Rainbow Six Tactics Is the Series' First Single-player Game in Almost 20 Years
Overview & Key Takeaways
Rainbow Six Tactics is an upcoming turn-based tactics game that's set for a 2027 release date.
The next Rainbow Six game will be something new for the series. During Gamescom's Opening Night Live, Ubisoft announced Rainbow Six Tactics, an XCOM-like turn-based tactics game. The trailer shows isometric gameplay as the player coordinates a squad of military operators in missions set across the world.
At one point, we see an intel map where the player can pick different missions, implying there will be a high-level threat management layer to the game similar to Firaxis' XCOM: Enemy Unknown and its sequel. Rainbow Six Tactics has 15 different classes to choose from, each with their own gadgets, weapons, and more. At one point, a sniper fires a bullet that goes through two enemies in one shot. At another, a unit decked out in tactical gear and a riot shield absorbs bullets, implying they may be the game's tank equivalent. Later, a different operator deploys a tiny robot to deliver an explosive. Rainbow Six Tactics will take place in the existing Rainbow Six universe, meaning you can expect plenty of espionage (and most likely some vaguely jingoistic politics). The game is set for release in 2027 for PS5, Xbox One Series X/S, and Windows PC.
For more than a decade now, Rainbow Six Siege has been the face of this series, a rare game that managed to become a live-service breakthrough by attracting more than 70 million players. It's a multiplayer first-person shooter where players try to storm or defend a building.
Traditionally, the Rainbow Six games were single-player first-person shooters with a heavy emphasis on tactics and were seen as a more "hardcore" alternative to early Call of Duty games. The last single-player game in the franchise was 2008's Rainbow Six Vegas 2, which was praised for its tense atmosphere and strong gunplay. While Rainbow Six Tactics will be a significant genre shift from its predecessors, the move makes sense considering the longstanding strategic undercurrents of the series. Between this and the upcoming Star Wars Zero Company, tactics fans have a lot to look forward to.
