Where do you go after ten years as a live service game? That’s the question that’s been hanging over Rainbow Six Siege for the last few years. The game is fully formed with plenty of maps, more spec ops characters than it’s wise to shake a stick at, and a mature esports scene that still surrounds it. Rainbow Six Siege X is Ubisoft’s answer, a major update and overhaul to the game coming in June 2025.
Rainbow Six Siege X is an attack on two fronts. On the one hand, this is a deep technical uplift that’s aiming to refine the core experience, add some new options for gameplay and make this game feel a bit more 2020s than 2010s, and on the other, there’s Dual Front, a new game mode that looks to make the most of having ‘Six’ in the game’s name.
Let’s start with the glitz and excitement that a new mode offers. Dual Front is a new permanent mode for the game, taking the core attack-and-defence gameplay and expanding it into something much more freeform and dynamic. This is a 6v6 mode, instead of the usual 5v5, and it tasks you with attacking and defending at the same time.
There’s just the tiniest hint of MOBA to this idea, in a concentrated form, as the map has two lanes – one dedicated that you can attack down and one that you need to defend – with the goal to capture each sector in turn and eventually neutralise the opposition base. Both teams have a practically identical experience, with the map a mirror image, though with one side having a run-down red brick look and the other a more renovated feel so that it’s possible to read where you are.
It’s a big map, with each sector feeling like a half or two-thirds sized version of a Siege map, still giving plenty of room for different attack options for the randomised objective placement. In the middle there’s then a neutral zone, an area where assignments can appear, such as a hostage rescue, giving you a bit of a boost.
The juggling act for your team is whether to prioritise attack or defence, trying to figure out and counter whatever it is that the opposition is doing at the same time. The mode is still very restricted and constrained in similar ways to the rest of Rainbow Six Siege, so you can only attack sectors one at a time, and only after the defenders have had some time to prepare. There’s also a bit of a catch up mechanic, so if one team pulls ahead, then the other team needs less time to plant and capture a zone.
It’s a really interesting concept, but it’s initially quite a messy one without an established team around you. It feels like there’s less room for freelancing here, as you do need to coordinate the balance between attack and defence, and to construct a sensible mix of operators. Each season will have a curated pool of operators to choose from, but there’s a mix of attacking and defending characters, giving a wider set of gadgets and abilities to use.
What will be important is how Ubisoft take this foundation and continue to push it forward over the coming seasons and years. Alongside Dual Front, Siege X is also bringing big changes to the underlying game engine and features. Stay tuned for those in around an hour…
