Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction (originally called Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine) is an online multiplayer tactical shooter video game created by Ubisoft Montreal and released by Ubisoft. It is a follow-up to Rainbow Six Siege (2015) and features a team-based multiplayer format where players work together to fight and defeat alien creatures known as the Archæans. The game was released on January 20, 2022, and is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Google Stadia, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Critics gave the game mixed reviews.

Gameplay

Rainbow Six Extraction is a team-based game that allows up to three players to work together. In the game, players take on the roles of operators who enter a location infected by aliens. Their tasks include collecting samples, retrieving data from computers, and gathering intelligence. Each game session, called an "incursion," consists of three connected areas, and players are randomly assigned one of twelve objectives in each area. The locations of objectives and enemy positions are randomly created each time. After completing an objective, players can choose to leave the area or move to the next one. New areas may be more challenging but offer greater rewards. Leaving early keeps operators safe. If an operator is defeated by an enemy, they become inactive and cannot be used until rescued in a later mission. Operators who are seriously injured in one mission remain hurt and heal slowly.

Many characters from the game Rainbow Six Siege return in Extraction, now part of a group called the Rainbow Exogenous Analysis and Containment Team (REACT) to stop the alien threat. Before starting a mission, players choose one of 18 operators, each with unique weapons and tools. For example, Pulse uses a device that detects enemies through walls, and Alibi can create a fake image to confuse enemies. Choosing the right team is important, as each session requires three different characters. Players can use drones to explore, reinforce doors and windows, and shoot through walls. Success depends on teamwork and communication. A special system lets players share the locations of enemies and supplies with teammates.

The aliens in the game are called "Archæans." In addition to regular enemies, there are special types, such as spikers that fire sharp projectiles and rooters that slow players down. The game environment is covered in a substance called "sprawl," which is a hard, lime-like material. Standing on sprawl slows players and makes enemies stronger. Sprawl can be destroyed by shooting it. Unlike many similar games, Extraction moves more slowly. Players' health does not heal automatically, and supplies like health items, weapons, and ammunition are limited. Players are encouraged to stay hidden. If an enemy hears a player making too much noise, it will shout and call more enemies to the area.

Development

Rainbow Six Extraction was created by Ubisoft Montreal as a new game based on Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, which was released in 2015. According to Jason Schreier, the idea for Extraction began with a project called Pioneer, which was first mentioned in Watch Dogs 2 in 2016. Pioneer was originally planned as a science fiction game about exploration, but in 2019, it was changed to use the game engine AnvilNext 2.0 from Rainbow Six Siege. The game is inspired by a limited-time mode in Siege called Outbreak from 2018, where players fight alien enemies in New Mexico. Ubisoft confirmed that Extraction is an official part of the Rainbow Six series, even though it is not a player-versus-player game. By including characters from Siege in Extraction, the team hoped to attract fans of Siege and help new players try the game.

One of the early challenges during development was combining a type of game called a "horde mode" with Rainbow Six. Unlike many games that focus on shooting enemies, Extraction emphasizes completing objectives and surviving alien encounters. The team believed that characters, who are part of a SWAT team, should not simply shoot large groups of enemies but instead use stealth and surprise tactics. Players might lose teammates temporarily, as this feature was designed to create tension and make players think carefully about moving deeper into dangerous areas.

The game was first announced at E3 2019 as Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine and was planned for release in 2020 on PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. In October 2019, the release was delayed to the years 2020-2021 to give the team more time to develop the game. It was delayed again to 2021-2022 due to challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, Ubisoft changed the name from Quarantine to Parasite as an internal code name, and later to Extraction in June 2021. The release was delayed once more to January 2022. A technical test was held for selected players from November 5–7, 2021. The game was released on January 20, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S, with cross-platform play. Ubisoft lowered the price and gave free co-op passes to players. On January 5, 2022, Ubisoft announced that Extraction would be available on day one for Xbox Game Pass on consoles, cloud, and PC.

An official Ubisoft Support employee stated that development on the game has been stopped completely since around the fourth quarter of 2022.

Reception

Rainbow Six Extraction received mixed or average reviews from critics, according to Metacritic. The game had three million players within its first week of release.

The Washington Post praised the game's extraction mechanic, which adds drama and humor. Situations where one player helps another who has been injured create exciting and tense moments. PC Gamer noted that characters being vulnerable increases tension as players move deeper into enemy areas, but criticized higher difficulty levels for being unfair. IGN disliked how repetitive the game modes were but appreciated the visual design. GameSpot praised the shooting mechanics, the strategic elements from connected areas, and the way players improve over time, but criticized the story, differences between characters, and specific details. Push Square called some of the game's visuals impressive and praised the health system, stealth, and setting, but pointed out weak artificial intelligence, enemy designs, level progression, story, and lack of engaging gameplay.

Many critics said the game lacked new ideas. PCGamesN claimed the game used mechanics and characters from Siege in a way that did not work well, comparing it to a limited-time mode in Siege. GamesRadar+ liked the alien races, multiplayer features, and improvements on Siege's ideas but criticized the game for being repetitive and not having a unique identity. Game Informer praised how weapons were handled, the variety of enemies, and the game's polish but called it less exciting than its predecessor. EGM said Siege's mechanics worked well for cooperative play but called the game "more boring than it has any right to be… more of an obligation than an escape."