The 2025 Call of Duty League (CDL) Championship marks the fifth time the franchised league will determine its eventual champion. This year’s event takes place in Kitchener, Canada, marking the first time the biggest event in the Call of Duty esports calendar has occurred outside of the United States.

Boston Breach will compete in its third Champs since joining the CDL in 2021. After overhauling its roster in 2024, the franchise has a chance to make an unprecedented run to championship glory.

Esports Insider sheds light on Boston Breach’s eventful regular season and its chances of impacting the season’s final Call of Duty League LAN event.

Below are the players representing Boston Breach at Championship Weekend: 

Like several players competing in the CDL, Snoopy rose through the ranks competing in Challengers while representing Boston Breach’s academy roster. Regular top-eight finishes in online Elite competitions, followed up by a third place at the 2023 Toronto Open, saw the Mexican promoted to the main roster for the 2023 CDL Championship, resulting in an impressive top-six finish. 

After joining the CDL in 2019, Cammy has become one of the most experienced players from the UK. In July 2024, Cammy joined Boston ahead of the inaugural Esports World Cup, recording a top-eight finish and a share of $80,000 (~£58,976) in prize money.

Owakening has cemented himself as an established name in North American Call of Duty, having represented several franchises since 2020. The player caught the attention of many in his debut season under the Florida Mutineers, winning weeks nine and ten of regular-season competition.

Having competed alongside Cammy and Owakening under the OMiT Brooklyn banner throughout most of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 season, Purj joined his teammates in the highest tier of Call of Duty esports. With plenty of experience, the 22-year-old will be key if Boston can end the season on a high. 

The Black Ops 6 season has been a season of struggles for Boston Breach, despite possessing plenty of skill and experience on its roster. The opening Major of the year saw the franchise towards the top of the table, securing the third seed.

Despite a strong online showing, Boston was unable to translate its form onto a LAN setting, falling at the hands of Atlanta FaZe and Cloud9 New York, dumping the team out of the tournament with a disappointing top-12 finish. 

Major 2 saw a dip in online form, resulting in the franchise locking in the eighth seed. Despite a tricky draw against the Los Angeles Thieves, Boston managed to overcome a huge hurdle, advancing to the next round. Any momentum generated from the victory was short-lived.

A 3-1 defeat to Vancouver Surge, followed by a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Toronto Ultra, sent the team home. Although the losses stopped a potential run to the winner’s bracket final, Boston left the second Major with a top-six finish and a platform to build on for the second half of the season. 

Major 3 qualifiers were another step in the right direction, ending three weeks of matches with the second seed. A victory against an out-of-sorts OpTic Texas saw the organisation advance to the next round, where Vancouver stopped Boston Breach’s winner’s bracket campaign before it could build any steam.  Another elimination bracket defeat to Toronto Ultra marked Boston’s second top-six finish, a sign of some consistency building. 

Boston Breach’s fourth and final Major campaign began on the back foot, finishing ninth in qualifiers before a 3-2 defeat to Minnesota Rokkr rounded off a disappointing run of form following back-to-back top-six placements.

Boston Breach heads into Championship Weekend hoping it can rekindle the form which saw it solidify its place in the highly competitive midfield pack. With a wealth of experience and skill at its disposal, there is a chance of the franchise breaching its way into the latter stages of the tournament. 

However, the Los Angeles Thieves stand in its way in the first round. Boston has bested the Major 3 and 4 winners and could do it all again if the team manages to fire on all cylinders on the big stage. 

For more about Call of Duty League’s other franchises competing at Championship Weekend, take a look at Esports Insider’s other previews: 

Boston Breach is owned by North American esports organisation Oxygen Esports and Kraft Sports and Entertainment, the owners of the New England Patriots.

Boston Breach exclusively competes in the Call of Duty League. However, its sister organisation, Oxygen Esports, competes in Rainbow Six Siege.

The Call of Duty League is a franchised esports league operated by Activision Blizzard, the publisher of the Call of Duty franchise. The league features 12 teams based in North America competing across a hybrid of online and LAN tournaments throughout the year.

Clash, Blackbeard, and various other operators have received reworks and updates over the last few years. Though Clash is the most recent, Ubisoft plans to rework other popular operators until the entire roster can compete on an equal playing field.

There’s more opportunity to update characters than ever before following the launch of Rainbow Six Siege X, so let’s jump into a few of the prime candidates for a character remake in the future.

A character rework may be necessary for various reasons, including low damage or an obsolete gadget. Sometimes, a new operator will release with an ability that’s similar to an already existing character, but more powerful. When an operator’s gadget becomes obsolete, they rarely get picked by the competitive player base.

There are over 70 operators in Rainbow Six Siege X, and it’s important that each character brings something unique to the table.

