Ubisoft’s free-to-play shooter XDefiant sets May 21st release date, seasonal roadmap revealed

XDefiant, Ubisoft’s free-to-play first-person shooter, finally has a release date. After a delay, the game’s preseason will launch on May 21 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X via Ubisoft Connect. According to the studio, XDefiant will feature five different game modes across 14 maps at launch. Players will start with 24 weapons and 44 attachments and will be able to try out five playable factions inspired by Ubisoft franchises.

Ubisoft also provided a brief roadmap for the online shooter, detailing the planned content drops for the season after the pre-season launch. According to the studio, XDefiant’s preseason will last six weeks before the first season begins. The game will receive a new season every three months, with each new season bringing new weapons, maps, events, and a new faction.

In its first year, XDefiant will add four factions, 12 weapons, and 12 maps to the content available at preseason launch. The five factions at launch will be based on familiar groups of Ubisoft games such as Far Cry, Splinter Cell and Watch Dogs. These will include Echelon, Phantoms, Cleaners, Libertad and Dedsec (once unlocked or purchased). The game will also launch with five modes — Domination, Hot Shot, Occupy, Escort and Zone Control.

XDefiant was shelved in September of last year because the game failed to be console certified with PlayStation and Xbox. The game was originally expected to launch in the summer of 2023, before certification issues pushed the likely release to October 2023. XDefiant was delayed again, with the game targeting a 2024 release window.

Ubisoft also held a closed beta in April 2023. In our impressions of the closed beta session, we found that XDefiant will likely struggle to stand out in a market saturated with online shooters and dominated by Call of Duty, despite its smooth execution.

XDefiant was first announced in 2021, promising “fast-paced 6-v-6 arena combat with faction-based abilities.” The game will go live on May 21 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET or 10:30 PM IST.