The first game trailer for Sniper Elite 5 has been released, revealing Karl Fairburne’s next mission and a release across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2022. Oh, and it’s going straight into Xbox Game Pass when it does come out.
If this post’s headline had you thinking that Fairburne would happen upon a mythological beast in the next Sniper Elite game, then I have bad news for you: I was actually alluding to the main MacGuffin in the game’s story. As Fairburne heads to France for his next covert mission, he’s trying to discover and then foil Operation Kraken as part of a covert US Rangers operation.
The game is based on real world locations from France in 1944 and will feature the largest maps in the series’ long history, which you can take on solo or in co-op.
There is, of course, all the sniping action that you would expect from the series, with enhanced ballistics and the distinctive X-ray kill cam returning. There will be new customisation options for your rifle, secondary weapon and ammo. Use workbenches to customise and upgrade scopes, stocks, barrels, magazines and more. There’s also both armour-piercing bullets and non-lethal options.
Karl’s abilities as a commando seem to be taken to new heights as well. He can use ziplines, slide down slopes, shimmy along ledges, and so on. The trailer depicts plenty of closer quarters combat, even going up against a tank with a rocket launcher.
Sniper Elite 5’s development was confirmed all the way back in 2019, but Rebellion has taken their time with this particular project. In the meantime, they’ve remastered Sniper Elite V2, brought that game, Sniper Elite 3 and Sniper Elite 4 to the Nintendo Switch, and delivered a compelling spin-off in Sniper Elite VR. They’ve also enhanced Sniper Elite 4 for the new generation of consoles.
Looking back on that last mainline entry in the series, in our original Sniper Elite 4 review, I wrote:
Sniper Elite 4 is easily the best in the series so far. It’s still the same methodical stealth game at its core, but Rebellion have added to that with more possibilities for the player, bigger and more open maps, and a handful of new modes.
Here’s hoping Sniper Elite 5 takes all of that to new heights.
