All we know about Rainbow Six Siege Year 9, from new Operators to roadmap
Year 9 in Rainbow Six Siege looks to be one of the most exciting in a while, with a few new Operators on the way and a roadmap full of long-awaited changes.
While reaching the 10th year is something that will bring a huge celebration to the game - and rightly so - that's not to say that its ninth annum is by any means quiet. We've already seen what's on the horizon for Y9S1, but find out everything that's in store for the whole of Year 9 right here.
Who are the new Operators in Year 9?
Click to enlargeDeimos is the first new Operator joining the game in Season 1, and an unnamed Greek Operator - who will most likely be a Defender - will arrive in Season 3.
Unlike recent years, this is the first time that we're only getting two new Operators in the game, as opposed to the typical four. While Seasons 2 and 4 will not have a new character, they will instead feature 'Remasters' to existing Operators, namely the Recruit in Season 2, and an unnamed American Operator in Season 4. The latter is presumed to be Blackbeard, but we will have to wait and see for this to be confirmed.
Click to enlargeThis does signal a change to the way that the Premium Battle Pass works, but instead of gaining the new Operator in the even Seasons, players will instead earn an Operator token to unlock any of their choice, or 600 R6 Credits if they already own every Attacker and Defender.
Rainbow Six Siege Year 9 roadmap
Click to enlargeAs you can see, the roadmap for Year 9 in Rainbow Six Siege is looking stacked - even if it's somewhat lacking in the 'new content' that you'd typically see. See our full seasonal breakdown below for everything that's planned so far:
Season 1
- New Operator Deimos
- Shield rework
- Attachment & ADS upgrade
- Locker
Deimos is the obvious new headlining feature for Season 1, as there are few things that drive more excitement within the community than a new Operator. Joining him though is a plethora of changes that have been long awaited, and should help improve the health of the game.
The Shield rework is something that I've had my eyes on for a long time as they've been a frustration for me and many other players. Joining that importantly is a huge shift to the way that optics and aiming down sights work, which should help combat the 'TDM Meta' that has reigned supreme in the past few Seasons.
Finally, the last key feature here is the new Locker feature, which allows players to see their entire inventory of skins in one handy place, which I'll certainly welcome for a game that is entering its ninth year of operation.
Season 2
- Reputation System
- Marketplace
- Recruit Remaster
- Map filters
The full release of the Reputation System has been long-awaited and it's finally arriving in Season 2. What new additions are on the horizon are still yet to be seen, but it will certainly be something that'll improve each and every match.
Much of the same is true for the Marketplace too, as that will likely be a monumental addition to the game's ecosystem once it is fully up and running - especially if the beta is anything to go by.
A Remaster for the Recruit Operator is at the forefront when it comes to new characters, and it's something where I have genuinely no idea what they will do with the format. There's also balancing to both Fenrir and Solis - with the latter being split across Seasons 2 and 3.
Finally, another huge change comes in the new map filters scheduled to arrive in Season 2, which allow players to pick between different pools for Standard matchmaking. The options will most likely be the Ranked pool, a specific Quick Match pool, or all of the maps in one large net - so you'll have the flexibility to play how you want.
Season 3
- New Greek Operator
- Badges & Career Page
- More Operator balancing
The final Operator of Year 9 is arriving in Season 3, and will likely be a Defender to balance out Deimos' Attacking contribution. There's currently no further info about what this new Op will bring to the team, but I'll keep this page updated when we find out more.
Alongside the new Operator is further balancing to existing characters. The second part of Solis' balancing will finish in Season 3, alongside adjustments to Dokkaebi on the Attacking side of things. Generally, the balancing aim for Year 9 is to increase the strength of Attackers, so we'll likely see these balancing adjustments tuned towards this ethos.
Click to enlargeOne of the features that I'm most excited about though is the addition of a Career Page and Badges that you can display. From what we've seen these Badges will be earned through the completion of certain challenges, and will be displayable on both our Career Page and the Operator select screen.
The Career Page then will be a dedicated hub to your Siege profile, detailing everything you'll want to know about your journey from your overall stats, Seasonal info, and even your inventory.
Season 4
- Operator Remaster
- Crossplay update
- Match cancellation
As Season 4 is still a while away we don't have too much info, but there's still plenty to look forward to. This Season's Operator Remaster is an unnamed American character who we can presume to be Blackbeard, so hopefully the shield-wielding Attacker will finally be more relevant within the meta.
There are also updates to the crossplay system that should give players on console greater flexibility when it comes to playing with their PC friends, and Ubisoft has also mentioned an update to the match cancellation feature to coincide with updates to anti-cheat.
Are there any new maps in Year 9?
It doesn't look like there will be any new maps added to the game in Year 9 if we go by the roadmap, but things could always change as the Seasons progress. Furthermore, there's also no mention of any map reworks at all, which would be somewhat surprising to see.
That's everything we know about Year 9 in Rainbow Six Siege, but make sure to check back here again as soon as the year progresses, as I'll be updating the page with new info if and when it arrives.
Check out our Rainbow Six Siege homepage for more tips and tricks, where we've got you covered with a complete Operator tier list and everything you need to master the ranking system.
