It's been a minute since we last heard from Rainbow Six Extraction, the PvE Rainbow Six spinoff that used to be called Rainbow Six Quarantine before the name was wisely changed to avoid referencing the ongoing pandemic.
The last time we saw a gameplay trailer, Ubisoft took us on a journey into Extraction's core gameplay mechanics. Teams of three Rainbow Six Siege operators are sent into a contaminated zone with an assigned objective, and have to beat back waves of alien-infected enemies to reach that objective and then extract (hence the name).
Watching Siege operators take on nob-human opponents was certainly a welcome change of pace, especially for those who really don't care for the competitive aspects of Siege. Now in today's gameplay overview trailer, we get to see more of what Extraction is all about.
Extraction will start with 18 of Siege's operators, and each one will retain their unique abilities and play styles from Siege. The only difference is that they'll be wearing biohazard suits and also have unlock paths to upgrade weapons, abilities, and cosmetics.
There are 12 maps for Extraction at launch and they'll all be based in four regions: San Francisco, New Mexico, Alaska, and New York. On average, each map will be three times larger than the average Siege map and will take place in a variety of locations like abandoned casinos, hotels, or research centers.
There are 13 mission types to keep things interesting, running the gamut between shutting down runaway nuclear reactors to luring alien specimens into high-tech traps. If an operator falls midway through a mission, you'll have to re-enter the containment zone to find and extract them before you'll be able to use that operator again. The variables on each map change from game to game, so no two playthroughs will be exactly alike.
The trailer gave us a brief look at all 13 enemy archetypes, but only gave details on one of them. The Protean mimics operators' looks and abilities, so it'll feel like you're fighting against a human opponent rather than an alien one.
Along with new Rainbow Six lore, full cross-play, and ranked competition, Ubisoft plans to keep Extraction fresh post-launch with live events, new operators, and new rewards.
Rainbow Six Extraction arrives January 2022 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia, and PC.