This fourth full release in the series that first brought the techno-thriller fiction of author Tom Clancy to the forefront of gamer consciousness, Rainbow Six: Lockdown deploys its counter-terrorism challenges on PC and all three 128-bit generation consoles. The Rainbow Six games are known for allowing players to target sophisticated objectives with surgical strike styled operations, and featuring characters and squads that become more skillful with successful missions.

Lockdown turns the tables, challenging Team Rainbow with vengeful enemies that become more deadly as the game progresses. Gameplay follows the format of earlier Rainbow Six games, as players choose a three-soldier team from an international selection of crack operatives, then plan and execute their operation. A new single-player mode lets player take the role of Ding Chavez, returning leader of Team Rainbow, or Dieter Weber, a sniper who must provide cover from afar for his teammates as they execute their orders in enemy installations.