Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands

About Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Ubisoft Paris released Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands in March 2017 for PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, and Google Stadia. This tactical shooter drops you into a fictionalized version of Bolivia run by the Santa Blanca cartel. You play as part of an elite US Special Forces unit tasked with dismantling this narco-state from the inside out. The game is not about shooting your way through every encounter. It demands stealth, planning, and coordination to take down high-value targets without triggering a massive military response. The world is open and reactive, forcing you to choose when and how to engage enemies rather than following a strict linear path through missions.

Gameplay

Sessions involve scouting locations with drones or snipers before committing your squad. You can approach objectives stealthily by cutting power grids or using silenced weapons. When things go loud, the environment reacts with dynamic weather and enemy reinforcements that flank your position. The four-player co-op mode lets you assign roles like hacking or heavy support while coordinating attacks on cartel strongholds. Solo play requires managing multiple AI teammates who follow orders but can make mistakes in chaotic firefights. You unlock new gear and vehicles by completing side operations that weaken the cartel's influence across different regions. Each mission offers multiple entry points, so a failed stealth run often means restarting the approach entirely rather than reloading a checkpoint.

What Players Think

Critics gave the game a 71 on OpenCritic with only 41.73 percent recommending it, while IGDB lists a 72.7 rating from 283 scores. Hardcore Gamer called it an open world thrill ride and awarded it 90 points. God is a Geek also gave it 90, praising the co-op as some of the best seen in years. PlayPile data shows players spend an average of 45 hours on main story missions alone. Community moods lean toward frustration with AI pathfinding but remain positive about the sandbox freedom. Review snippets highlight the massive map size as a major plus despite technical hiccups. Completion rates suggest many players focus heavily on side content rather than rushing the narrative to break the cartel alliance.

PlayPile's Take

This title costs around fifty dollars and features over one hundred achievements that track your progress in dismantling the cartel. It works best for groups who enjoy planning heist-style operations together rather than solo twitch shooters. The AI struggles with complex scenarios, which can break immersion during intense firefights. You should buy this if you have a squad willing to communicate constantly and accept that some missions will fail due to buggy scripting. The open world offers genuine freedom but lacks the polish of later Ubisoft releases. Skip it if you prefer tight linear campaigns or need flawless AI behavior to enjoy the experience.

Storyline

Bolivia, a few years from now: this beautiful South American country has become the largest cocaine producer in the world. The influential and vicious Santa Blanca drug cartel has turned the country into a narco-state, leading to lawlessness, fear, injustice, and violence. The cartel is on track to becoming a major underworld power and global threat. An all-out war is not the answer. A surgical, stealthy, lethal approach is the only way to stop the disease at its source. The Ghosts, an elite US Special Forces team, are sent behind enemy lines to wreak havoc, destabilize, and eventually break the alliance between the cartel and the corrupted government. Facing an almighty enemy in a massive and hostile environment, the Ghosts will need to make critical moral choices and engage in tough battles to complete their mission – their grittiest and most dangerous operation to date.