Ubisoft recently shared their big plans for the upcoming Year 11 of Rainbow Six Siege during the Six Invitational event. They’re calling it one of their most exciting roadmaps yet for the game.

The main focus seems to be on making the core 5v5 gameplay even better, improving fairness in matches, and continuing to release new content regularly. It all kicks off with the first season, called Operation Silent Hunt, which is set to begin on March 3.

Solid Snake Joins Rainbow Six Siege in Operation Silent Hunt

The first season will introduce a new permanent character who is a crossover from the popular Metal Gear Solid series: Solid Snake.

Solid Snake will be an Attacker, bringing tools that help gather information and a new sidearm to the game called the TACIT .45. This is a semi-automatic pistol with a built-in silencer, perfect for sneaking in quietly and taking out enemies precisely. Ubisoft says Snake is all about being sneaky, quick, and knowing where the enemy is, giving attacking teams new ways to control the map before they push onto the objective.

Along with Snake’s arrival, the first season will also have a special limited-time event. In this 4v4 mission, Snake teams up with another character, Zero, to retrieve stolen information. Players will be able to earn special cosmetic items, including Jackal dressed as Gray Fox and Ash as Meryl.

David Hayter, the long-time voice actor for Snake, will also provide voice lines for the character in the game.

Ubisoft is also adding a special mission called “Last Assignment” within the Dual Front mode, as a special treat for Metal Gear fans. It’s worth noting that this will be the last season for the Dual Front mode before it’s removed from the game.

New 1v1 Mode, Map Updates, and Ranked Changes

For a couple of weeks during the first season, Rainbow Six Siege will feature a 1v1 duel mode in the Arcade section. These matches will be quick and intense, focusing purely on your shooting skills and how you move, stripping the game down to its basic mechanics.

Three maps – Oregon, Coastline, and Villa – are also getting a visual makeover and some adjustments to how much of the environment can be destroyed.

The first season also marks the beginning of a new schedule for content updates, with four balancing changes happening each season and two different map rotations for Ranked play. Ubisoft mentioned that the early part of Year 11 will focus on the Entry and Roaming playstyles, following some changes made to characters like Skopos, Alibi, and Ela.

R6 ShieldGuard Anti-Cheat & Competitive Overhaul

Besides new content, Year 11 is also about making the game fairer for everyone. On PC, Ubisoft is introducing R6 ShieldGuard Secure Platform. This is a new security feature that works with your computer’s startup process to improve how the game protects against cheating at a deeper level.

In the third season, a new playlist will be added for highly skilled players who want to play alone, called Legend Division. This is designed for the very best players in Ranked mode. A new long-term system called Operator Mastery will also be introduced, allowing players to increase their skill level with each individual operator over time.

The second season will bring an updated version of Dokkaebi, changing her to be a more aggressive character who can disrupt enemy information, and she’ll get a new weapon. A brand-new map called Calypso Casino will also be added, ready for Ranked play. This map is a modern design inspired by the Vegas setting from previous Rainbow Six games.

The third season will introduce a new Defender character made to counter players who rely heavily on shields, along with a temporary 3v3 mode in Arcade.

The fourth season will feature a Social Hub where players can manage their squads across different platforms and will also update the Hostage mode to make it more suitable for competitive matches.

Rainbow Six Mobile Launch Date Confirmed

Separate from the Year 11 plans, Ubisoft has confirmed that Rainbow Six Mobile will be available worldwide on February 23 for both iOS and Android devices.

The mobile version will include 5v5 matches on maps like Bank, Border, Clubhouse, Oregon, and Villa. It will also feature game modes such as Bomb, Ranked, Team Deathmatch, and Quick Play.

With over 100 million players having signed up over the years, Siege is heading into its eleventh year with a clear goal: to improve the core gameplay, make competitive play more reliable, and keep adding new content without losing the game’s tactical roots.