A release date has been announced for the upcoming Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts. The title will launch on PC, PS4 and Xbox One on November 22. An announcement trailer gives a dramatic snapshot of what players can expect, showcasing new mechanics and surroundings.

The fifth installment in the Sniper: Ghost Warrior series, Contracts takes the staple of stealth-based sniper gameplay into a futuristic Siberian setting and is built around a new contracts system. Players will be tasked with completing several contracts, eliminating key targets, in order to progress from region to region.

Developer and publisher CI Games have promised organic and reactive missions, encouraging replayability, as well as multiplayer options.

New mechanics are available to players, including the Dynamic Reticle System - allowing for more technical management of ballistics and atmospheric conditions - as well as Scout Drones, an Augmented Reality Mask, and more. While the previous titles were open-world, this title pulls back on this without reverting all the way to Sniper: Art of Victory’s purely linear design - Contracts will place players within a series of separate but expansive locations.

The E3 gameplay reveal showcased Siberian wilderness, and this announcement trailer provides a glimpse of Black Gold, a wide-open harbor which promises diverse methods of approach.

Perhaps this return to a smaller scope is for the best, given CI Games CEO Marek Tymiñski’s statement in 2017, admitting that Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 was “too ambitious” in many respects.

By positioning the game in a AAA category, it took us away from what we could have done great. Instead we spent too much effort trying to catch up with other AAA titles in terms of their production values and features. That was a big mistake.

With these revised ambitions, perhaps this entry can soar to greater heights than its predecessors. Growing in popularity and scope over the years, the Sniper has never managed to escape mixed reviews - its solid sniping mechanics have always been let down by surrounding flaws, such as pervasive performance issues and lackluster AI. TechRaptor has not been overly impressed with the series in the past, giving previous title Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 a very mixed review.

With luck, come November 22, the new mechanics and more focused approach within Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts will give the series its first taste of critical acclaim.

Are you anticipating Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts? If you have played previous titles, do you agree with the criticism they have received? Let us know in the comments below!