Destiny 2 Guardian Games 2023 - Schedule, format, rewards, how to play


Season of Defiance, which launched alongside Destiny 2's latest expansion, Lightfall, still has some gas left in the tank for the final weeks before we start the Season 21 grind.

To help freshen up the final weeks of Season 20, if only a little, is the returning Guardian Games, one of the oldest seasonal activities Destiny 2 has to offer. While it may be monotone for veterans, newer players that jumped in with Lightfall will welcome all the new activities and loot.

Let's walk you through everything you need to know about the Destiny 2 Guardian Games during Season of Defiance.

Before we get into the 2023 edition of the Guardian Games, why not take a look at Xur's location this week?

Guardian Games 2023 - Schedule and format

Guardian Games 2023 in Destiny 2
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Credit: Bungie
The Guardian Games feature plenty of content to grind for

The Guardian Games kicked off on May 2 and will remain in the game until May 23, when Season 20 ends, and we welcome Season of the Deep.

Just like every other year, this will be a friendly competition within all Guardian classes. That means that Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans will try to earn as many medallions as possible to be crowned Guardian Games winners at the end of the event.

There are several ways to earn medallions, including:

  • For Bronze and Silver, you'll have to play any low-level activity such as Gambit and Quickplay Crucible matches, anything from the Vanguard playlists, as well as most Neptune activities and Defiant Battlegrounds.
  • Gold and Platinum are rewards for high-tier content like Nightfalls, raids, dungeons, Competitive Crucible, Trials of Osiris, or Legend Defiant Battlegrounds.

There will also be Contender Cards for 1,000 Glimmer and Platinum Cards for 1,500. These are an extra way to earn medallions. We will have a full breakdown on how to farm all this content, so stay tuned.

Strike scoring

Last year, Bungie added a couple of modifiers to the event, including Strike scoring, which adds a bit of spice and streamlines the grind while making it a bit more bearable.

The two playlists where you can take advantage of this format are the Guardian Games Ops Playlist and the Guardian Games Ops Competitive Playlist.

On the PvP side of things, Bungie will activate a special version of Supremacy which will allow you to use a limited-time matchmaking option: find Guardians of the same subclass as you!

Finally, there'll be a new torch system for both PvE and PvP activities. By completing challenges and progressing through the activity quests, you'll earn the ability to light torches, which will net you better rewards as you progress through the event.

Guardian Games 2023 - Rewards

Destiny 2 Guardian Games 2023 New Lightweight frame scout rifle
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Credit: Bungie
A new Lightweight Frame Scout Rifle!

So what will you actually be farming? Well, for one, The Title Void SMG will be returning with an updated perk pool. More important, though, is the introduction of a new scout rifle: Taraxippos

At first glance, it might look too similar to the iconic Hung Jury. However, there are two massive (and we do mean it) distinctions: it's a Lightweight Frame weapon and the first Strand scout rifle in the game.

We'll have guides for the best rolls soon, so stick around Gfinity for more Destiny 2 content.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Destiny and Guides page.