Below, we’ve detailed five operators who would benefit from a rework in Siege X if they are to compete with the massive roster, which is filled with distinct and powerful gadgets. The oldest operators are the most logical choices, as many of them have abilities that simply aren’t useful anymore, and in some cases, they’ve been replaced by better options.

Alibi is probably the most useful operator on our list, as her hologram gadget can confuse and redirect enemies. However, Alibi could gain new abilities, like the power to conjure up holograms of operators other than herself.

It would also be helpful if Alibi’s holograms could display movement so that it’s harder to predict whether it’s a projection versus the actual character prior to attacking. Alibi is such a fun character to play, but her power is lacklustre compared to more recent operators, so even a simple buff would make a huge difference in Alibi’s competitive viability.

Every attacker has a drone that can be used to mark enemy operators and discover environmental gadgets mid-match. Twitch takes this mechanic a step further by allowing the player to shoot out a shockwave while operating her drone, dealing a small amount of damage to enemies and destroying certain gadgets.

Twitch’s drone could become more powerful with the introduction of destructible ingredients, too. We hope to see the shock drone receive an overhaul that buffs its damage, speed, and manoeuvrability. Twitch’s unique drone is useful, but it could be better if buffed, creating a more viable attacker overall.

Mute can stop attackers in their tracks by jamming the signal of select enemy gadgets, like drones and devices that detonate remotely. There are a few ways that this defender could be reworked, as simply allowing Mute to place his signal disruptors on walls would offer a notable upgrade.

The signal disruptors also have plenty of counters, like Twitch’s shock attack, so providing a buff to their durability could be useful. Like with Clash’s shield, Mute really just needs a few tweaks to his gadget to become a powerful combatant, so hopefully, he receives a rework in the near future.

Blackbeard and Clash are both shield operators who received major overhauls within the last year, so it’s logical to assume that Montagne or Blitz could be next. Ubisoft has even indicated that an attacker will be reworked in Season 4.

If Blitz does get reworked, then his tactical shield might receive a nerf. Unlike many of the other operators we’ve listed, Blitz isn’t underpowered, as his shield can blind enemies in front of him. This ability is challenging to counter and offers an easy opening for Blitz to take out multiple foes.

Blitz’s remake might focus on reducing the number of flash charges from four to three, then introducing new ways to deal damage. Each shield operator has received various changes throughout Siege’s history, and we think nerfing Blitz’s flash while buffing his ability to damage opponents might create a fairer fight for everyone.

In specific situations, IQ can be very useful. The Spectre gadget can detect electronic devices through walls, making IQ the perfect scout at the beginning of a round. IQ was a great attacker in the early years of Rainbow Six Siege, but she has since become less useful as more powerful attackers have been added to the roster.

An IQ rework might include a remote way to temporarily disable enemy gadgets that are electronic, without the need for a gun. Such a strong ability would probably need to be rounded out by a nerf, so perhaps IQ would lose her ability to access a pistol while the Spectre is equipped, and the range could be reduced, too.

As you can see by the diverse lineup of characters we picked for future reworks, the list of operators who need a buff is expansive. Some attackers and defenders could simply use an increase to their damage output, while others need an entirely redesigned gadget to become competitive in 2025.

Ubisoft will likely prioritise older operators who can’t compete with newer gadgets in Rainbow Six Siege X, but regardless of who gets reworked, it’s clear that Ubisoft wants to focus heavily on modernising the existing roster.

Rainbow Six Siege X is a huge step up for the first-person shooter, especially for the competitive community. With a new esports tab and operator ban system, there’s a lot to understand about the next chapter of the Tom Clancy FPS.

The Pick and Ban system will completely change how Ranked matches play out, so let’s take a closer look at how it will affect competitive Siege, and, eventually, esports as a whole.

The Pick and Ban system was implemented in the Siege X update on June 10, 2025, so players are still getting accustomed to its nuances. Instead of operator bans taking place at the beginning of a new match, each team can now vote to select a character to ban from the opposing team’s roster before every round.

Bans reset when teams switch between attacking and defending, so you’ll still be able to play as a defender you banned while you were attacking, for example. The new system allows you to strategically pick off operators that are causing your team trouble mid-match, so it’ll likely shift the meta and give less popular characters a chance to shine.

Pick and Ban will probably result in a long-term meta shift, as players may save their best operators for later rounds to prevent losing access to their main characters. Whether you’re new to Siege or you’ve been playing since the start, Pick and Ban will have a major effect on how you approach choosing an operator, especially in Ranked.

Popular characters, like Zero and Finka, could be commonly banned in the Pick and Ban system. However, we don’t expect the most popular operators to be the primary target of Pick and Ban. Instead, the most difficult characters to counter will probably be banned first, even if they’re not as commonly used.

Mira is a defender who can create holes in walls to watch or attack unsuspecting opponents, so she’ll probably be banned often in competitive matches and tournaments. Operators who can impair vision, equip a shield, or track opponents might also be commonly banned.

There are dozens of possible characters that players will hone in on when choosing an operator to prohibit, but the great thing about Pick and Ban is that bans can be adjusted mid-match, so every game will have a unique lineup of available characters. Some lesser-used operators might even become more popular in Ranked as a result, which could include characters with weaker gadgets like Twitch and Alibi.

The meta in Rainbow Six Siege X is affected by many factors, and a new ban system will certainly have a huge effect on how players approach combat. As previously highlighted, some operators will now become more popular due to the ban system, while powerful characters will likely be less used at the beginning of a match to prevent being banned early.

This will result in teams requiring more versatile strategies in case their favourite operators get banned. Players need to learn more characters now, which may shift Siege towards a meta where players rely less on operator-specific gadgets and more on weapons that can be used with multiple attackers or defenders.

The introduction of destructible ingredients across each modernised map could also result in fewer operator combos and a greater focus on strategies that rely on weaponry or secondary gadgets that aren’t locked behind a certain character, like Barbed Wire. The esports meta will likely become less focused on individual operators in 2025, and upcoming tournaments could help display this shift.

Other hero-based shooters, like Apex Legends, have also implemented character ban mechanics in recent years. The Apex Legends Global Series (ALGS) recently added a system that bans the most-picked character from a series at the end of each match.

Unlike in Siege, opposing teams can’t choose who gets banned in Apex Legends, but the ALGS ban system also results in a situation where the most powerful characters are often banned first. Siege’s Pick and Ban may inspire similar mechanics in other esports titles, like VALORANT. Some games have implemented character ban systems for esports competitions, but not for everyday play.

Pick and Ban proves that a voting-based ban system can work for Ranked play, as opposed to using it exclusively for esports, so hopefully, we’ll see more of these mechanics due to their recent popularity in Siege X and the ALGS.

Competitive video games that focus on a roster of selectable characters will always be somewhat unbalanced by default. Some heroes are simply more powerful than others, and the meta shifts in every patch. Systems like Pick and Ban allow players to take control over who they face, and as a result, the meta of the game at large.

The Pick and Ban system represents a move towards increased agency for competitive players, as it puts the control in the hands of real fans. As esports gain popularity, we may see more ban systems implemented to help counter unbalanced character pools in competitive shooters, and Siege X offers a fresh format that could inspire the next generation of FPS titles.

Ubisoft has revealed details for acquiring tickets for its upcoming Rainbow Six Siege X esports tournament, the BLAST R6 Munich Major, which will take place from November 8th-16th, 2025.

Fans can acquire the tickets from Wednesday, June 18th, when the presale begins, before they eventually go public on Friday, June 20th, 2025.

In a blog post online, Ubisoft wrote: “The BLAST R6 Major is coming to Munich, and this is your chance to be part of the Siege X experience live! From November 14th to 16th, the world’s top Siege X teams will battle it out in front of thousands of fans at the BMW Park Arena.

“With $750,000 on the line and a place at the Paris Six Invitational 2026 up for grabs, history will be made — and you can be there to witness it.”

According to the blog, fans eager to attend the event can use their Ubisoft account to gain access to ticket sales early. However, pre-sale access is limited, so haste will be essential to secure a place at the upcoming tournament.

As Ubisoft highlighted, the BLAST R6 Munich Major 2025 will pit the top 16 teams against one another. The teams are decided by the top placements of each regions’ major qualifier league, consisting of Asia, North America, South America and Europe. They will each be competing against one another for the lion’s share of a $750,000 prize pool.

The tournament will also feature the recent in-game overhaul update, Siege X, meaning fans will be able to see professional players compete with enhanced visuals, destructible ingredients, round-based bans and more.

The top team that wins the BLAST R6 Munich Major 2025 will also qualify for the Six Invitational 2026, which will feature top teams from events such as the Europe MENA League 2025 Regional Finals and top-ranking teams from the Global Standings.

A new chapter for Rainbow Six Siege has launched with dozens of changes and additions that will completely transform how fans play. With Siege X, Rainbow Six Siege is going free-to-play, plus a new mode called Dual Front was just released to offer a casual experience for new and seasoned players alike.

There’s a lot to wrap your head around as a beginner in Siege X, so we’ve put together this guide to help new players better understand the core mechanics of Ubisoft’s first-person shooter.

Though it’s not quite a sequel, Siege X is a massive update for Ubisoft’s tactical shooter, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. Siege is an online PvP shooter that focuses on round-based gameplay. Two teams, attackers and defenders, go head-to-head to achieve objectives or eliminate everyone on the enemy team.

The Siege X upgrade launched alongside the latest season, Operation Daybreak, on June 10, 2025. This update introduced an overhaul for Clash, along with the Dual Front mode. Read on to find out which operators and modes are best for beginners.

