Rainbow Six Siege Year 6 Preview: New Operators, Map Reworks and More Revealed


Now heading into Year 6 of continued support and content drops, Ubisoft has lifted the lid on what players can expect in Year 6 and beyond.

While we recently spoke to the game's director and lead designer, we were also able to learn about the intricacies of Year 6, how Ubisoft is looking to evolve all parts of Siege, and what to expect in terms of quality of life improvements.

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Rainbow Six Siege Year 6 Preview: New Operators, Map Reworks and More Revealed

There are plenty of changes inbound in Year 6 of Rainbow Six Siege, and one of the biggest is how operators are accessed.

Starting with Crimson Heist, Operators will be accessed through Tier 1 of the game's battle pass, and those with the battle pass will also get two weeks of early access instead of just one.

Players will also notice a menu overhaul, a new splash screen, and even a new logo to help provide Siege with a cleaner, snappier interface.

The reputation system is also being expanded, with a focus on promoting positive behaviour and moving players away from potentially toxic habits. Sanctions still exist, of course, but positive feedback can help players turn things around somewhat.

Siege's popular Test Server is also getting some changes. Currently acting as a testing ground for the next season, players will start to see more changes appear on the TS further in advance, potentially a couple of seasons before full deployment.

Ubisoft is also working on Siege's underlying tech, working to identify and mitigate DDOS attacks, fix connectivity issues by using community data, and even shrink the game's install size – particularly on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

Streamer mode will also look to minimise queue and stream sniping, while also increasing anonymity for streamers online.

Content-wise, Year 6 will again be formed of four different Operations. Each will rework an existing map (or more than one) and add a new Operator, as well as continuing to offer limited-time modes via the Arcade.

  • Season 1, Crimson Heist, will introduce Flores and rework Border.
  • Season 2 will add an aboriginal Operator and rework Favela.
  • Season 3 will add a Croatian Operator and rework multiple maps.
  • Season 4 will add an Irish Operator and rework the Outback map.

As for gameplay changes, Ubisoft Montreal is working to minimise downtime in the game. At present, when your Operator is killed you can assist your team via security cameras, but once those are destroyed you act as a spectator.

That's changing in Year 6, as players will be able to use certain gadgets after death to influence play.

Speaking of sizeable shakeups to Siege, the team is working to give Attackers a better chance at taking out entrenched Defenders, noting that the meta has moved too far into the latter's favour. To that end, Attackers will be able to re-pick their Operator before the action phase if they feel their current option has little effect against a defensive team.

The game's "Speed and Armor" stats are being reworked, too. Previously kept behind the scenes, players will now know that if their Operator is a "two armor" character that they'll have 120 HP to begin with, while "three armor" choices will have 140 HP. 

Next up is the Gonne-6, a new Attacker sidearm option that carries one explosive round. It can destroy bulletproof gadgets such as shields and is just another way of boosting an Attacker's possibilities.

Finally, customisation is being looked at during Year 6, with elite outfits finally being able to be tweaked – as well as Victory Dances. There's also a crossover with Resident Evil in the works, as well as one with famed horror artist Ikumi Nakamura – with two skins dropping in Crimson Heist and more to come.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Rainbow Six Siege page.