I have been a fan of the Sniper Elite series since I played the very first installment on the PlayStation 2. It was a muddy, ugly game at times, but the actual sniping and stealth mechanics were pretty cool, and unlike anything else I had really played at the time.
Sniper Elite 2 seemed to be designed around a more focused, almost corridor-style approach to open-world maps, but for the most part it was still pretty fun. I skipped the third game outright, as it didn’t seem like they were returning to the design of the more sandboxy first installment, although I have often thought about finally giving it a shot. (See what I did there?)
When Sniper Elite 4 released on PS4 and Xbox One in 2017, I could feel my trigger finger getting itchy, so I just had to fire that one off. I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised with the game as a whole, plugging a number of hours into each level and trying to get that perfect run. It reminded me of the halcyon days of Hitman 2 (2002), and it felt like Karl Fairburne was back in peak Nazi-killing form.
So when I heard there would indeed be a Sniper Elite 5, I found myself once again looking forward to going behind enemy lines and spraying pink mist all over Europe. And thankfully, Rebellion has a release date for the game, and it’s only about a month and a half away. That’s right, Sniper Elite 5 will be locking and loading on May 26, 2022, for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and PS5. It will also be on Xbox Game Pass.
I for one can’t wait to see what Rebellion has in store for Karl this time around, and specifically what theater of World War II we will be slo-mo skull-blasting our ways through this time around.
You can pre-order your copy directly from the Sniper Elite website for a bevy of pre-order crap (including, somewhat frustratingly, extra missions), if you should so please. Or, of course, you can purchase a copy directly from the appropriate digital storefront of you choice.
Since you’re already here, why not check out the release date announcement trailer below to get the game juices pumping for some brain-sluice a-dumping?
