Rainbow Six Tactics Revealed: Building a Turn-Based Tactical Experience - XBOX Wire
Rainbow Six Tactics is an upcoming turn-based tactical single-player game for XBOX Series X|S and XBOX on PC set in the Rainbow Six Universe. Rainbow Six Tactics features the core DNA of Rainbow Six, requiring careful planning, coordinated breaches, and the need to adapt as missions unfold. “Like Siege, Rainbow Six Tactics puts strategic planning and high-stakes decision-making at the center of the experience,” said Benhamou.
Rainbow Six Tactics is an upcoming turn-based tactical single-player game for XBOX Series X|S and XBOX on PC set in the Rainbow Six Universe. In the game – which was revealed during gamescom Opening Night Live – you’ll take up the mantle of Six, the commander of the Rainbow unit. You’ll lead your squad made up of up to four Operators on high-stakes assignments around the world, taking charge from HQ preparations to tactical execution in the field.
Rainbow Six Tactics features the core DNA of Rainbow Six, requiring careful planning, coordinated breaches, and the need to adapt as missions unfold. You’ll select the missions you want to take on, prepare the right combination of Operators on your squad, and achieve your goals through turn-based gameplay.
“Rainbow Six games all share a common tactical core: intel, planning, high-stakes decision-making, and elite Operators with distinct roles,” says Creative Director Elie Benhamou. “So, transitioning from FPS to turn-based gameplay was smooth and natural for us, as we could keep all these elements while shifting the players’ perspective and pace of actions.
“In other words, we realized that the core DNA of Rainbow Six could be a perfect fit for a tactical turn-based experience, and then we worked hard to make sure Rainbow Six Tactics would really have the look and feel of an authentic Rainbow Six game.”
Between missions, you can train your Operators, review gathered intelligence and strengthen your team’s overall capabilities before the next mission. You’ll have a roster of 15 Operators to choose from when planning your missions, and each one will bring unique abilities, specialized gadgets, and distinct skill trees, ensuring no two missions play out quite the same way. Rainbow Six Tactics’ campaign has dozens of possible missions set in diverse locations around the world, and each one brings its own set of challenges, such as hostage rescue, bomb disposal, and target elimination.
Rainbow Six Siege is known for its destructible environment, and Rainbow Six Tactics will carry on that tradition, allowing players to break through walls to create new lines of sight, destroy enemy cover, and create new points of entry as needed. It also has a feature called The Breach, which is a synchronized assault that breaks the turn-based rhythm of combat and enables all active Operators to move at once as they storm a new area, combining their unique abilities with environmental destruction in a moment of tactical coordination that is pure Rainbow Six.
“Like Siege, Rainbow Six Tactics puts strategic planning and high-stakes decision-making at the center of the experience,” said Benhamou. “But one of the most visible connections of course revolves around our playable characters. The 15 Operators you can recruit in the game all come from Siege: Ash, Sledge, Nokk, Montagne… They all feature their signature gear and abilities in Rainbow Six Tactics, which means players can combine their strengths to create similar – and very satisfying – squad synergies. Overall, we really wanted to translate the tension and depth of Siege‘s gameplay into another style of gameplay while staying true to what makes the franchise unique.”
Rainbow Six Tactics is a new tactical chapter for the franchise, blending strategic depth, high global stakes, and turn-based gameplay that demands the planning, precision, and teamwork that define Rainbow Six. Wishlist the game today on the XBOX Store so you don’t miss a moment when the game releases on XBOX Series X|S and XBOX on PC.