Ubisoft has announced Rainbow Six Tactics, a brand-new strategy-focused game.
The debut trailer was shown during Markham, Ont.-born Geoff Keighley’s Gamescom Opening Night Live, and MobileSyrup got to see an extended presentation of the game beforehand. In it, developer Ubisoft Paris confirmed that this is the “very first turn-based tactical game” set in the Rainbow Six universe and it will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC sometime in 2027.
Notably, Ubisoft Paris was quick to confirm that the game is a fully single-player experience, not a “games as a service” (GaaS). To that end, the game will also feature no microtransactions.
This decision was made to focus on the first brand-new story in a single-player Rainbow Six game since the Vegas series. In fact, Tactics actually stars Vegas protagonist Paul Bishop, making it the first time in Rainbow Six franchise history you get to play as Six, the commander of the Rainbow unit.
The narrative follows Paul as he tries to rebuild Rainbow in the wake of a global threat. Ubisoft teased that the story examines “life inside of an elite facing a crisis — a story about the people behind the operators, the pressures they face, and the difficult choices they must make.” Ubisoft Paris says it also worked “in close collaboration” with the Rainbow Six Siege team (which is led by Ubisoft Montreal) to fit Tactics between Years 10 and 11 of the popular multiplayer shooter.
Gameplay-wise, Tactics tasks players with deploying squads of operators on counter-terrorism operations around the globe. In turn-based combat, you’ll have to recon the map and manage operators’ lines of sight and cover. Ubisoft Paris teased that Tactics‘ roster features 15 of the “most iconic operators from Siege,” with characters having been selected for their turn-based tactical gameplay potential as well as favourites of both fans and developers.
Matches will begin with fog of war that can be lifted through drone recon to reveal enemies, traps and supply caches. From there, players will be able to plan and execute synchronized assaults by commanding each operator and their gadgets, with real-time action carrying out accordingly.
Finally, Ubisoft Paris confirmed that Tactics features “dozens” of hand-crafted maps that include city centres, remote farms and warehouses on marinas. Each map has been designed to support multiple mission types, including hostage rescues, bomb defusing and VIP captures. The developer also stressed that no procedural generation was used in the making of these maps outside of randomization of enemy positions, bombs and hostages.
Ubisoft says it will share more on the game in the months to come. In any event, it’s been a particularly big time for Rainbow Six. Besides this new Tactics reveal, Siege celebrated its 10th anniversary in December, with the game as a whole still going strong through big updates like the addition of Metal Gear‘s Solid Snake and global esports tournaments.
Image credit: Ubisoft
