Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint – Is it good or Bad?

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Updated:
13 Aug 2025

Imagine you are in a humid, dense forest, sunlight can’t reach the ground. You’re hurt, but you don’t have time to analyze your injuries. A pack of Wolves is hunting you through the woods, they are highly trained soldiers designated to neutralize you at any cost.

You continue to run, the only thing between you and the enemy is the environment. You managed to hide and now it’s time to patch yourself up. You put bandages on your wounds and use a syringe to heal yourself.

Enemies are closer now, but you’ve got the element of surprise. First, they’ll have to find you. You lay on the ground and cover yourself with mud and standstill so no one can see you. On the radio, a friendly voice breaks the silence. He has eyes on the Wolves.

In a coordinated call, you and your friend act at the same time. You jump out of the mud, stealthily grabbing your opponent from behind, using your knife to stab him in a fatal spot, whilst your friend neutralizes the second Wolf with a precision rifle, hitting the enemy in the head. A conflict begins.

That was the first Ghost Recon Breakpoint gameplay trailer we saw. And now, I am going to review this game with the eyes of the person I was when I first saw the trailer.

Image
Body Image

Operator hiding, covered in mud, whilst a patrol searches the area

About Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint

Ghost Recon Breakpoint is an Open World third-person tactical shooter that puts players into the shoes of an elite soldier, who is part of a Special Operations Unit called “Ghosts”.

The Game was released worldwide on the 4th of October, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4 and Xbox One. It was developed by Ubisoft Paris and published by Ubisoft.

When it first launched, fans of the franchise did not approve the direction the developers were going and did not react positively about the changes in gameplay mechanics, as it was different from its predecessor.

Even though 2019 was a bad year for the gaming industry in terms of game releases, Breakpoint managed to be nominated the worst game of that year. Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemont confirmed on Twitter that Ghost Recon Breakpoint had underperformed - “Critical reception and sales during the game first weeks were very disappointing”. But don’t worry, it still has sold millions of copies. And today it’s a very different game, trust me.

The Story in Breakpoint

Image
Body Image

Ghosts watching over Auroa. Here we can see (from right to left) Fixit, Vasily, Nomad and Fury.

You’re taken to a fictional Island, Auroa. A technology company is trying to build the perfect World, but something is not right, as the Island’s communication with the outside world has gone silent. You play as Nomad, the squad leader of the Ghosts. Now you have to investigate why everything is out of control and who is responsible for this.

The game’s narrative follows a similar take to Ghost Recon Wildlands, the previous game in the series, where you need to find “clues” in order to get access to missions and eventually neutralize high-level NPC’s, who command the enemy forces.

Do you know Jon Bernthal? Maybe you’ve seen him in The Walking Dead or The Punisher. In Breakpoint, he is Cole D. Walker. And he is your enemy. Well, at least for the first missions in the game, but after you complete some of the Main Quests, you can go and kill him. This is very disappointing and a waste of talent, he could easily have been the “Big Brain” for the entire narrative, not just for the first episode of the campaign.

Anyway, once you kill him, you kind of lose interest in the story, as the other NPCs aren’t as remarkable as Walker. You come across some bad villains, but they are no Vaas Montenegro (wrong franchise, I know, I know).

How Do You (wanna) play it?

Image
Body Image

Customization screen. In this menu you can change your weapon, outfit, class, consumables and see your stats

When you start the game, while you’re in a helicopter going towards the Island, you’re taken to a real-time customization screen. You can choose the gender, predefined faces, hairstyle and color, eyes and facial details. Your choices are not permanent; any characteristics can be changed at any time in the game, plus some other things like tattoos and facial paint.

Something I forgot to tell you: before you start, you have to choose how you want to play the game. There are two different ways. You can play it in the original way, which is not original to the franchise, in my opinion. Or you can play it the immersive way, which is my favorite if it matters.

The “original” choice is to play with a loot system. All your weapons and equipment will have levels of rarity, which will change their stats according to the level. If you are familiar with RPGs you know what it's about. White is common, green is uncommon, blue is rare, purple is epic, and yellow is legen – wait for it – dary. Actually, yellow is “signature”, but everyone calls it legendary.

