Rainbow Six Siege Year 4: Everything we know

Ubisoft has detailed its 2019 plans for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, debuting a fresh wave of seasonal multiplayer updates. And marking a fresh start for the hit tactical shooter, new playable Operators, locations, and more are on the way. While official details on Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 are limited, we've wrapped up everything known so far.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 roadmap

At the Six Invitational 2019, Ubisoft formally unveiled its long-awaited Year 4 roadmap, detailing plans for its coming year of content. Paired with a reveal of Operation Burnt Horizon, the first season of the year, this establishes a strong foundation for what lies ahead.

As with past Rainbow Six Siege annual roadmaps, Year 4 is comprised of four distinct seasons, themed around new counterterrorism units (CTUs). It's a well-established template, bringing two playable Operators, one multiplayer map, and more under each seasonal refresh.

Year 4 also brings changes to seasonal content, distancing itself from traditional setup of themed expansions with an accompanying new multiplayer map. Focusing on map reworks, Ubisoft also plans to ship its most diverse roster yet, spanning seven regions.

Year 4 Season 1, better known as Operation Burnt Horizon, features Australian Operators Mozzie and Gridlock, alongside the new Outback map. Future seasons will focus on map reworks for existing locales, paired with two Operators from different CTUs.

• Year 4 Season 1: Two Australia Operators, new Outback map
• Year 4 Season 2: U.S. Operator, Denmark Operator, Kafe map rework
• Year 4 Season 3: Mexico Operator, Peru Operator, Kanal rework
• Year 4 Season 4: India Operator, Kenya Operator, Theme Park rework

Ubisoft has also outlined mid-season events between mainline content drops, serving as their "playground" to explore concepts outside core game modes. Dedicated teams for Operator balancing, player behavior, and playlists will also debut new changes throughout 2019.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Operators

Year 4's inaugural personalities launched with Operation Burnt Horizon, hailing from Australia's Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) unit. This duo of grease monkeys brought new traps to both sides, dubbed Gridlock and Mozzie. While Gridlock's Trax Stingers keep attackers on their toes, Mozzie's drone-hacking Pest Launcher proves equally challenging. Three future seasons will feature Operators spanning six CTUs, as detailed in its roadmap. It should bring considerable flexibility in the game's art direction and abilities throughout Year 4.

Ubisoft has also begun teasing its plans beyond Burnt Horizon, via an asset for its newly-revealed team leader, Harry "Six" Pandey. Its pinboard background stows teasers for upcoming content, including references to Danish and Peruvian Operators slated for later this year.

The image frames the mysterious Danish hero as an "expert in covert reconnaissance and stealth tactics" with the "ability to blend and adapt into an environment." And discussing ties to Vigil, the new "calculative" stealth Operator likely hails from Denmark's Jaeger Corps special forces. References to Peru can also be spotted, associated with the anti-trafficking efforts of the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series.

Year 4 also brings reworks of Operators, aiming to balance the existing roster via substantial overhauls. The leading candidate in 2019 is Operation Chimera's Lion, known as the highly-controversial attacker with his wall-hack-style ability. His rework shortens the Evil Eye's duration and ditches the full body outline for a red marker, aiming for an intel-driven utility.

Glaz also sees an overhaul, with his heat vision now only activated when stationary. Mute, Capitão and Dokkaebi see changes too, fine-tuning their abilities and how they interact with other gadgets.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 maps and reworks

Multiplayer maps also remain at Year 4's core, tied to each seasonal release in 2019. However, Ubisoft is scaling back investments in new settings, addressing the growing pool of fan favorites with critical flaws.

Outback is Year 4's only new map, exploring the Australian red desert through a two-story service station. The L-shaped construct splits into three distinct zones, each boasting unique gameplay. The open garage hosts vertical encounters with long sightlines, while the motel and restaurant foster tight angles and close quarters combat.

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Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 also packs three full map reworks, reviving existing in-game locations with a fresh coat of paint. Like 2018's Hereford Base rework, map layouts are refreshed to improve overall flow, while also offering a new palette. Kafe, Kanal, and Theme Park will debut in their respective seasons, tweaking room layouts, moving objectives, and more.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Pass

With Year 4 comes the Year 4 Pass, offering paid year-long bonuses for Rainbow Six Siege players. The game's premium membership is now live for the coming year, with exclusive rewards for early adopters.

The Year 4 Pass retains the seven-day early access to eight new Operators, alongside 600 R6 Credits, the game's premium currency. Various title-wide bonuses also return, include 10 percent in-game store discount, 5 percent Renown XP boost, and 0.3 percent Alpha Pack advantage.

Those who purchase the Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Pass also recieve the "Lava Six" charm with its fiery glowing finish. And for purchases before March 4, 2019, the "Volcano" universal weapon skin packed an equally hot touch.

Rainbow Six Siege's Year 4 Pass is now available for purchase on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, via Amazon, priced at $30.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 release dates

Going forward, expect each Year 4 season to be separated by roughly three-months, spacing the expansions over the year. Based on previous season releases, here's when to expect each:

• Rainbow Six Siege Operation Burnt Horizon – March 6, 2019
• Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Season 2 – May/June 2019
• Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Season 3 – August/September 2019
• Rainbow Six Siege Year 4 Season 4 – November/December 2019

Expect firmer details on the next season in the months ahead, alongside mid-season patches for Burnt Horizon.

Your hopes for Year 4

What do you hope to see from Rainbow Six Siege in 2019? Drop into the comments below with your wishlist and any predictions for the coming year. In the meantime, Rainbow Six Siege's Year 4 Pass is available right now for $30.

Updated February 19, 2019 Refreshed with new details from the Six Invitiational