Operators in Siege X are split up into two categories known as attackers and defenders. Each operator has an exclusive gadget, and mixing characters allows for unique strategies.

If you’re new to Siege, then we recommend you focus on a few operators with simple gadgets while learning the basic mechanics of each game mode. Combat in Siege is slower-paced than other first-person shooters on the market, so there’s a lot to absorb as a new player.

There are lots of defenders that offer easy-to-use gadgets, but two that are especially simple are Rook and Kapkan. While playing as Rook, you can place down armour that every player on your team can grab for a defence boost, allowing you to assist your teammates without any gameplay knowledge required.

If you’re looking for an operator who’s a little more hands-on, then Kapkan is a good choice for beginners. Kapkan can place traps in windows or door frames that explode upon a player walking through the entrance. For players seeking the best defending operator for beginners, Kapkan can’t be beat, though Rook’s ability is a bit more simplistic.

If you find yourself on the attacking team as a new player, you should try a character that can assist your entire team and yourself. Finka’s gadget will temporarily boost your team’s aim and offer a buff to player health, so even if you don’t get an elimination, you’ll still help your teammates immensely.

If you’re seeking a more direct combat style, then perhaps Twitch is for you. Twitch carries a special drone that can use a ranged attack to damage defenders or destroy enemy gadgets. Drones are a core part of Siege, as you need them to infiltrate the enemy team and plan your strategy. Twitch is a great pick for a beginner because she gives new fans a chance to drone roam with a stronger device.

We’ve listed every core playlist below in the order beginners should try them, so that you can better understand how each mode functions.

The Training tab in the Playlists menu offers tutorials, field training, and even a shooting range. The Landmark Drill and Target Drill modes will help you learn the basics of map navigation before jumping into more competitive modes, while Deathmatch places you into casual experiences like Team Deathmatch and Free For All.

Overall, Siege X’s Training tab is a great place to start your tactical journey, especially if you want to practice against AI enemies.

Dual Front is Siege’s newest game mode, and it’s also one of the best experiences for a new player. Ubisoft designed Dual Front to be friendly for beginners by enabling respawns and allowing attackers and defenders on the same team.

Each team consists of six combatants, and players can pick from a variety of operators throughout a season, so the meta will change often. The goal of Dual Front is for your team to overtake the enemy’s sectors on the map, which consists of both indoor and outdoor locations.

Throughout a match, an assignment may pop up. Completing assignments is a secondary objective, but it’s worthwhile because it offers your team an advantage upon success.

If you’re looking for a more competitive mode than Dual Front but don’t want to commit to the longer matches of Unranked, then Quick Match is a good choice. Players compete to eliminate the enemy team or complete an objective in order to win the round.

Winning four rounds will crown a team victorious in Quick Match. You’ll encounter three objective types, including a hostage rescue, defusing a bomb, and securing the area. Like Unranked and Ranked, Quick Match rotates between a wide variety of maps that each offer a unique layout.

Unranked is the core 5v5 experience for Siege players who don’t want to play Ranked. Attackers work to defuse bombs while defenders try to stop them, though eliminating the entire opposing team will also secure a victory.

The team that wins six rounds first will win the entire match, and both teams can vote to ban any operator they desire at the start of every round.

Note: Leaving in the middle of Unranked or Ranked matches will result in a matchmaking suspension for both modes and have negative effects on a player’s renown.

Ranked is similar to Unranked in that it’s a 5v5 mode where attackers fight to defuse a bomb and defenders try to stand their ground, but the stakes are higher since you can earn a variety of seasonal rewards. The operator ban system lets both teams ban a character each round.

We recommend that you understand how to play at least four attackers and defenders each before heading into Ranked, since you need to be prepared if your favourite characters receive a ban.

Note: Players need to reach level 50 and own the Elite Edition of Siege X to participate in Ranked mode.

With the introduction of Dual Front and an in-game esports hub, it’s a great time to dive into Siege as a casual or competitive gamer. Dual Front lets players test out the operator pool before jumping into harder modes, while the modernised maps provide a more realistic template for your combat encounters.

R6 Siege X is built to be easy to understand for new fans, and with its free-to-play status, Siege is likely to see a major uptick in player count throughout 2025.

Ten years after its arrival, Rainbow Six Siege has welcomed a new era that delivers a large slice of the type of gameplay we’d expect from CS2. So with the Rainbow Six Siege X release date now passed, it’s time to do more than a fly-by on the similarities and differences between the two. While CS2 is a darling of Steam charts, R6 Siege is popular… but could it be the Siege X update that boosts it to the next level?

Possibly. Below, we’ll look at an overview of the update before a dive into Rainbow Six Siege X gameplay and its specific elements when compared to CS2. If you’re not sure which is for you, we hope to help you whether you’re choosing between the two for the first time or considering a temporary (or permanent) switch. 

