The fans are itching like Rainbow Six Siege (R6 wins) is nearing the release of the long-awaited Year 9 Season 1 content drop.
The hugely popular Ubisoft multiplayer shooter has been a mega-hit for the studio, continuing to cultivate a passionate community nearly a decade after its initial release.
Part of this continued success has been Ubisoft Montreal’s commitment to adding more gameplay. Extensive annual roadmaps bring various changes to the game, players to play with, and a number of cosmetic items to dress up characters in-game.
When will Rainbow Six Siege Year 9 be released?
Announced as part of the live 2024 Six Invitational, R6 Year 9 (subtitled Operation Deadly Omen) starts soon.
Year 9, Season 1 Rainbow Six Siege will officially launch on Tuesday, March 12.
No exact schedule has been announced based on when the new season starts, but the title’s updates have followed a pretty tight schedule so far.
Typically, new updates to a title are preceded by several hours of downtime preparing the servers for the upcoming season.
This server shutdown usually occurs around 6am PT/9am ET and lasts between one and four hours.
This means that players who want to enjoy Season 1 of Year 9 as soon as possible can do so sometime between 7:00 AM PT/10:00 AM ET and 10:00 AM PT and 1:00 PM ET.
While such periods of downtime usually go without a hitch, there is always the possibility that the servers will be down for longer periods of time when Rainbow Six the team will deal with any problems.
Epic Games Fortnite was offline for most of the day with the recent release of Chapter 5 Season 2, so fans should keep a close eye on Ubisoft’s official channels for updates if anything goes wrong.
It’s all included in Rainbow Six Siege Season 1 Episode 9
Rainbow Six Siege Season 1 of Year 9 will be full of new content for the game, bringing big changes to Ubisoft’s tactical shooter.
Kicking off a new year of content in the popular multiplayer game is a brand new operator for players to control.
This new playable character is known as Deimos. He is an offensive-oriented character equipped with an AK-47, a tactical shotgun, and various battlefield equipment.
What makes Deimo stand out is his Deathmark Tracker ability. This special new mechanic allows the character to trigger a “small flying probe” that “finds the selected object and reveals its location” (via Ubisoft):
“A small flying probe searches for a selected target and reveals their location to Deimos while also revealing his location. With his custom .44 Vendetta as the only available weapon on the chase, Deimos makes it personal.”
Also coming R6 Year 9 Season 1 has some changes Siege a gameplay loop that will surely shake up the almost decades old game.
One of the biggest new improvements is the renewed use of shields in the game. Characters like Montage and Blitz who use Ballistic Shields as their primary weapon will no longer be able to fire from the hip while wearing a shield.
While these characters lose this offensive option for shield users, they can now Sprint with their shield up, allowing them to crash into full health barricades.
Other upcoming changes include a revamped aim-down aiming system, new weapon attachments and revamped requirements for participating in ranked matches.
The future of Rainbow Six Siege
season 1 / R6 wins Year 9 is just the beginning of the game’s 2024 plans.
Ubisoft already outlined three additional seasons after Season 1, each expected to last around three months.
These other content drops introduce players to a new reputation system, the long-awaited Siege Marketplace that allows players to trade items in-game, and other balance changes and new gameplay improvements.
Of course, at least one new operator is also on the way (which will be released in conjunction with Season 3), but the details of the new character are still unknown.
As for after year 9 Rainbow Six SiegeUbisoft previously mentioned a 10-year plan for the title (via IGN):
“Today we have 36 operators. Year 3 will bring eight new operators. (the goal of 100) is not only a symbol, it’s an indication of the longevity we want to put into the game. Again, we’re saying very loudly there’s no continuation here, and we’re here for the next 10 years , so expect more ‘Rainbow Six’ in your life for a while.”
While plans may have changed since that 10-year plan comment, these next content drops could set up a grand finale for the beloved multiplayer game.
Rainbow Six Siege is now available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
