Rainbow Six Siege Making Big Change

Ubisoft is making a massive change to the way Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is accessed by making part of the game free-to-play. Launched in 2015, Rainbow Six Siege is celebrating its tenth anniversary with announcements designed to hint at the future of the hit multiplayer shooter.

Thanks to its combination of intense gunplay with unmatched environmental destruction, Rainbow Six Siege is already well-known as one of the best games in the Tom Clancy franchise. Over the course of the last decade, millions of players have taken up the reins behind one of the iconic Team Rainbow Operators that populate the game’s playable cast and lay waste to close-quarters environments in devastating gunfights. Now the game is on the verge of its “biggest evolution yet” in the form of Rainbow Six Siege X, a massive update planned to launch in 2025 and deliver overhauls to how the whole game works. Intended to lay the groundwork for another ten years of consistent Rainbow Six Siege support, all eyes at both Ubisoft and the Siege player community are on Siege X‘s changes.

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Rainbow Six Siege X Hands-On Preview: Ushering in a New Era

Game Rant was recently invited to Atlanta, Georgia to check out Rainbow Six Siege X, its new activity, and all the changes it’s bringing to the game.

One of those changes might hugely expand the game’s potential audience: a free-to-play mode. As detailed in Ubisoft’s official Rainbow Six Siege X showcase, the Siege X update will launch what the company is calling a “Free Access” tier, allowing any player to download the game and get playing without paying up front. Before that launch, players can check out what Ubisoft has planned by participating in the Siege X closed beta.

Rainbow Six Siege X Free-to-Play Option Will Have Limited Roster and Modes

While Rainbow Six Siege becoming free-to-play could make it as accessible as other free multiplayer shooters like Call of Duty Warzone and Overwatch 2, there are some limits to the free access tier. Ubisoft said that the free access tier will only have 10 playable operators to choose from, with progression unlocking another 16 for a total of 26 characters. With over 74 playable operators in Rainbow Six Siege‘s roster, free access players will be missing a lot of potential options. Additionally, free access players will only be able to play Unranked, Quick Play, and the upcoming Dual Front mode, with more competitive modes like Ranked and the Siege Cup exclusive to “premium access” players.

Rainbow Six Siege X free access will launch in Year 10 Season 2, alongside the launch of the Siege X update itself. Rainbow Six Siege Year 10 Season 1 was just recently unveiled, which would put the Siege X and free access launch sometime in mid-2025. Reaction to the planned change was largely positive, with many players on Twitter and Bluesky expressing interest in trying Rainbow Six Siege for the first time once free access launches. Others were satisfied that Ranked play will remain exclusive for more dedicated Siege players.

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Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege