

Enemy soldiers will also have a circle meter over their heads to indicate alert status. An eye icon squints or opens to denote the player's level of detection by the enemy. In Sniper Elite III, stealth mechanics were reworked. Introduced in Sniper Elite V2 is the "X-Ray Kill Cam", a feature where upon a successful and skilled shot will, in slow motion, follow the bullet from the rifle to the target's point of impact, showing an anatomically correct x-ray of the body part being hit and the damage the bullet causes to the organs and/or bones. Realistic ballistics are optional, taking into consideration factors such as wind direction and strength and bullet drop, potentially altering the outcome of a shot even with the use of the scope. Different postures such as crouching or lying prone can steady a shot, and the player can take a deep breath to "focus" for increased accuracy.

Binoculars are used to tag enemies in view, displaying their position and movements to the player. The player can also shoot the enemies' own grenades to trigger an explosion. In addition to hand grenades, the player can also deploy tripwire booby traps, land mines and dynamite. The sniper rifle is the primary weapon throughout the game, though additional side arms (submachine guns and pistols) can be used depending on the situation. Set in World War II, the player character, a German-American OSS operative named Karl Fairburne, utilises appropriate weapons for the era. Many of the single player levels allow multiple routes for the players to take in order to avoid direct firefights. Sniper Elite is a third-person shooter that involves stealth and first-person shooter game elements.

More than 30 million Sniper Elite games have been sold. Thus far, the series has been met with relatively positive reviews. The games follow Karl Fairburne, a German-American Office of Strategic Services operative battling Axis forces during World War II. It is a third-person tactical shooter that emphasises a less direct approach to combat, encouraging the player as a sniper to use stealth and keep distance from enemy soldiers. Sniper Elite is a tactical shooter video game series developed by Rebellion Developments.
