This weekend, you can play Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege for free on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. It is one of the most popular multiplayer shooters on the market. On Steam, it set a new player record in February.
When and where will Rainbow Six: Siege be free? Rainbow Six: Siege will be available for free from Thursday, March 5, at 7:00 PM, until Monday, March 9, at 7:00 PM, on Steam, the Epic Store, the Microsoft Store, and the PlayStation Store.
After the free period ends, you will have to purchase the game to continue using it. Although the developers would like to offer the game permanently as Free2Play, some changes need to be made first.
What kind of shooter is this? Rainbow Six: Siege is all about multiplayer. Two teams compete against each other. One team takes on the role of the attacker, while the other team defends.
Players use so-called operators, each with their unique appearance, story, and special equipment and weapons. In combat, the environment can also be utilized to reinforce walls and expand buildings. Conversely, these and other barriers can be destroyed with explosives.
Rainbow Six: Siege also offers a single-player and a co-op mode in which you can fight against AI. However, these mainly serve as preparation for multiplayer.
What makes Rainbow Six: Siege so good? The shooter especially stands out due to its tactical elements. Players can easily identify with the diverse operators that bring a lot of dynamics to the shooter. Each match plays out differently, enemies can tear down various walls, which adds excitement. Additionally, the game is continually developed and improved.
Rainbow Six: Siege is also among the best multiplayer shooters in 2020 according to MeinMMO.
On Steam, it holds 87% positive ratings, with a total of 489,825 reviews submitted. In the PS Store, it has 4 out of 5 stars based on 549 ratings.
For more details about the game and why it is a shooter you should play this year, check out our special:
Service drives the tactical shooter to new heights
How is the shooter performing currently? Currently, Rainbow Six: Siege has more players on Steam than ever before. With 178,824 concurrent players, a new record was set on the platform in February 2020.
The average of 97,667 players per day is also a new record set in February. The shooter has been on the rise for quite some time. At release in January 2016, the game only reached about 20,000 peak players, and then the numbers even dropped.
A true trend shift first occurred at the end of 2016, and then again at the end of 2017. Since then, the shooter has regularly placed in the top 10 on Steam. It is quite possible that a new record will be set this weekend, just as was the case with ARK: Survival Evolved last week.
It should also be noted that the shooter can be played via Uplay, the Epic Store, and on consoles PS4 and Xbox One. The real player numbers will therefore be significantly higher.
Why is Rainbow Six: Siege so successful? Since its launch, Ubisoft has continually worked on and expanded the shooter. Every year there are four seasons with new content, operators, and new storylines.
Since release, the following additions have come to the game:
- 10 new maps
- many old maps have been revised following criticism
- 32 new operators with unique skills
- 64 new weapons
- new features such as a spectator mode
- several new gadgets, weapon attachments, a ping system and cosmetic content
Many innovations are also planned for the current year, as our colleagues from GameStar summarized.
Who should try Rainbow Six: Siege? Anyone who enjoys tactical shooters like CS:GO or other games in the “Rainbow Six” series should definitely check out the game this weekend.
Additionally, in 2020 new tactical shooters are expected to be released, including:
