Rainbow Six Siegehas gone free-to-play, but free players are missing out on some key content.
Ubisoft has released Rainbow Six Siege X,a massive update to the gameto markits tenth year since release.
The new update overhauls and modernizes several maps with lighting, shadow, and resolution changes, withmore 5v5 maps getting them each upcoming season.
It also improves the new player experience, addsthe new 6v6 Dual Front mode, and a new anti-cheat system.
However, the biggest change for most players is likely the fact thatthe game is now free-to-play, but with some major restrictions on what free players can do without paying.
Free-To-Play, But…
Rainbow Six Siege X has three tiers for new players: the free version, the Elite Edition, and the Ultimate Edition.
The free version comes with a selection of 26 operators to choose from, with more to purchase or unlock, along with Quick Match, Unranked, and Dual Front modes.
Anyone wanting to play Ranked mode will need to spring for the Elite Edition for $20, which adds Ranked and Siege Cup as well as 16 additional operators, or the Ultimate Edition for $40, which brings the number of additional operators up to 52 and adds 4 extra cosmetics.
Ubisoft has alsoannouncedthat anyone who bought the game before the release of Siege X will have premium access, including the extra modes and operators, and their progression and inventory will transfer over.
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According to the game’s charts onSteamDB, the release of Siege X has already caused player numbers to spike, so it’ll be interesting to see the longer-term impacts of going free-to-play on the playerbase.
Responses to the new update in the game’s Steamdiscussionsandreviewshave been mixed, but that’s to be expected whenever a long-running game gets a major update.
In any case, it’s a big change for the almost decade-old shooter. Hopefully, lowering the barrier to entry for newcomers by making the game free will have a positive impact on the game’s community. It at least seems to be bringing in new players for now, but only time will tell how it will end up affecting the game.
