48.8 hours played
Written 10 days ago
Rainbow Six Extraction is one of Ubisoft’s boldest swings in recent memory—pulling operators from Rainbow Six Siege and throwing them into a cooperative, PvE alien apocalypse. It’s a gamble that results in some fresh mechanics and exciting tension, but also stumbles with repetition, identity confusion, and an uneven balance between tactics and arcade action.
This isn’t the Rainbow Six of political thrillers and breaching doors. Instead, Extraction asks: “What if a parasitic alien threat hit Earth and only Siege operators could stop it?” Set in a near-future quarantine scenario, the game pits you (and up to two teammates) against a mutated alien force called the Archaeans, spread across contaminated zones in New York, San Francisco, Alaska, and more.
It’s a big thematic departure—and to Ubisoft’s credit, they fully commit to the eerie, sci-fi horror vibe. The game has its own atmosphere, complete with ominous level design, biological corruption, and creeping tension. But it also feels like it’s stretching the Rainbow Six brand a little too far from its roots.
The core gameplay loop involves completing randomly selected objectives—rescuing VIPs, planting trackers, taking down elite enemies, and extracting safely. It’s broken into three sub-zones per mission, each one riskier than the last. You can extract early or push forward for better rewards, creating a constant tension between greed and survival.
Operators from Siege return with their unique gadgets—Pulse’s heartbeat sensor, Doc’s stim pistol, Sledge’s hammer—but their usefulness now depends on teamwork, stealth, and timing. Unlike Siege’s competitive rush, Extraction rewards slow, methodical play—at least initially.
In practice, though, the aliens aren’t quite smart or dynamic enough to maintain that tension. Once players learn the maps and metas, Extraction risks becoming a routine rather than a challenge. What starts as tense and tactical can quickly become repetitive and overly safe—unless you ramp up the difficulty, which swings toward frustrating.
One of Extraction’s most interesting systems is operator injury and MIA mechanics. If a character goes down in a mission and isn’t extracted, they’re temporarily “missing in action” and locked out until rescued in a future run. Injured operators must rest. This forces you to rotate your squad, try new strategies, and play more cautiously. It’s a great idea that adds depth and weight to failure.
Progression includes XP-based leveling, tech unlocks, and operator upgrades, which are well-paced at first but taper off in terms of meaningful rewards. After the early hours, the grind becomes more apparent.
Visually, Extraction borrows much from Siege, which means clean UI, crisp gunplay, and solid performance. The alien environments are organic and otherworldly, but start to blur together after a while. The “sprawl” (the black goo-like growth the aliens create) is a great visual cue and adds environmental pressure, but level diversity is limited compared to other co-op games.
Sound design is effective in creating paranoia—Archaeans growl, walls pulse, and alerts trigger panic. The moment-to-moment atmosphere is immersive, even if the environments repeat too often.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction is a commendable experiment: it turns a PvP shooter into a co-op survival challenge and introduces some smart systems that reward teamwork and restraint. But it’s held back by its lack of long-term variety, shallow narrative, and an alien threat that feels more scripted than smart.
It’s a good time in short bursts, and it really shines when played with friends who value coordination. But for all its high-tech gadgets and creepy threats, Extraction struggles to evolve beyond its novelty.
Recommended For:
-Fans of Rainbow Six Siege looking for a PvE alternative
-Co-op players who enjoy tactical survival missions
-Anyone who liked GTFO, Left 4 Dead, or Deep Rock Galactic, but with a more grounded tone
Not Ideal For:
-Solo players (the AI teammates are serviceable, but not ideal)
-Those looking for long-term PvE replayability without grind fatigue
-Fans hoping for a return to Rainbow Six’s political and realistic roots
Rating: 7/10