Sniper Elite 5 Invasion mode invites other players to hunt you down in your own campaign

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Watch for Axis snipers when you're out hunting Nazis – if you opt into PvP, that is

Sniper Elite 5 has a new drop-in PvP mode called Invasion that lets players hunt each other during campaign missions. 

Invasion was first teased when the next Sniper installment was announced last December, but we've only recently gotten a full breakdown of how it works. Developer Rebellion outlined Invasion mode alongside a new trailer showing Ally and Axis snipers moving to outwit each other during a mission.

Invasion has a pretty simple premise. Players who opt into drop-in co-op and PvP can have their campaign invaded by an Axis sniper who'll try to take them out before they can snipe their Nazi target, effectively giving the host another target. Hosts can also call in another friendly sniper for assistance, raising the stakes for the Axis invader who'll now face two targets.

The kicker is that Invasion also activates some special abilities and tools. For example, invading Axis snipers can boost the awareness of Axis soldiers and have them watch for the last known location of the host, making it harder for the host to hide. Allied snipers, meanwhile, will get access to phones that likewise reveal the last known location of the invader, but overusing these phones risks triggering booby traps and alerting other Nazis.

Invasion mode is totally optional, but if you do decide to give it a shot, you'll earn special weapons, items, and skins for successfully hunting other players, and clearing missions with Invasion enabled will net you bonus XP. 

Sniper Elite 5 is scheduled to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, and PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Windows Store) later this year. 

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Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.