Ubisoft has revealed what to expect from its big Rainbow Six Siege X update, which is available to play now in a limited time beta.
Given all its failed live service experiments, including the likes of Hyper Scape and XDefiant, it’s easy to forget Ubisoft managed to land one of the model’s earliest hits, in Rainbow Six Siege.
The shooter is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2025 and continues to be very popular, with the game breaking its all-time peak player record on Steam last year.
Ubisoft is now hoping to set the game up for another decade, through the Rainbow Six Siege X update, which – more or less – makes the experience free-to-play.
After it teased an ‘evolution’ for Rainbow Six Siege last month, Ubisoft has revealed that Rainbow Six Siege X is a widespread revamp, for the visuals, audio, maps, and the rappel mechanic – with one key new addition.
There’s now a new permanent mode called Dual Front, a 6v6 mode where you are tasked with capturing sectors of the enemy base while defending your own. This mode will launch with a new map called District, and with a smaller pool of 35 operators.
While this is being added to the main game when Rainbow Six Siege X launches on June 10, new players can access the mode for free from this date too.
In this new version of the game, which Ubisoft describes as ‘free access’, players can play Dual Front, Quick Match, Onboarding, Events, and Unranked with up to 26 operators for free. The more competitive Ranked and Siege Cup modes, along with more operators, will be locked behind the paid-for premium versions.
One of the big changes for veterans will be the revamped maps, with Clubhouse, Chalet, Bank, Kafe, and Border all set to be overhauled with new ‘visuals, readability, and gameplay flow’. Ubisoft states each new season moving forward will see three new reworked maps.
How to access the Rainbow Six Siege X beta
If you fancy trying out Dual Front before it launches in June, Ubisoft is holding a closed beta from Wednesday, March 13 to Wednesday, March 19 at 7pm UK time across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
To access the beta, you have to receive a code by watching certain streamers on Twitch, which have closed beta Twitch drops enabled. You can find participating streamers on the Rainbow Six Siege Twitch channel, with most advertising it in the title.
To claim your drop, you have to link your Twitch and Ubisoft accounts (there is more information on how to do so here). Those on PC will have their beta access added to the Ubisoft Connect Library, while those on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S will receive a platform-specific key they can redeem in the respective store.
This revamp of Rainbow Six Siege comes at a concerning time for Ubisoft, as the company looks to Assassin’s Creed Shadows for aid against its financial woes and potential buyouts.
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