GunZ 2: The Second Duel
GunZ 2: The Second Duel (often shortened to GunZ 2) is a third person action shooter that follows MAIET’s original GunZ: The Duel. Like its predecessor, it aims to set itself apart by pairing gunplay with close-quarters blade fighting, all tied together with flashy acrobatics that keep matches frantic and full of motion.
 | Publisher: Masangsoft, Inc. Playerbase: Medium Type: Shooter Release Date: May 1, 2014 (NA/INTL) Pros: +Distinctive hybrid combat. +Melee feels satisfying and impactful. +Multiple modes keep matches varied. Cons: -Does not fully capture what many players loved about the original. -Matchmaking balance can be uneven. -Peer-to-peer networking can feel inconsistent. |
GunZ 2 Overview
GunZ 2 presents itself as a continuation of GunZ: The Duel, keeping the franchise concept of blending firearms and melee weapons within an arena-focused PvP setup. Moment-to-moment play puts heavy weight on mobility, so engagements usually hinge on rapid gap-closing, cutting sightlines, and capitalizing on errors with quick strings instead of slower, cover-centric shooting.
While the sequel is typically a bit more controlled in tempo than the first game and doesn’t embrace the same high-skill “k-style” reputation, it still offers a notably open movement kit. Wall runs, dashes, and wall jumps remain key tools for duels and team skirmishes, and the maps are designed to reward vertical paths and hard flanks.
From a release standpoint, its road included Steam Greenlight before arriving on Steam with support for both North American and international audiences.
GunZ 2 Screenshots
GunZ 2 Featured Video
GunZ 2 Characters:
Silent Avenger – An assassin-leaning fighter built around precision and burst, using longswords alongside submachine guns and sniper rifles. Begins with Cyclone Kick plus Death Strike in its starting kit.
Shadow Dancer – A fast, evasive assassin type that favors twin swords with twin pistols and submachine guns, giving it flexible close-to-mid range options. Comes equipped initially with Shadow Decoy and Shadow Dance.
Gunslinger – A brawler-style pick that mixes blunt weapons with explosive and automatic fire, including grenade launchers and assault rifles. Starts with the Intuition and Hammerfall skills.
Strider – A fighter who blends reach and quick shots, using whips with revolvers and action rifles to pressure opponents while moving. Starts with the Fast Draw skill.
Shield Trooper – A heavy role focused on durability and disruption, pairing shields with miniguns and flamethrowers to hold space and force fights. Opens with Shield Shock along with Shield Rush.
Rocket Trooper – A heavy attacker centered on big hits and close finishing tools, bringing rocket launchers with shotguns and combat knives. Starts with the Package! skill.
GunZ 2 Review
GunZ 2 is easiest to read as an arena PvP shooter where movement and melee are meant to matter just as much as aim. It often delivers a combat style that feels different from most shooters—especially when players lean into aggressive spacing and counterplay—yet it also has to contend with the expectations that come with sharing a name with a cult classic.
Rounds are frequently decided by how well you control distance changes: pushing in to secure sword damage, disengaging before the retaliation lands, and using walls/elevation to shake tracking before re-entering from an angle. Animation work and hit feedback generally make melee strikes feel substantial, which sells the core idea. Shooting still matters, but many fights revolve around creating the opening for a decisive close-range exchange rather than only winning at range.
The sequel’s biggest sticking point is how it resonates with veterans of the original. GunZ: The Duel became known for emergent, technique-driven play, and GunZ 2—despite being mobile—can feel more guided and less chaotic in how skill expression plays out. That isn’t inherently negative, but it does mean the overlap in audience is imperfect, and players expecting the exact same sensation may fall off fast.
Competitively, matchmaking can be rough when teams aren’t evenly matched, since gaps are magnified in a game where movement and melee timing can snowball. There’s also a practical networking concern: peer-to-peer hosting can produce a smooth match one moment and an unstable one the next, depending on host quality and player locations.
Even with those flaws, it remains appealing for players who want arena PvP that isn’t simply another hitscan-focused shooter. If you like quick engagements, vertical arenas, and a hybrid combat loop that rewards both accuracy and aggression, GunZ 2 still offers something relatively rare.
GunZ 2 Links
Official GunZ 2 Site
GunZ 2 on Steam
GunZ 2 on Wikipedia
GunZ 2 Wiki [Database / Guides]
GunZ 2 Subreddit
GunZ 2 System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Dual Core or 2.4 GHz AMD CPU
Video Card: GeForce 8600 / 9600 GT / ATI Radeon HD 2600/3600
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel Dual Core 2.8 GHz or AMD equivalent
Video Card: GeForce GTX 260
RAM: 4 GB
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB
GunZ 2 Music & Soundtrack
GunZ 2 Additional Information
Developer: MAIET Entertainment
Engine: Realspace v3
Closed Beta Date: January 6, 2013 (Korean Closed Beta)
Foreign Release:
South Korea: 2011 (Beta)
Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau: May, 2011 (Cayenne Entertainment)
Europe: December, 2013 (ProSiebenSat.1 Games. Aeria Games Europe)
International: May 1, 2014 (Steam)
Development History / Background:
GunZ 2 was developed by South Korean studio MAIET Entertainment, the team behind the original GunZ and also recognized for RaiderZ. It runs on the Realspace V3 engine, and it was publicly framed as the next entry in the GunZ line as early as December 2010.
The title saw closed beta activity in South Korea in early 2011, and it later reached a broader audience through an international Steam launch that arrived before a full, traditional Korean server rollout. Over time, it became apparent that GunZ 2 didn’t replicate the same global impact as GunZ: The Duel, even though it kept the franchise’s core mix of acrobatic movement, gunfire, and melee-centric duels.