At 10 years old, Rainbow Six Siege was given a new update delivering ‘Siege X’, which shifts the title to a free-to-access model and adds a new mode to the title. The Siege X release date delivered what Ubisoft calls a “unique, permanent 6v6 game mode” named ‘Dual Front’, in which six teams can battle across a map, seeking to control their own and the enemy team’s sectors across a larger play area. This differs from the regular ‘attack or defend’ R6 Siege gameplay dynamic, and in more ways than just the ability to do both, with several key additions layering the tactics required to win.

As part of this new ‘Dual Front’ mode, the Siege X update adds respawns, combining attack and defend operatives in a single team for the first time, and adds a ‘Dual Front Neutral Sector’ to the Dual Front mode. This sector focuses on dynamic objectives known as ‘Assignments’, which will change every season and, when secured by a team, will deliver gameplay rewards. 

But Siege X is a bit more than Dual Front, as the R6 Siege X update adds the following:

One of the most obvious reference points for the newly added Siege X gameplay is CS2, not just because it’s a tactical shooter. That new Siege X game mode, ‘Dual Front’, is intended to be more accessible to players of map-control-focused shooters, so players of CS2 or…let’s say, VALORANT, may feel more comfortable checking it out.

To this end, though, the larger Siege X map in Dual Front will offer a more layered gameplay experience compared to CS2, with Siege X’s added verticality, dynamic objectives, and map interactivity (destruction). However, a 6v6 game mode with a huge focus on tactical elements and securing sectors is just honestly a different proposition from a 5v5 single-objective fast-paced and more single-level tactical shooter. 

Look at it this way, without the new Dual Front mode, if you think of a ‘tactical shooter’, Siege X feels far more emphasised on the ‘tactical’, with CS2 more on the ‘shooter’. Even comparing CS2 gameplay directly to the Dual Front mode, the pace and action will land on the side of CS2, while the more tactical map approach belongs to Siege X. 

This is a tricky comparison element. While technically, there are 13 official CS2 maps and 27 maps for R6 Siege X (officially listed by Ubisoft), not all of those maps are available across all game modes. But in terms of pure variety, if that’s important to you, Siege X takes this area with double the maps…with one fairly big caveat. 

The problem is that the new Dual Front mode currently only has one map, District, which makes the comparison between this more ‘CS2-like’ mode and CS2 itself completely lop-sided. The replayability and additional vertical and tactical elements of District may make replayability a big factor here, though, and that could well even the playing field.

Following our earlier suggestion that Rainbow Six Siege X emphasises ‘tactical’ and CS2  ‘shooter’ in the tactical shooter genre, weapon selection reinforces this. The 50+ CS2 weapons focus on pistols, SMGs, heavy (shotguns, MGs), rifles, and a whole lot of knife varieties. 

Meanwhile, Rainbow Six Siege X’s weapons include around 100 guns across similar classifications, even before including the generic attack (eg, breach charge, drone, stun grenade) and defence (barbed wire, nitro cell, bullet-proof camera) gadgets. On top of these, there are 20 unique gadgets, making preparing for a round in Siege X a far more considered decision.

As you would expect, this all plays into the gameplay of each title. It’s almost impossible to pick a winner in terms of required skill level. However, CS2 prioritises gunplay, precision, and elements like recoil and time-to-kill, whereas successfully climbing Rainbow Six Siege ranks is more related to pre-planning, quick-thinking, on-point tactical manoeuvres, and your operators’ abilities. 

Rainbow Six Siege’s 75 operators and your team’s ability to maximise their skills and gadgets during a match will have a huge impact on who ultimately wins any round. As we’ve stated, attackers and defenders have access to specific gadgets, but there are unique abilities too, making your selection of an operator whose loadout gels (or doesn’t gel) with your playstyle important. Learning the positive and… less positive points of each operator is key to progression. 

If that’s the type of tactical and personalised gameplay you enjoy, meshing your preferred operator with your team’s operator preferences, then R6 Siege X will offer you more depth and enjoyment. For all its fast-paced, precision-rewarding gameplay, CS2’s operators (technically, ‘agents’) offer no unique abilities and are essentially cosmetic skins. So your ability to climb the CS2 ranks is based on your skills and ability to provide value to your team in both map knowledge and PVP nous.

While both CS2 and (now) R6 Siege X are free to access, there are a few considerations for each title’s accessibility – and we mean that in several senses. Firstly, with the Rainbow Six Siege X crossplay feature in mind (this can be disabled), you can play the game on PC or console against players…on PC or console. Not so for CS2, which is bound to Windows PCs (or Linux). CS2’s focus on precision and fast-paced gameplay makes sense because mouse and keyboard deliver better control in intense PVP.

For actual difficulty, there’s no clear ‘easier option’. While CS2 does offer ‘unranked’ in its Casual ‘10v10’ mode, and R6 Siege X returns its previously removed unranked mode, you can jump into either and work out which is for you. This is useful in potentially lowering or randomising the level of competition as you learn either game, but neither game has a clear lead here. We should also remember that while CS2 may demand more of your PVP skills, R6 Siege X will demand more from your tactical and operator-handling abilities. 

