Ubisoft's New Rainbow Six Game Could Be Brilliant, or Completely Miss the Mark

Gamescom 2026 was packed with new showcases and electric game announcements. Ubisoft became one of the more discussed developers during the show following a new look at their upcoming tactical shooter, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Tactics. The August 25 show highlighted how the French organization was taking a new direction by shifting away from an FPS-style game to a turn-based shooter.

Rainbow Six Tactics Game Announcement

Ubisoft witnessed success with their recent release of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. Players appreciated how the French organization stuck to the original title's roots while developing the remake. A similar theme was visible at Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live, as Ubisoft announced a new single-player, turn-based tactical game set in the Siege universe. While a PC/Console release has been announced, there's no information on a mobile launch for the new Ubisoft game.

Speaking of tactical shooters, do not miss out on our coverage of the best FPS games to play in 2026.

Potential Drawbacks

Here are some reasons why the game could fail to hit the mark in 2027.

Lack of Multiplayer Seems Like a Missed Opportunity

While the new Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Tactics title seems impressive on paper, I feel some big elements are missing from the upcoming title. Multiplayer has been a core element in recent Rainbow Six titles, including Siege and Mobile. The inability to hop on a server with your friends in a co-op or multiplayer setting will take away from the experience. It could also potentially be a deal-breaker for a specific chunk of Rainbow Six fans.

Top-Down Camera View Isn't for Everyone

I feel that a top-down version of Rainbow Six should have already been released by now, given the franchise's history. Old-school tactical-shooter enjoyers, like myself, see this as the right move for the franchise. That said, the top-down camera view might not sit well with modern gamers who are new to the franchise.

Turn-Based Mechanic Might Feel Too Slow

Most modern combat shooters are fast-paced, and it has crept into tactical shooters like Siege and Counter-Strike 2 as well. The new meta expects players to be quicker, faster, and more reactive to combat situations rather than strategising/planning an approach. This may again divide fans into two groups: some have always wanted this setting, and others will find it way too slow.

Personal Note and Conclusion

Overall, I am quite excited about Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Tactics game set to release next year in 2027. It feels like Tactics might be a proper successor to the original R6 released in 1998. Many wanted the IP to return to its roots, where players spend an hour building a tactical plan that would fall apart within a few minutes before going back to the drawing board.

While we had a few notable Door Kickers and Tactical Battle Wizards, nothing felt like the spiritual successor to the '98 release. Overall, Rainbow Six Tactics' top-down, turn-based strategy feels like a great match.

How Did the Community React to the Rainbow Six Tactics Game Announcement?

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Tactics mostly attracted praise from the franchise's fans. Many felt this Ubisoft IP had lost its identity over the years, but is now on the right track to bring ‘lore-accurate’ elements to Rainbow Six. “Holy W, I'm actually so down for this,” wrote one fan.

“YESSSSSSS I never bought a single Rainbow Six game as I don't like the FPS (that's why I buy Ghost Recon TPS) and I love strategic games like XCOM so this is gonna be my military strategic game yessss!!!” wrote another.

A third added, “R6 Lore and tactics - felt like playing Vegas 2 all over again, crushed it with this one”.

If you are more into campaign-based titles rather than online shooters, you might want to check out coverage of the best single-player PC games.