Home XDefiant – everything we know about the new PC shooter, pre-season news, weapons and more

XDefiant – everything we know about the new PC shooter, pre-season news, weapons and more

Another potential big-time FPS shooter is joining us later today (21st May) as Ubisoft’s XDefiant arrives for a six-week pre-season before starting properly. But what will we get to play in the early days while we are getting used to how it works? Let’s find out everything we know about the game with just a few hours to go. Can it scratch the Call of Duty itch for the next few months?

What is XDefiant?

XDefiant is a free-to-play arena shooter from Ubisoft that features big guns, factions, and seasons which look set to last around three months each.

It is available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox so everybody can join in the fun.

XDefiant

Is XDefiant crossplay?

It is indeed, from the off you will be able to match up with your friends and family no matter what their gaming platform of choice may be.

XDefiant also has cross-progression, which is pretty cool as it means you can play on one system and your progress will carry o if you decide to go upstairs and play keyboard and mouse on your gaming PC.

When is XDefiants release date?

The game will initially drop today (May 21st) and go into a pre-season period for about six weeks before the main Season 1 content arrives. This will give everybody the opportunity to get used to how things work, and also time for the devs to iron out and balancing issues that may arise from a mass-player test.

XDefiant’s release times

10 AM PT May 21st
1 PM ET May 21st
6 PM BST May 21st

XDefiant Pre-Season details

It looks as though the pre-season will run until the start of July if all goes to plan. At that point, we will get new maps and weapons and a new faction codenamed Ruby – nothing else is known about this although the teaser images we have seen so far suggest there may be a tie-in with another Ubisoft franchise on the cards.

XDefiant

Pre-season Factions

Before we get the new faction however there are plenty to get stuck into in the pre-season with a sizable list of playable Factions.

  • Cleaners
  • Libertad
  • Dedsec
  • Echelon
  • Phantoms

This should give us plenty to go at for the next three months.

Pre-Season Maps

The maps we initially ill get to play during XDefiant’s pre-season are:

  • Arena
  • Attica Heights
  • Dumbo
  • Echelon HQ
  • Emporium
  • Liberty
  • Mayday
  • Meltdown
  • Midway
  • Nudleplex
  • Pueblito
  • Showtime
  • Times Square
  • Zoo

What do we know about XDefiant Season 1?

Season 1 of the game when it eventually arrives will bring three new maps and a host of new weapons. None of these have been revealed as yet and will likely be tweaked in the background depending on how things pan out during pre-season.

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The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Paul McNally
Gaming Editor

Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title published by IDG Media. Having spent time as Head of Communications at a professional sports club and working for high-profile charities such as the National Literacy Trust, he returned as Managing Editor in charge of large US-based technology websites in 2020. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine,…

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