Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts

A screenshot showing the game at dawn.

Unlike its predecessor Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts uses mission-based gameplay, instead of focusing on open world format.[2] The game offers five sizable maps, allowing players to complete a total of twenty-five missions with open-ended contracts.[3]

The game features a skill tree, redesigned from Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, that contains four tiers, which can be unlocked tier-by-tier by spending money.[4] It features new "contract tokens", that come from main objectives, "challenge tokens" that can be acquired by accomplishing extra challenges, and "intel tokens" are collectables or bounties, with all of them are a must in getting access to higher tier skills and great damage weapons and loadouts.[5]

Siberia has claimed its independence after a war with Russia and Mongolia.[6] Nergui Kurchatov, Siberia's Prime Minister, is sceptical of the people's hope for a fair distribution of wealth, and soon becomes an autocratic ruler. In the face of corruption and abuse of power of the new government, an armed opposition is established, called the Siberian Wolves. A sniper is sent on a series of dangerous missions by a mysterious sponsor. After terminating several major targets, Kurchatov is the final one on the list.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is developed by CI Games, which is the developer of the Sniper: Ghost Warrior series.[2] It focuses on several smaller sandboxes instead of an open world map,[7] after the CEO of CI Games Marek Tymiński admitted "big mistake" in chasing AAA with Sniper Ghost Warrior 3.[8] The game was announced in August 2018, and received its first gameplay during E3 2019.[9]

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts uses the CryEngine video game engine by Crytek, which is the same engine of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 and Sniper Ghost Warrior 3.[10]

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 22 November 2019,[11] when the game was only single-player mode available.[12] A multiplayer mode was later added into the game in March 2020.[13]

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[14][15][16]

David Jagneaux of IGN rated it 7.3.[20][21][22][23] He enjoyed the game's intense atmosphere, but felt the size of the maps is a bit like a hindrance. He also likes the number of gadgets for the player to use.[18]

Daniel Weissenberger of Game Critics compared the game with its predecessors, writing "[Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts] gets so much right that it almost pains me to bring up its greatest flaw…" The flaw turns out to be that the use of gadgets, like the mask and drone, is limited.[24]

Eurogamer Italia gave a score of 7, commenting the game is good for players who are looking for sniping games, but there are better products available on the market.[25]

Ron Burke of Gaming Trend rates the game an 85 out of 100. He praises the fine balance between action arcade and sniper simulation, but criticises the story and bugs.[26]

GamerSky recommends the game, writing "For the first time, this franchise shows some impressive sniper experience." However, the forgettable story and a quantity number of bugs also minus the score.[27]

• Official website