The immersive one is more of a realistic approach. If you find two of the same gun, they will have the same stats. But you can improve them using materials, increasing their damage, reload speed, range, and handling. Weapon attachments are the same for both experiences. You change scopes, barrels, clip size, underbarrel attachments, laser sights, stock, and the trigger behavior: full auto and single, or full auto and burst.

You can also customize your own game style however you want. You can play it immersive but with an RPG loot system. You can play It with loot tiers but more realistic. The HUD is totally customizable. You can have your screen covered in messages, alerts, WhatsApp notifications, weapon info, loot info, weather forecast, reminders, etc. I exaggerated a little, but seriously you can turn everything on or off, it’s up to you.

And you have classes in the game as well. There are 7 in total: Assault, Field Medic, Panther, Sharpshooter, Echelon, Engineer and Pathfinder. Each one of them has exclusive equipment and a special ability.

Assault has the “True Grit” technique, which reduces the recoil and applies damage resistance. The class item is a gas grenade. Field Medic is kind of self-explanatory, right? Its technique is a healing drone that can heal and revive friendly teammates. Its item is a hand-deployable device that heals injuries and gives extra health. Panther is a stealthy class, its special ability is to disappear behind a smokescreen. Just like a ninja. The class also has a cloaking spray that will make you undetectable by drones and enemy players for a short period. Sharpshooter is the marksman class. It allows you to use a high-penetration bullet that deals more damage and increases the muzzle velocity. Plus a sensor launcher that marks enemies in a large area.

The last 3 classes were added recently. They were part of a content update that introduced episode 2. Splinter cell stuff. The first class is the Echelon. It has a sonar vision that will help you see enemies behind walls and mark them. Pretty overpowered, don’t you think? But this is not available in multiplayer, so that’s alright. The Echelon has a shock pistol. It Can kill unwary enemies and disable machines. In PvP, it drains enemy stamina. The second class added is the Engineer. It Can deploy a defense drone that will attack nearby opponents. It has a supply drone, and when you interact with it, you’ll get a magazine with high-end ammo. The last of the classes is the Pathfinder. One of the most powerful classes. It can hack a high-altitude drone with high firepower. It’s like you have an Ac-130 giving you aerial support.

Are you a lone wolf? - I'm not talking about relationship stuff here – Do you like to be a one-man-army? Or do you prefer to have companions following you? Whatever the answer is, you can play it the way you like. If 3 AI teammates are too crowded for you, you can disable them one by one. You can bring only 2 or only 1 to accompany you. They are kind of dumb, but they can help in difficult situations. And they can revive you if you’re down.

Something I'm always disappointed about is the night in games. The night is always too bright. The moon is more like a blue sun – a soon, if you will, or a mun – But not anymore, as you can select the “Darkest Night”. The sky will still be lit by a shining blue light, but all you have to do is not look at it. You’ll need to use your night vision goggles to see your enemies.

Stealthy Combat or Rambo Style

It’s nice when you clear a base with your silenced weapons and the enemies had no idea what killed them. But don’t you like it when you just enter enemy territory with everything you’ve got? I mean, isn’t the sound and the muzzle flash of a gun more exciting when you have no silencer attached?

Both ways are possible in Ghost Recon Breakpoint. In the stealthy way, it needs to be more elaborated and it will take more time because you will probably need to hide the corpses or try to find all the snipers first as they can spot you from long distances and are always on top of towers or buildings. Yes, They are campers.

In Rambo style, everything is faster, which means that the fun will end faster as well. There are no reinforcements that come to help enemy troops as it had in Wildlands. What can happen is a car that is passing by comes and starts shooting at you. But only because they were already in the area, and not because they heard an S.O.S on the radio.

Ubisoft developers can design incredible compounds and bases. That’s something they are very good at. Some bases are giant, filled with soldiers and drones of different types. There are also Juggernauts, who need to be taken down by headshots, and first, you need to take their helmet off, or you can shoot them a lot. Like a lot, seriously.

