is a big part of Paul’s ethos when it comes to gaming journalism, elevating the sites he works on above the norm. Reach out on X.