Set in France in 1944, Sniper Elite 5 follows marksman Karl Fairburne as a covert operation brings him into contact with the French Resistance. Their discovery of Operation Kraken, a Nazi project threatening the Allied invasion, gives the campaign a clear espionage-and-sabotage premise. Its real-world-inspired locations are built for varied approaches, with multiple infiltration and extraction points and mission targets that offer different perspectives on an objective.
Combat centers on deliberate marksmanship rather than simply lining up a shot: rifle stock and barrel choices, gravity, wind and heart rate all factor into aiming. Ziplines, slopes and ledges expand routes to a vantage point or a way past a lookout, while workbenches let players adjust weapons and select ammunition for a target. The returning X-ray kill cam makes the impact of successful shots a prominent part of the game’s identity.
The campaign supports solo play or cooperation with a partner, including shared supplies, orders and healing. Invasion mode lets an Axis sniper enter another player’s campaign, while adversarial multiplayer offers competitive battles and Survival pairs players against enemy waves.
