Ubisoft free-to-play FPS XDefiant finally gets a release date

Ubisoft has finally confirmed the release date for its long-delayed free-to-play FPS, XDefiant.

The game will go live on May 21, on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

According to Ubisoft, the game’s Preseason will start on that date, and will last for six weeks before the first proper season begins.

During Preseason, players will have access to 14 maps, five modes and 24 weapons (including 44 attachments).

It will also feature the previously confirmed five factions from different Ubisoft series – Libertad (Far Cry), Phantoms (Ghost Recon), Echelon (Splinter Cell), Cleaners (The Division) and Dedsec (Watch Dogs). Dedsec will only be available “after unlocking or purchasing”.

Following the Preseason, XDefiant will have a new season every three months, with Year 1’s four seasons each adding one more faction, three new weapons and three new maps. Each season will also have a 90-tier battle pass.

The game has seen numerous delays over the months. In June 2023, Ubisoft stated that XDefiant was expected to launch later that summer, with a final ‘open session’ taking place on June 21-23, after which the game would be released.

By September, when it was clear that this summer window was going to be missed, executive producer Mark Rubin said that an October 2023 release appeared “likely” due to the game failing Microsoft and Sony’s console certification tests.

It was then announced in October that the game was being delayed again, after its beta exposed some issues that had to be addressed before the game’s Preseason could be released.

The game was initially revealed in July 2021 as Tom Clancy’s XDefiant. At the time, it only included factions from Tom Clancy franchises Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon and The Division.

But in March 2022, Ubisoft announced that it was dropping the Tom Clancy branding and introducing additional factions from its wider catalogue of IP.