Ubisoft has been making games under the Tom Clancy moniker since the 1990s, which has led to a multitude of iconic series including Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell. The initial inspiration for most of the Tom Clancy games is taken from books, including some written under the pseudonym David Michaels.

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There are a ton of different incredible games under the Tom Clancy umbrella, but also a few mediocre titles in the mid to late 2010s. Despite this, it is pretty apparent that most of the Tom Clancy games are remarkable. Be it the Ghost Recon games, or the famous Splinter Cell games that players always want more of, there’s a lot of variety in these titles in terms of artistic expression, combat mechanics, and story.

Updated April 20, 2024 by Musaab Ahmed: Under Ubisoft's umbrella, the Tom Clancy series of video games has become a household name. A multitude of massive, fan-favorite franchises have graced most consoles over the last few decades. While there haven't been any amazing Tom Clancy games to write home about recently, the imminent future looks exciting. The highly anticipated Splinter Cell Remake is of course at the forefront of fans' minds.

Coupled with this exciting release is Tom Clancy's The Division Heartland, a completely free-to-play online-focused entry into the franchise. And, of course, there have been recent rumors revealing an upcoming entry into the Ghost Recon series as well. With that in mind, this is the ideal time to jump into a ranking of some of the best Tom Clancy games out there.

10 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands

Metascore: 70

Ghost Recon Wildlands is a tactical third-person shooter where players take control of a squad of four members of a Ghost Recon team. The game is set in Bolivia and features the player's squad slowly defeating different members of a huge drug cartel, liberating their territory through quests and battles, and eventually dismantling the entire operation. The game features a rich and diverse environment, tons of different weapons and attachments, and a traversal system. Using vehicles is quite fun as well.

Players have a variety of ways to approach any given mission, be it stealth, using their teammates effectively, or just blowing everything up. Additionally, the graphics are pretty great, and the progression isn’t linear. Players can choose which cartel boss to deal with. While the story is fairly cookie-cutter, overall, Wildlands is a fun game with tons of different co-op shenanigans available.

9 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

Metascore: 73

Rainbow Six Siege started with a lot of criticism and a lack of popular support. It didn’t have a ton of content or any engaging progression, despite the solid gunplay. However, the game was supported by the developers for years, and it eventually became one of the biggest online shooting games of the decade. It is still popular to this date and stands proudly in a storied game series.

Siege is a competitive tactical shooter game based entirely on PvP combat. The game features multiple rounds, with each being only a couple of minutes long. The game focuses heavily on strategy, communication, and taking advantage of surroundings. It has very good core mechanics, the central gameplay loop is really fun, and the game feels rewarding, leading to its massive success. While the initial reviews aren't as flattering as they could be, most agree that the dozens of updates and patches have made this into an incredible game.

8 Tom Clancy’s EndWar

Metascore: 77

EndWar is one of the most unique Tom Clancy games out there. It’s a real-time strategy game with integrated voice decisions. Players can use their voices to command their forces and take certain actions. While it’s pretty hit or miss, it stands out as a cool and innovative mechanic.

The gameplay in Tom Clancy's EndWar is solid and features a basic rock/paper/scissor format. The story is set around World War 3 and the fallout of a nuclear attack on Saudi Arabia. It’s a fun game, albeit a little simple. It remains to be seen if it ever gets a sequel.

7 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Metascore: 79

This 2012 release carried on the legacy of this fantastic tactical shooter franchise. This thrilling spy espionage game takes everything over the top, featuring a foiled nuclear attack on London, Russian espionage, and internal conflict, as well as missions in Zambia and Peshawar, Pakistan. The game has a solid, adrenaline-fuelled narrative that doesn't dwell on anything for too long.

In terms of gameplay, the co-op system is fantastic, as is the renewed focus on stealth and planning out strategies to dissect missions. The use of drones is a fun addition, as is the solid customization players have for most of their guns. The squad-focused combat is intuitive and engaging and this game builds on its predecessors in nearly every way.

6 Tom Clancy's The Division

Metascore: 80

The Division was an extremely ambitious title. It met most expectations, but it did have a few disappointing aspects. The gunplay was a little basic, and there was a stark lack of big in-game events like most other games of the sort.

Despite these shortcomings, The Division was a solid part RPG, part shooting game with bits of MMO and multiplayer co-op sprinkled in. It was a unique game with an interesting setting. The Division had different zones for PvP and PvE, tons of looting, and a dynamic weather system. All of these aspects made it a fun and immersive game. What stood out, however, was the team or party-centric themes it had, which made playing together with friends or in a voice party very engaging. The sequel built on the game's strengths, with a third game seemingly on the way.

5 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist

Metascore: 82

The Splinter Cell series is the pinnacle of stealth games, and nearly every entry in the series was released to glowing reviews and fanfare. Blacklist was no different. While the game wasn't as great as some of its predecessors, the gameplay evolved to a new level, especially with the focus on giving players a variety of different options to tackle enemies. The focus shifted towards a more "open" and free stealth iteration that can arguably be seen in games such as Metal Gear Solid 5. Sam Fisher can be utilized more tactically and sneakily, while still leaving tons of room for gung-ho gunplay if needed.

Players follow Fisher on a thrilling journey featuring campaigns in Philadelphia and Guantánamo Bay, while also navigating a frame-job in Iran. All the while, Fisher's relationship with the CIA and Paladin 9 Security make for an interesting dynamic as well. Like with every other Splinter Cell game, this is an incredible stealth game that players can sink tons of hours into.

4 Splinter Cell: Conviction

Metascore: 85

Splinter Cell: Conviction is one of the more underrated Tom Clancy games. Conviction isn't as pure a stealth game as some others in the series, but it balances stealth with combat and other gameplay features really well. The gun-play feels very slick and the new interrogation feature was very well received. On top of the polished and cohesive gameplay, this game lets players play with each other in different multiplayer modes involving competitions around stealth and combat.

Conviction also follows Sam Fisher's missions around Washington DC, as he tackles espionage and fights to protect the President of the United States from an assassination attempt. Conviction pushed the limits of a stealth game, it made the combat more intuitive and the game more accessible whilst retaining the Splinter Cell identity, pushing forward the narrative and keeping fans engaged. Overall, it is an impressive game and worth a playthrough.

3 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas

Metascore: 88

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas is nearly twenty years old now, but it still holds up as a genre-defining first-person shooter. It introduced some of the franchise staples, such as the different field of view for corner fire, the player health bar regeneration out of combat, and the pivot in gameplay style. Rainbow Six Vegas made enemies a lot more difficult to kill, not only was this unique in fps games, it sets the franchise apart to this date. The gunplay felt challenging and rewarding, and the customization was great for its time.

This game follows the story of Logan Keller, as his team hunts down a terrorist leader whilst freeing hostages. The campaign wasn't too long and didn't feel like an afterthought order. Coupled with this is how well Rainbow Six Vegas worked on Xbox Live. Overall, this was a great game, and while not the best in the series in a vacuum. Its importance lies in the foundations it laid for future games in the Rainbow Six series to expand upon. The current unique multiplayer and combat can be traced back to Rainbow Six Vegas and, nearly twenty years on, it is still one of the best Tom Clancy games out there.

2 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

Metascore: 90

Advanced Warfighter is considered the epitome of tactical shooters. Players take their team through a variety of missions, be it rescues, hostage situations, or tactical attacks on military strongholds. The game features a ton of different guns, and they all feel fun to use. Advanced Warfighter isn’t an easy game either; players can't heal during missions and bullets actually do deal damage.

Whilst the story isn’t anything special, the quality of gameplay is incredible. The enemy A.I. is impressive, and missions are well-designed and thought out. Moreover, there is tons of variety in terms of combat and how to approach an objective. All in all, this is a very solid game with barely any flaws.

1 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Metascore: 94

The Splinter Cell series is the crown jewel of the Tom Clancy moniker to this date. Despite the lack of new releases, it still stands out as one of Ubisoft’s most successful and critically acclaimed franchises ever. Almost every game in the franchise is great, but Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is easily the best game in the franchise and one of the best in the genre.

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Chaos Theory is a stealth game, featuring some degree of close-quarters combat as well. In this title, players take control of Sam Fisher as he navigates through drama, espionage, and a looming global conflict. The narrative is exciting and well-written; it doesn’t feel like a formality at all. Overall, this game has some of the best stealth gameplay out there, with slick mechanics, solid enemy A.I., and unique missions with a lot of creativity on display.

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