Where things are a bit more specific are in accessibility features. If these are important to you, both games do offer such features. For R6 Siege X, there is a clear commitment to accessibility features, including those that already exist in game: eg, customisable colours and visual intensity settings. While we cannot find an official list of CS2 accessibility features, you can certainly enable or disable visual elements like head bob, camera shake, and object highlights, as well as muting player pings and the enemy team. 

It’s great to have two viable tactical shooters available in 2025. But, as we’ve alluded to a few times, Rainbow 6 Siege X and CS2 are different enough that it’s not necessarily a one or the other choice. If you prefer tactical planning, then Siege X may be best for you, and if you prefer fast-paced and more precise gunplay gaming, then CS2 may be. As both are free to access, you can try each and see which fits. Or you can install both and appreciate them for their individual focuses. 

Rainbow Six Siege X developer Ubisoft has released several patches to address the most burning issues plaguing the Siege X update since it launched on June 10th, 2025.

Various patch notes were posted online by the official Rainbow Six Siege X account, addressing notable bugs and glitches such as audio issues, missing rewards and other issues that have been frustrating players.

Siege X launched with a brand new season called Operation: Daybreak, bringing both new content and overhauls to existing systems. However, as fans eagerly logged on after the maintenance, reports started flooding in regarding ongoing issues with the game.

The earliest patch released on the same day as the Siege X launch on June 10th, addressing issues such as no text chat for console players outside of the US, server crashes while in support mode and lobbies becoming ‘unresponsive’ when the owner leaves.

In the following hours after the first patch, Ubisoft made a post online recommending general fixes to resolve bugs and issues players were encountering. This included relaunching the game, in addition to stopping and restarting the Siege X download.

In the post online, Ubisoft wrote: “Rest assured that all reported issues keeping some players from accessing the game are being prioritised and promised items/rewards will be delivered as soon as possible if missing. Delivery is momentarily slowed down due to high traffic.

“Enjoy Siege X, we’ve got you covered.”

The most recent issues days after the release have been addressed by Ubisoft in the latest Rainbow Six Siege X patch updates. This includes a common issue on the PS5 displaying a ‘Free Weekend’ message in the console’s store page for Rainbow Six Siege.

The most recent patch update took place on June 12th at 9:00 AM EST / 14:00 PM UTC, with a downtime of up to 60 minutes. This includes fixing a bug where the reworked Clash appeared upside down in Play hub backgrounds, alongside graphical glitches and corrupted textures appearing in the new Dual Front mode.

The patch also set out to fix esports championship information, due to certain events with invalid dates being ‘incorrectly marked as completed’ in-game.

Players are excited to jump back into the ambitious overhaul to Ubisoft’s competitive shooter, but it’s proven to be a rocky start for some users. Ubisoft has encouraged players to report any further issues in the R6 Fix forums for the live server.

One of the most controversial figures in Rainbow Six Siege history, Clash is finally receiving a rework to balance her shield and abilities for the modern era of Siege X. Players are beginning to test out new strategies with the shielded defender, so it’s a great time to jump into the tactical battle as Clash.

Clash is finally a viable character for competitive play following the release of her rework in Operation Daybreak, so we have a guide on what to expect from Clash in Siege X, along with why the meta may shift towards shield characters in general.

Originally released as a playable operator in September 2018, Morowa “Clash” Evans is a defending operator who wields an electrified shield. She’s strong-willed, having led protests throughout her life, and she eventually joined the Metropolitan Police Service. Though Clash lacks speed, her CCE Shield provides ironclad defence and can even expand or collapse based on movement during a match.

For many years, Clash’s CCE Shield has been a point of controversy and debate in the R6 Siege community, but with a fresh rework for her skill kit, she’ll finally be viable again in Siege X.

Clash’s remaster has revamped the operator by providing the CCE Shield with new functions. Players can now place the shield on the ground and even activate its electricity attack remotely to slow down enemy combatants. This allows Clash to roam effectively without a bulky shield weighing her down. The CCE Shield’s shock attack no longer damages enemies but still provides a speed debuff.

The CCE Shield will also now collapse or expand depending on your movement, so Clash has more versatility and unpredictability than ever before. All of these updated mechanics help fans use Clash with their preferred play style, leading to innovative strategies and new operator combos.

If Clash is selectable in future esports tournaments, then she’ll switch up how many teams build their roster since she’s one of the only defenders in Siege X with a defensive shield ability. As a defender, Clash’s rework will make her a major player due to the unpredictability of her play style.

