Sniper Elite

2005 Rebellion Action

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxPlatinum

Steam DeckPlayable

Gamicality score

Metacritic 764

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 741

How it’s combined

Playability today

2.5

Runs today3/5

Design today1.5/5

Steam user reviews

Mostly Positive

77%

3,796 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Sniper Elite run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxPlatinum

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Platinum, runs perfectly out of the box.3

Steam DeckPlayable

Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup.1

Played Sniper Elite lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Sniper Elite running today

If the game crashes or shows a black screen after the Rebellion logo, run the game in Windows Vista Service Pack 2 compatibility mode and leave anti-aliasing off (PCGamingWiki).
If the window shrinks and hangs on Windows 11, add the -windowed launch option in Steam (Steam discussion).
Install ThirteenAG's Widescreen Fix, linked from PCGamingWiki, for correct widescreen and a workaround for the broken vsync (PCGamingWiki).
Cap the frame rate at 60 FPS or set the display to 60 Hz, since movement speed is tied to frame rate (PCGamingWiki).
Before loading a save after a restart, start a new mission on the chosen difficulty first, then load, or enemies fall back to Rookie (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

A third-person tactical shooter set in Berlin in the final weeks of World War II, where an American OSS sniper works behind the lines to keep German atomic secrets out of Soviet hands. Missions reward patience: you pick vantage points, account for bullet drop, wind and breathing, and mask shots under noise, while a slow-motion camera follows well-placed rounds to the target.

Developer: Rebellion
Released: 2005
Genre: Action
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics at release scored it in the mid to high 70s, praising the realistic ballistics, the open urban maps and the slow-motion bullet camera, while faulting the clumsy close-range combat and slow weapon switching. Reviewers also found the long missions demanding and sometimes reliant on trial and error. Players today still credit its level design and the tactical trick of wounding enemies to draw out their comrades. The most common modern complaint is movement that slides as if on ice, along with stiff aiming and a campaign many find too long.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

3/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
Some content no longer works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
Online multiplayer relied on GameSpy and no longer works, leaving only LAN play (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen is only stretched unless ThirteenAG's fan fix is installed (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
The PC version has no controller support (PCGamingWiki).
Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
Known game-breaking bugs in the current version
Many players on Windows 11 hit a black screen or hang after the splash screens, and a reload bug resets difficulty, so the game needs compatibility settings and workarounds (PCGamingWiki; Steam).

Design today

1.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
There is no controller support, the middle mouse button is locked to changing posture, and players today describe movement as clunky, sluggish and sliding as if on ice. Aiming down sights with any weapon brings up the same sniper scope. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
Widescreen resolutions are only stretched without a fan fix, and vsync does not work on modern Windows. Key interaction hints are hidden entirely on the Expert difficulty. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.
Saving is harsh: few saves or checkpoints, progress gets lost
Quick saves vanish when the game closes, so only manual saves survive, and loading a save after a restart silently resets enemy difficulty to Rookie. Some players also report manual saves failing to appear in the list. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
Frequent tutorial hints in the early missions push stealth and staying out of sight. A few extras such as leaning are explained only in the manual. Source: gamingpastime.com, steamcommunity.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
The campaign runs around 20 hours of long missions that repeat the same go, shoot and destroy objectives, and some stages demand repeated attempts to find the one route through. Source: steamcommunity.com, worthplaying.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
The over-the-shoulder view follows a character who slides when moving and accelerates like a vehicle, which makes repositioning sluggish, and the manual's camera adjustment key has no visible effect in play. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.