The demo starts out in the town of Rachel, Nevada, and puts the player in command of two other special-ops soldiers as they search for surviving military units. The small town has been devastated by some sort of conflict, and as the player progresses through the streets it becomes clear that there are some pretty hideous aliens on the loose. The rainstorm (in Nevada) helps set the mood for the now desolate town as the player commands his or her squad through a handful of quick skirmishes.

The squad mechanics work very similarly to those found in Rainbow Six: Vegas, albeit with a lot less depth. A tap of the right bumper sends the player's two subordinates to the location of the crosshairs. If the crosshairs are on a door, the two soldiers will automatically stack up and blow it in with an explosive. Whether or not there will be multiple options to choose from when entering a new location in the final game remains to be seen, but if the AI troops lack the subtlety to open a door and walk through, that might present a problem.