What you need to know
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege introduces Vulkan support with its 4.3 update on PC.
- The graphics API sets out to optimize rendering and reduce CPU/GPU load, improving gameplay performance as a result.
- Ubisoft is yet to commit to a release date for Patch 4.3.
Ubisoft has outlined plans to bring Vulkan API to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, targeting title-wide performance enhancements on PC. Joining the ever-growing lineup of Vulkan-compatible titles, it aims to optimize rendering and reduce system usage for the hit tactical shooter. The upcoming Patch 4.3 update marks its public debut, following a brief round of test server trials.
Vulkan support welcomes the new graphics API to Rainbow Six Siege, providing an alternative to DirectX 11, and streamlining utilization of the CPU and GPU. The update primarily sets out to improve performance, with potential framerate gains over the existing PC client.
"In brief, the Vulkan API will enable us to make improvements on workload through Dynamic Texture Indexing to reduce CPU cost, and Dynamic Resolution and AsyncCompute to reduce GPU cost," Ubisoft stated in a post to the Rainbow Six blog. "These features are already used on consoles, and the Vulkan API will allow us to do the same for PC. By combining all these features, we can optimize both the GPU and CPU cost of rendering."
Related: Rainbow Six Siege Year 5: What to expect in 2020
Rainbow Six Siege has toyed with test server Vulkan implementation over recent months, temporarily halting its rollout amid crashes and performance issues. While the API hits the main client with improved stability, it requires manual activation from the game launcher. Ubisoft states public availability will allow the development team to test across a broader range of hardware and eliminate common issues.
"Please keep in mind that as we are still in the process of tweaking and testing Vulkan for Rainbow Six Siege, some players may see no change or potentially decreased performance with the initial live release," stated Ubisoft. "As we continue to move forward with Vulkan, the goal is to optimize Vulkan to improve graphics performance for our players."
Vulkan API debuts in Rainbow Six Siege's next Patch 4.3, accompanied by the latest wave of Operator balancing changes. Upon arrival, Vulkan activation will appear via the game launcher on Uplay or Steam. Ubisoft also recommends newly-updated graphics drivers, specifying Nvidia update 441.87, AMD update 20.1.4, and Intel update 26.20.100.7372.
While Rainbow Six Siege Patch 4.3 is yet to receive a release date, expect updates over the coming weeks.
Addictive, challenging shooter action
Ubisoft's hit shooter is hotter than ever, touting tense tactical gameplay, and regular free updates. Entering 2020 with millions of players, Rainbow Six isn't slowing down.