Scattered through the map, there are Behemoth's areas. In these areas, you will find big tank-like drones that patrol that area. Destroying them will grant you material resources and weapon caches. You can go and open the boxes without eliminating the drone, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. The behemoth will launch missiles at you and shred you with its miniguns.

The soldiers have two states: Unaware and distracted or aware and bullet sponge. If an enemy hasn’t seen you yet, one shot to the chest is enough to take them down. But once they detect you, they can get shot multiple times before dying. I’m not a ballistic expert, so I can’t argue with that, but I'm not sure a person becomes bullet-resistant when they see their aggressor.

Takedowns are fun. There is a big variety of them. And they change according to the knife you’re equipped with. You can even be laying on the ground, this will activate one of the takedowns. An awesome one. With a kick and everything. Don’t try to knife a Jugger though, they can’t be killed by a knife.

There is a PvP mode, Ghost War. A 4 v 4 game mode. There is no equipment level, so even a low-level character can just join the battle and have no disadvantage against veteran players. Unless you suck at it as I do, then you’re in big trouble.

Main Quests and Side Quests

Right after you arrive at the island, which was not a smooth landing, you start to complete the game’s main missions. There is an investigation board you use to keep track of the clues you find along with the story. The first episode of the campaign is short. Fifteen missions in total, act three having three different routes you go, with 6 missions each.

They added more episodes, including one with Sam Fisher, from Splinter Cell, and a third episode, where Russians come to the Island. You need a Season Pass to play most of them, but you won’t be missing much if you don’t buy one. As I said, you lose interest in the story after killing Walker.

The game offers plenty of side missions. That will easily fill hundreds of hours of gameplay. Besides them, there are faction quests. The problem is the repetitiveness of these quests. They start to become boring when you realize there isn't a good variety of them.

The replayability relies on the bases and ways you can neutralize these bases. The map is huge, with various biomes. The environment changes in each region of the map. There are icy mountains, dense forests, tropical beaches, tropical forests, cities, towns, villages, cold war sites, and even an old Spanish Fort. Some places have a more futuristic look, like drone assembly sites and futuristic airstrips. They do look cool.

If you don’t pay to play the DLCs, you don’t need to be sad. They always add new live events. Would you like to kill the Exterminator? Would you like to join the Rainbow Six forces? These are two big events they brought to the game. They also added a new part of the map where you can complete a Raid. You need friends to do so.

Conquest mode

A new way of playing Ghost Recon Breakpoint

The last update added a new game mode: Conquest. This is what fans have been asking for a long time. It brings back territories. Each territory has a commandant that you will have to eliminate. But to find out where this commandant is, you need to complete missions in the region.

That’s just the surface of the new content. More guns, equipment, features, quality of life, and gameplay mechanics were added. A new gun mastery functionality was implemented, allowing you to use skill points to improve the weapon’s statistics, like aim stability and movement speed. We also see the return of Karen Bowman, the CIA officer who was one of the main characters in Ghost Recon Wildlands.

Is Ghost Recon Breakpoint beautiful?

Let me put it this way: on my older computer, I had to make sacrifices to be able to play Breakpoint with at least 60 fps. The game looks fantastic. But the graphics make the game a bit heavy. Plus, Ubisoft has a history of making poorly optimized games. They are not unplayable. But they do put stress on your PC.  Don’t pay too much attention to the NPCs you encounter throughout the story, because they don’t look good. They are not as detailed as your character.

Maybe I'm crazy, but gun models don’t look as good as they looked in Wildlands. They sound better though. Clothes and tactical equipment detail have improved since the last game, but there are fewer options now.

The terrain is an important aspect of Breakpoint. It looks incredible. And also, depending on the type of surface, you can use it to hide. Predator movie style. You can cover yourself with mud, snow, or sand. And they deform around you as you do it.

Forests are very detailed. The foliage in the maximum quality covers the ground with beautiful flowers. Trees have moss and leaves spreading through their trunks. Wooden houses have cracks and nails. Volumetric fog can be dense and affect the passage of light. Different times of day have different looks. As well as the weather. When it rains, the sight and feeling change. If you’re in a cold area, it can start to snow.

A Ubisoft Game

If it’s not buggy, then it is not a Ubisoft Game. When it launched, Breakpoint was full of issues. But it wasn’t the end. Ubisoft heard the community and made every change they were asked for. They are constantly updating the game with content and fixes. They made mistakes in the beginning. They recognized it and acted on it.

If you played Ghost Recon Breakpoint 2 years ago, and never wanted to play it again, now it’s time to go back to the game. You won’t regret it. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s not a terrible one either. Ubisoft Paris will continue to support Breakpoint, and they have done an awesome job so far.

How much is it today?

Ghost recon Breakpoint is currently at the price of $59.99, but every now and then there are sales. During these sales, you can buy it for less than 50% of the price.

(If you’re reading this article before November 11, you can buy the game for just 9 dollars)

You can also get a Ubisoft+ subscription for $14.99 and have access to Breakpoint and more than 100 other games.

It’s available on Windows Microsoft PC, Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S│X.

There are in-game purchases. But they don’t affect gameplay.

My score: 8 (note* this score is for the current state of the game)

Pros

  • Vast Open World to explore
  • Flexible gameplay Style
  • Constantly updated by developers
  • Free content is frequently added
  • 3 different ways of playing the game

Cons

  • Short main story
  • Repetitive quests
  • AI’s dumb behavior
image
Gamer Since:
1994
Favorite Genre:
FPS
Currently Playing:
Biomutant
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Battlefield 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Mass Effect 2

You May Also Be Interested In:

Image
Starfield is the next big RPG for Bethesda studios. While it's not really a space exploration game it does take starships and space flight to another level. In this game you can build a variety of ship combinations using many different parts. 
Image
Monolith Soft employs the talent behind the Xeno series of gamesThe sword of the Bionis blazes blue with powerThe monolith in the name Monolith Soft may have one envisioning a game studio with only a single hit or idea, but Monolith Soft has developed a number of games since it was founded in 2000. They developed the Xeno series of games from Xenosaga to the most recent Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. They have also worked on several collaborative projects with Nintendo including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Splatoon. The company has enjoyed success since splitting away from Square-Enix (then known as Squaresoft).The talent behind Xenogears believed that Square was not giving him enough creative freedomThe agile and powerful gear of Xenogears protagonist FeiTetsuya Takahashi worked for Squaresoft on Final Fantasy 6 and later earned the chance to lead development on his passion project, the PS1 era game, Xenogears. The world and story of Xenogears involved not only giant fighting robots, called gears, but also quasi-religious, philosophical, and psychological themes which, according to Takahashi, Square deemed too dark or complicated to exist alongside their other properties. It was Takahashi who later convinced Hirohide Sugiura to branch off into their own studio.During Japanese magazine Famitsu's interview with Sugiura he mentions one reason for the split was disagreement on fundingSpirits Within was a graphical triumph but didn't do well as a movieAt the time, Square was pouring money into its ill-fated movie studio Square Pictures. Final Fantasy: Spirits Within was the result of that investment and unfortunately ended up being a significant boondoggle for the company grossing only $85 million of its $137 million dollar cost. Though this funding spat was a part of his decision, Sugiura mentions that his main impetus for forming Monolith Soft was to one day create Xenogears 2. That hope is not yet fulfilled but did result in Monolith's first game Xenosaga: Episode 1 in 2002 as well as the Xeno series as a whole till today.Sugiura also talks about what he wants for the future of Monolith SoftThe Mechonis of Xenoblade stares ominously at lifeforms on the BionisMonolith Soft's first game series Xenosaga was a commercial success and managed to capture a devoted audience. The second game in the series was not received as well but, with the third, the series managed to end on a high note. As a whole Takahashi has stated that the series underperformed expectations.Xenoblade Chronicles for the Nintendo Wii and, most recently, the definitive edition for the Switch has brought even more success to the company. So much success that the game's main protagonist, Shulk, is even a character in the venerable Smash Bros series. Sugiura continues with the interview by stating that he sees Xenoblade as almost a “prototype” for the true sequel to Xenogears, but whether that future ever comes to pass truly cannot be foretold.
Image
Exploring The Truth Behind DragonsDragon. The very word itself brings to mind images of scaled beasts the size of 747’s, fire belching forth from many fanged jaws, and once famed knights meeting crisp and crunchy ends.Warrior vs DragonEven in the age of reason and science, we still dream of dragons and their kin. But why do these magnificently angry flame breathing monsters persist to this day? Is there any truth behind the myths? Let's dig a bit deeper and learn more about our fiery, scaly friends...Dragons In Cultures Across The WorldAs we can see in cultures worldwide, dragons persist in myths and legends from the very beginnings of storytelling itself. Even amongst peoples who have never had ancient contact or reasons to share in similar origin stories, dragons have rooted themselves deep in the minds of humans since time immemorial.We all know that humans have faced similar struggles in evolution of culture, regardless of geographical location. We’ve faced drastic climate change, wild animals hunting us down as prey, and harsh and mysterious things that go bump on the night. And just like people do, we shared stories about it all.In time, these stories blended together and formed the perfect adversary; one with big sharp dangerous teeth, claws bigger than a man was tall, wings as vast enough to cover the sky, and a fiery breath able to scorch anything, just as the final proverbial cherry on top.Dragons were the ultimate predator, in both form and function, and the fact that they’ve persisted with us until now is positive proof of how awesome and impressive they are. But stories aside, is there any actual evidence that they may have really existed?Evidence Of Dragons In The Fossil RecordFor all you Paleontology nerds out there, please look away and cover your ears. Things are about to get weird. While we all know that what we've learned about dinosaurs as kids is pretty much all guesswork and theories, the possibility of what existed in the past is extraordinary. We'll never have a complete understanding of what has existed in the past.So, why not the same for dragons? There are countless unidentified and incomplete bones and skeletons in museums around the world, who’s to say that we haven’t already found a piece of the puzzle, but will never come to know it? Keep that in the mind the next time you’re lucky enough to visit a museum and stare at a T-Rex skeleton. Now imagine it fighting a fire-breathing dragon in an epic battle to the death. Isn’t that awesome??Dragonic Origins In Myth  So, when exactly was the first story about a dragon told? Since we’re still learning a lot about the gap of human history between cavemen and Ancient Civilizations, I can’t tell you when the first myth of dragons was told, but I can share with you the earliest known legend.According to Sumerian myth, the matriarch of the gods, named Tiamat, took the form of a massive dragon when she went to battle with her children. Picture a huge, Tolkien style fight, but in actual myth! When she was slain by her oldest son, Marduk, he used her flesh to create the earth, and her blood to make the oceans and rivers of our world. So, as you can imagine, she must have been one big dragon! And thanks to this story, we continue to tell tales of dragons and their kin in novels and books of our own even in modern times.5 Infamous Dragons In Our Modern WorldAs I’ve said before, dragons