A core problem with Clash in the past is that players have found exploits revolving around her gadget, one of which allowed her to shoot while hiding behind the shield. Ubisoft strived to fix and balance her abilities over the years, but unfortunately, Clash has regularly been disabled from Siege’s roster. Clash was also the first defending operator to get a shield as a primary gadget, which contributes to her controversial status.

With a fresh coat of paint, the CCE Shield is back with a new way to use it, and hopefully, no new exploits will be discovered. Clash’s electrified shield is already a frustrating ability to fight against since she can slow you down while hiding behind a tough defence. However, add on the past exploits, and it’s easy to see why Clash has remained a controversial operator in Rainbow Six Siege for years.

The meta in Siege is a fragile thing, as new operators, maps, and weapons are regularly released to offer fans new ways to play. Remastering Clash will have multiple effects on competitive play in Siege X in the long term. We may see an increase in the use of other shield operators, like Blackbeard, Montagne, or Blitz.

Strategies based around Clash’s detachable shield might also allow for some unique combinations with defenders who wield trap gadgets. On the flip side, expect to see more attackers who can counter Clash’s CCE Shield, such as Nomad, an operator who knocks enemies back.

In the end, the detachable CCE Shield will transform defensive gameplay into something Siege has never seen, as a shield that can stun enemies remotely could be the centre of many strategies.

Quick attackers are best for countering Clash, along with those who wield stun or knockback abilities, like Nomad. So, some players will start shifting towards speedy characters to counter defensive shields now that Clash is viable again. 

Those seeking a defensive character may see Clash’s uptick in use and try out Blackbeard or Blitz, especially with the recent influx of new players in Siege X, so we could be heading into a defensive meta in Ubisoft’s tactical shooter.

For many years, Clash has had balancing issues due to the unique effects offered by the CCE Shield. With new ways to use Clash’s shield and her various balancing updates, it’s a better time than ever to try Clash in casual or competitive play.

Over the next few months, watch out for new strategies based around the CCE Shield. Clash’s rework is bringing the defender back to life in R6 Siege X, and the meta may shift towards shield operators in general if Clash gains popularity.

Ubisoft has announced Esports Legacy Sets for Rainbow Six Siege X, special bundles to celebrate the most iconic moments in the game.

The bundles are already available for purchase through the newly launched R6Share Web Shop with Rainbow Six esports and affiliate teams gaining a share from the in-game sales.

Ubisoft will be releasing two different bundles, Thermite and Frost Operator Bundles, costing 1680 R6 credits. Each operator bundle will include four weapon skins, one uniform, one headgear, one charm and one operator portrait.

For hardcore fans, the shop will also offer a Full Bundle, costing 2700 R6 credits, which includes all cosmetics for both Thermite and Frost, plus shared bonus items (one exclusive drone skin and one exclusive operator background card).

All the items in the bundles are tied to significant moments in the game title’s esports history. For example, weapon skins reference memorable plays made on stage, featuring a plaque with the player’s name, match and event where it happened.

The Esports Legacy bundles are an additional way for players to support their favourite teams — Rainbow Six Siege already offers 32 branded bundles for the most influential teams in the scene. The branded bundles enable teams to earn a portion of each sale as part of the gaming company’s R6Share revenue-sharing esports programme.

This is not the first time game publishers have released special bundles to celebrate competitive moments. VALORANT’s developer, Riot Games, has been releasing capsules over the past few years, providing fans with in-game cosmetics tied to their favourite esports teams.

This year, however, Riot only released a VCT 2025 Season Capsule, given that some esports organisations benefited more from the in-game sales, causing a larger-than-intended disparity. In December 2024, it was revealed that the VCT had generated $44.3m (~£35.8m) from the digital goods sold for teams throughout last year.

Just like sports fans arguing if Rugby or American football is tougher, everybody in esports has a different opinion on which title is the best. This has led to fans making their own tier lists where they rank major esports — however one thing these usually have in common is bias. Whether subconscious or not, it is difficult to be objective when ranking anything, unless there are defined parameters.

So what would make an ideal tier list? Esports Insider looked at the statistics and put together some key criteria that might be considered in an ideal, more objectively-defined tier list. The four categories we based our tier lists on are current (2023) viewership, all-time viewership, prize pools, and longevity. Based on these four rankings we made one final tier list to determine what these statistics say are the most well-rounded esport scenes.

In these tier lists the following games will be ranked: League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Rainbow Six Siege, VALORANT, Arena of Valor, PUBG Mobile, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Free Fire, Rocket League, Call of Duty, EA Sports FC, Overwatch, Halo and Starcraft.

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In the first category we ranked each esports title in terms of contemporary viewership. This determines how well the game did over the past year by looking at the peak viewership of its most popular event in 2023.

It is no surprise that League of Legends dominates this list as the World Championship broke the esports viewership record with an outstanding peak viewership of over 6m, which is 2m more than Mobile Legend: Bang Bang sitting in second place, and quadruple CS:GO’s peak which sits in third.

