All you need to know about the future of Rainbow Six Siege in Year 8

Today, Ubisoft announced the roadmap for Year 8 and all the changes that will be coming to Rainbow Six Siege in Year 8. This comes one day after they announced all the details about Y8S1, Operation Commanding Force.

Let's have a look!

Year 8 Roadmap

Rainbow Six Siege have today presented Year 8's Roadmap! It's a nice way to easily understand all of the content planned for the next year of the game.

Jump to:

• New defender gadget
• Four new operators
• One new map, one rework
• MouseTrap anti-cheat
• Reload rework
• Frost mat rework
• New shield mechanics
• Controller layout presets and remapping
• Grim gadget rework
• Free-cam feature
• Battlepass UI rework
• Playable tutorials
• Beginner challenges
• Permanent arcade modes and events
• Machine Learning-powered training playlist
• Aim Lab-styled warmup tool

New defender gadget

A potentially meta-changing gadget is coming to Rainbow Six Siege in Year 8.

The new gadget, which will be introduced sometime in Y8S3, will function as an “observation blocker” that effectively projects a small, opaque screen to block lines of sight. 

Because the gadget is only an electronic projection, attackers will be able to move their drones through the projection to pierce the veil -- but that will obviously come at the risk of having the drone being seen and shot.

Read more in our dedicated article about it!

Four new operators

Year 8 of Rainbow Six Siege will introduce four new operators to the game, including Brava, who will join Rainbow Six Siege with the launch of Operation Commanding Force. Following her will be a Swedish, a South Korean, and then a Portuguese operator!

One new map, one rework

Consulate is getting a rework! With the second operation of the year, the map will have reworked by the game developers.

A new map will also be introduced to Rainbow Six Siege by the end of Year 8, as the operation based in Portugal will have its own map. Exciting times are ahead!

MouseTrap anti-cheat

Rainbow Six Siege console players, this is your time to shine! Ubisoft has presented their own way to deal with mouse and keyboard players. MouseTrap will add input lag to external devices so the mouse and keyboard players don't have any advantage over controler players.

Read more here about MouseTrap anti-cheat, Ubisoft's new anti-cheat in Rainbow Six Siege!

Reload rework

Ubisoft will introduce a rework to reloading animations starting with Operation Commanding Force. Players won't be able to stop reloading to shoot anymore, which will create crazy gun fights! It's another step closer to a more realistic game.

Check out our Reload Rework article for more information about this feature!

Frost to be reworked

With Y8S2, an exciting operator rework is coming to Siege. Frost's traps will be reworked, as players will be allowed to revive themselves. Right now, players who have been trapped by a Frost mat have to wait for a teammate to rescue them.

The rework will also make the attackers bleed after they self-revive while moving and they won't be allowed to sprint.

Read more about the change in our dedicated article!

New shield mechanics

Shield operators will be changing in Y8S4! With the final in-game season of the year, shield operators will be able to look to the sides and even reload while they have their shield extended. However, they will not be able to hip-fire any more and will need to aim down sights to shoot.

Read more about the changes in our dedicated article!

Controller layout presets and full remapping

Ubisoft will soon be adding the option for controller players on Siege to be able to select various different presets for button layouts in the near future. 

Some time after that, they are also aiming to allow full remapping of controller buttons -- just like how PC users can change what buttons on their mice and keyboards do.

Read more about the changes in our dedicated article!

Grim gadget rework

Rainbow Six Siege creative director Alexander Karpazis shared in an interview with SiegeGG that those changes were just the “first step” and teased upcoming changes to his gadget as well. While he declined to give any details, he revealed that Ubisoft is already “working on some prototypes”.

Read more about the changes in our dedicated article!

Free-cam feature

Amongst the bevy of features coming to Rainbow Six Siege in Year 8, Ubisoft will also be adding a “free-cam” feature to the game. It is unclear when the change will be added to the game, however.

Read more about the changes in our dedicated article!

Battlepass UI rework

Ubisoft are responding to player complaints that the Siege battlepass UI is too complicated and will be releasing a UI update for the battlepass in Year 8. However, there was no fixed date given as to when the update will be rolled out to the game.

Read more about the changes in our dedicated article!

Playable Tutorials

From Y8S3, Playable Tutorials will be a thing. These tutorials will be perfect for players who are trying to learn Rainbow Six Siege.

Beginner Challenges

Beginner Challenges will allow players to unlock rewards, boosters, and even operators. It will encourage players to learn all the basics of Siege while also earning prizes.

For more information about these Newcomer Challenges, check out our article!

Permanent Arcade modes and Events

Each operation will have its own event, which will be released during the season. Moreover, starting with Y8S2, Arcade modes will be back... for the whole season!

Machine Learning-powered training playlist

As part of the features revealed during the Year 8 panel, Rainbow Six Siege is set to add a new AI-based training playlist for all players to use.

The addition will arrive in the fourth in-game season, Y8S4, and will be designed to help players to simulate an actual match experience, learn the maps, and get used to the in-game movement.

Read more about the changes in our dedicated article!

Aim Lab-styled warmup tool

Rainbow Six Siege are working on an Aim Lab-styled warmup tool, where players will have the option to shoot at targets in movement or in positions more close to what the game has to offer.