Watch 14 minutes of the new Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 'Challenge Mode'

A lengthy new Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 gameplay video showcases its tough new Challenge Mode, a high-difficulty game mode for experienced players that eliminates the HUD, increases enemy perception, and makes drone tags disappear when it's recalled. 

To demonstrate the new mode, CI Games embarked on one of the game's Side Ops, a new kind of large, open-world side mission. And it's clear that a careful approach will have to be taken when playing at this difficulty: Enemies are armored, so head shots are vital (armor piercing rounds will do the job too, but are in relatively short supply) and taking on multiple enemies simultaneously is very risky. The effective use of gadgets and ambush setups takes on an increased priority as well. 

"Challenge Mode is one of my favorite features in Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, because of how much importance it places on the skills of the player rather than relying on the game for help,” lead designer Tomasz Pruski said. “A good example is when using the drone. It will tag the enemies, but once called back, players will need to rely on their memory to remember where the enemies are located inside the outpost. Precisely aimed headshots are also required, since enemies are more heavily armored on their body.” 

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is available for pre-purchase on Steam for $50/£40/€50, and will be out—barring further delays—on April 25.
 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.