It is even more impressive when you take into account that all viewership data for this list is taken from Esports Charts, which does not track Chinese platforms due to the difficulty of obtaining accurate Chinese data. However, it is important to note that this category will be disproportionately weighted against scenes with larger Chinese viewerbases, such as League of Legends, Arena of Valor and others. There is no clear effective method to get around this issue at the moment.

Counter-Strike’s lack of appearance in the S-tier may be due to the fact that Valve has yet to run a Major tournament on CS2. Valve made the decision to only have one Major in 2023 so that the pro scene could adapt to its new game before the next Major, which will now take place in March 2024.

At the top of this list also sits Mobile Legends: Bang Bang which has seen a huge increase in growth over the last four years. In 2019 the peak viewership for the game sat just above 600,000, whereas this year the M4 World Championship had a peak viewership of over 4 million.

On the lower end of this tier list is Rainbow Six Siege. Ubisoft’s game sits in D after it struggled with viewership this year, as its second Major of 2023 became the least popular in the game’s history. It is even more surprising considering it ranks much higher in one of the other metrics listed below.

The second category is peak viewership, where we have combined the top ten events in this title’s history based on their peak viewership. This provides a more accurate depiction of which esports titles have consistently performed well across numerous key events over the years. 

The peak viewership list is somewhat similar to the previous category, however, the stark difference is Free Fire has jumped up from B to A. This follows a trend of games that have had their viewership peaks in recent years outperforming games with viewership peaks before the 2020s.

A key example of this is Fortnite which had a peak of 2.3m in 2019, but only ranks in the C tier on this list whereas VALORANT, with a peak of 1.5m in 2022, is ranked in B. 

Older games such as CS and League of Legends retain their ranks at the very top whilst another old game in Starcraft finds itself in F with less than a million peak viewership when you add the game’s 10 most popular events together.

The third category is sorted by prize pool. These statistics are sourced from Esports Charts which combines every prize pool from that title to get one overall figure. This results in esport titles that have had consistently large prize pools for many years finding their way to the top of the list. 

At the very top sits Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 which have had large prize pools in their premier events for many years. These prize pools lineup with their viewership numbers which are also very high, unlike Fortnite which has struggled comparatively in terms of viewership, but on this list they join the two esport giants in S tier. 

As mentioned earlier Rainbow Six Siege excels in this category compared to the title’s viewership numbers, as it sees itself in the B tier alongside Rocket League and another younger esport, VALORANT.

This category sees mobile games much further down the tier list than viewership. One reason for this might be that mobile esports has accessed a very different market than PC gaming. Without the need for an expensive computer there is a widened access for mobile esports as anyone with a smartphone can participate.

The other side of this coin is that the average revenue per customer for a mobile esports event is going to be much lower, and prize pools are in line with that. This alongside the fact that they do not have the longevity required to have amassed a big enough collection of large prize pools puts them much lower down, for example Mobile Legends: Bang Bang sits in D tier and Free Fire in C.

The one exception to this rule is Arena of Valor; despite not recording the peak viewership numbers of its mobile game counterparts, it outshines them in the prize pool department sitting comfortably in the A tier.

Interestingly, a game that has struggled in every other category, but done well here is Starcraft which sits in B tier.

The last category is longevity, which takes a look at how long the esports scene of each title has been active. For this section Esports Insider has taken the date of the first recorded notable esports tournament from each game and ranked them accordingly. It is worth noting that we have taken the earliest edition of the video game franchise; for example the list includes the first Counter-Strike tournament as opposed to the first CS2 tournament. 

Notably, some of the games that find themselves in the S tier here have struggled in every other category. For example, Starcraft 2 dates its history in esports back to 2003, yet presently finds itself in F tier for current viewership. In contrast, however, Counter-Strike is one of the oldest games on the list, being released in 2000, but has been able to remain relevant to this day — amassing a huge prize pool over its history and continuing to host wildly popular tournaments.

PUBG Mobile finds itself at the bottom of the D tier alongside Arena of Valor, but despite this they have both ranked in A tier for prize pool. So despite their short history they have seen incredible investment in their tournaments. The opposite of this is Halo which has enjoyed a long history in esports, but never quite amassed a large prize pool to match. 

Despite some of these games having such a young lifespan, many of them have excelled in the other categories provided such as VALORANT, Fortnite, and many of the Mobile games listed.

Esports Insider has calculated the average position of every esports title across the four tier lists to determine where they stand relative to each other. After the average position of each title across all tier lists was taken into account, here are the final standings.

Rather predictably, Counter-Strike and League of Legends come out on top with Dota close behind. The mobile games fill out the middle alongside newcomers Fortnite and VALORANT, whilst on the other end Halo’s one appearance in the S tier propels it out of the F tier. The two games sitting in the bottom tier are Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege, despite the latter having one B tier appearance.