persist to this day in stories of our own, and thanks to contemporary culture and modern media, their myth and legend can spread even quicker in our modern world. Here are five particularly famous dragons of importance in our own culture that you should definitely know about:5. Tiamat (Dungeons & Dragons)Art from dnd.wizardsTiamat, the immensely powerful high queen of dragonsAs mentioned before, she originally started off as mother of the gods in Sumerian myth, but made it as far as modern day in a whole other light! In the deep and lore ridden world of Dungeons & Dragons, Tiamat has become a goddess of chaos of sorts, taking the form of a dragon with five heads, one for each of the well know Chromatic Dragons found throughout the game. When summoned or found in the world, whether it be the tabletop RPG or one of the many digital games, she’s definitely a force to be reckoned with! So get your axes sharpened, swords drawn, and your daily spells refreshed. When Tiamat raises her heads, there’s chaos to be had!4. Alduin (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)Art by HughEdby“He-who-flies-in-darkness, high king of all dovah, sovereign of open skies, firstborn of Akatosh, the world eater, prophesized overlord”3. Deathwing (World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm)Deathwing the Destroyer faces Thrall, once Warchief of the HordeWhen I wake up in the morning, I demand coffee before I speak to anyone. When Deathwing wakes up, the world quakes and people die. If you know World Of Warcraft at all, and have enjoyed the legendary MMORPG in the last few years, you’ll remember when Blizzard released their forever game changing World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which literally changed landscapes and towns forever thanks to this baddie just waking up! One of the epic dragon aspects in the game, Deathwing is driven mad whilst being kept in the confines of the world for far too long. Imagine being cramped up in a basement closet with Justin Bieber playing in the background for six years straight. I’d be a little upset too. As the main and final boss in this expansion’s best raid, Deathwing is definitely still a personal favorite of mine!2. Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal (Game Of Thrones/A Song Of Ice And Fire)Art by alexnegrea“Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.”Now we’re moving into the literature and TV series section of things, and what a move it is! With three for the price of one even! As the last three of their kind in the world of George R.R. Martin, Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal were named by the well known ‘Mother Of Dragons’, Daenerys Targaryen, for important male figures in her life. Needless to say, having a few dragons helps quite a bit! Fun fact: did you know that dragons in the world of Game Of Thrones can switch genders at will? So with three dragons left, looks like the species will survive after all! With the final couple of seasons drawing ever near, fans can’t wait to see what these fire breathing cuties bring to bear! And exactly how big they’ll get to boot!1. Smaug (The Hobbit)Art from tumblr“My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!”And last, but definitely far from least, is the magnificent one himself, the grand catastrophe, the legendary Smaug! When Tolkien wrote his novel The Hobbit, he already knew that Smaug was bound to be a foundation for dragons for years to come. After overcoming a whole village, stomping flat a dwarf settlement, and just causing all kinds of chaos and mayhem all around, the big guy himself decided to just lie down in a massive pile of gold and confidently take a century long nap. When the main hero, Bilbo, is made to head into the old caverns and burgle best he can, he’s shivering in his britches. I don’t blame him at all: I wouldn’t want to have to try and reason with a hurricane made of fire! And that’s exactly what Smaug calls himself in his legendary boast: “My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!” When it comes to dragons, Smaug is definitely the granddaddy of them all!Whether you think they’re real, a good extended figment of our collective imagination, or just something really cool to face in a game, dragons are definitely here to stay. They will live on in our thoughts and minds for generations more to come, and fly on the winds of our dreams until the end of time. Long live the firebreathers. Long live the portents of chaos and nature. Long live our best enemies, and our brightest and bestest scaly friends: the dragons.You may also be interested in:Dragon Age Movie: 19 Movies Every Dragon Age Fan Needs To WatchThe Best Dragon GamesThe 13 Best Dungeons & Dragons Games (PC)10 Reasons Guild Wars 2 Is the Best MMORPG Right Now11 Fantasy Movies Like The Lord of the Rings
Image
Up-and-comer John Boyega is reprising his role as Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the upcoming sequel to 2015’s hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He’ll also be playing Jake Pentecost in the 2018 sequel film Pacific Rim: Uprising.Boyega was one of the two leads in The Force Awakens. He doesn’t appear much in the Last Jedi trailer we currently have, though. So it’s possible he may not have as big a role in this sequel. There’s only one brief shot of him in the trailer. And he’s not even awake during it. He’ll likely appear more in the final film of the trilogy. Although, he definitely may have a reduced role in the one coming out this December. We do see some more of him in some behind-the-scenes footage, though. So there’s that.   As for Pacific Rim: Uprising, well, Boyega wasn’t even in the first film. So you might assume he does not have a huge role in this one. Having said that, he’s actually the only character to appear in this first trailer, released by Legendary Pictures. He only appears briefly at the end. But hey, it’s just a teaser. There’s not too much else in the video. It’s only a little over a minute long. The rest of the teaser features a giant robot that resembles a Transformer robot and makes reference to something called the "Jaeger Uprising."The original Pacific Rim starred Emmy-nominee Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost. Boyega is portraying the son of Elba's character in this sequel.Boyega is a British actor, who has had a good bit a success at the young age of 25. He had his first major role back in 2011 with the indie cult classic Attack the Block. He also had some recent success for his lead role in the critically acclaimed crime drama Detroit from Kathryn Bigelow, Oscar-winning director of The Hurt Locker.