Rainbow Six Siege X preview: modernised mayhem

I’ve been a fan of Rainbow Six Siege since the game first came out, but my allegiance to the game tends to waver from year to year.

It’s one of those games that I’ll either pick up and play for weeks or not touch again for another year. My flings with Rainbow Six Siege tend to be short and sweet nowadays, but Rainbow Six Siege X might keep me on for the long haul.

10 years since it first launched there’s arguably no better time to hop in and try it out

To celebrate 10 successful years of Ubisoft’s first-person shooter, the team has revitalised the title with several changes and additions, some minor and some game-changing. For starters there’s the brand-new 6v6 mode Dual Front, a great addition to the game that veteran players will get a kick out of and new players will learn well from.

Back in the 5v5 mode though some big changes have taken place. For starters it’s had a visual and audio overhaul. The maps look great, with enhanced lighting and textures that give them more of an identity as well as make things more immersive. The big change I noticed in my preview though was the enhanced audio. With headphones I could hear just about everything around me, and be able to distinguish what was in the room with me and what was several rooms over. Professional players are going to love the changes and I think casuals will benefit just as much, you just get more clarity which is always a plus for tactical shooters like Siege.

Players have a few new tools and mechanics to play with too, ranging from simple additions like the option to inspect your weapon or faster rappelling, to destructible parts of the environment. The latter have been my favourite addition so far, as shooting a fire extinguisher to give myself a smokescreen was great for a quick getaway or catching enemies off-guard. Same went for the pipes that you can blow up and the metal detectors you can disable for a sneakier approach. It added a new dynamic to the game and I’m excited to see if any more get added as the game continues to evolve, some map-exclusive stuff would be great to see too.

All in all Rainbow Six Siege feels like a natural progression for the game, without being too daunting. It makes solid changes to the gameplay that won’t feel too foreign to current players, while offering incentive for new players as it’ll officially be going free-to-play too.

If you’ve been with the game since launch as I have though don’t fret, as the free-to-play aspect doesn’t change anything for you, you’ll even get some rewards for being a veteran player and all of your prior purchases will remain intact, which is great to see.

Rainbow Six Siege X may have reignited my passion for the game, and I’m excited to see how it continues to grow and improve over the next 10 years.