XDefiant: Release date speculation, gameplay details & latest news

But who knows how much the game has changed since its last closed beta? Hopefully, we won't have too long to find out - if a recent Ubisoft earnings call is anything to go by.

Being part of the Ubisoft universe, the game features factions inspired by those in other titles from their roster, including Splinter Cell, Far Cry and Watch Dogs.

But in defiance of long intros, let's cut straight to it!

XDefiant release date speculation

XDefiant may release by the end of 31st March 2024, but no official announcement has been made.

This was spotted by Insider Gaming after it scoured the latest Ubisoft earnings call, during which Ubisoft said they plan to release XDefiant "Season 0" by the end of their financial year - which ends 31st March in France (unlike 5th April in the UK).

March is a reasonably packed month, as seen on our upcoming games page, but it would stand unopposed to any new multiplayer games.

Though, given how popular Helldivers 2 continues to be, it might struggle to capture players' attention.

When a concrete date is given, we'll update this page in due course - so do check back in often!

When did the XDefiant beta end? Will there be another one?

The last XDefiant open beta ended at 2am BST on 29th September 2023, after only being online for six hours.

There's no word on the proverbial internet street that would suggest XDefiant will have another beta before launch, especially given its release date might not be so far off.

It's not out of the realm of possibility, though, as Ubisoft may want to test engagement before committing to a full release.

If another beta is announced, we will, as always, inform you and give you all the details on how to sign up for it so that you don't miss out - especially if it's only going to run again for a few hours.

In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to register on the official XDefiant website, as they will no doubt send out an email the moment a beta or the full game becomes available.

Which consoles can you get XDefiant on?

XDefiant will be playable on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Previously, the game was due to support the PS4 and Xbox One, but this appears to have been dropped by Ubisoft.

Curiously, it was also going to come to the cloud-based Amazon Luna, but this too has vanished from the official XDefiant website.

Given how many people are still playing on the last-gen consoles, it might hurt XDefiant's chances of sticking its landing - especially considering Activision still releases the latest CoD on PS4 and Xbox One, where it commands a huge audience.

XDefiant gameplay details

Owing to the oodles of betas and trailers, we have a fairly comprehensive idea of what to expect from XDefiant - save for any massive sweeping changes made since the last beta.

XDefiant is a free-to-play arena shooter that harkens back to the more streamlined multiplayer experience found in titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) - albeit with some more modern sensibilities thrown in to bring the concept to the current age.

If the trailer above is still indicative of the final experience, there will be 14 maps at launch, too.

There are five factions within the game world, which take inspiration from other Ubisoft titles.

• The Cleaners – The Division
• Libertad – Far Cry 6
• Echelon – Splinter Cell
• Phantoms – Ghost Recon
• DedSec – Watch Dogs

These factions will be able to duke it out in either casual or ranked competitive modes. There are also Arcade and Linear modes.

Arcade modes take place on larger maps and are a bit more freeform. The Arcade modes are as follows:

• Domination – Capture and control all flags
• Hot Shot – Similar to Halo's Oddball. Players must pick pick up items that score points, with the highest-earning moving faster and dealing more damage
  
• Occupy – Players must control a flag that moves across the map
  

The Linear modes are a bit more focused, and feature smaller maps with more specific objectives. These modes are:

• Zone Control – Moving zones must be defended from an attacking
• Escort – One team must protect a payload as it makes its way across the map
  

The amount of content is set to continue to grow, as Ubisoft has committed to support the game over the coming years - much like they have done with Rainbow Six: Siege.

There will no doubt be skins, battle passes and the like to bring in revenue to pay for development costs and continued support.

XDefiant trailer

Above is the most recent trailer for XDefiant, dubbed the "Comeback" - which is quite ironic for a nigh-on year-old video.

We're shown what kind of gameplay we can expect in XDefiant in escort missions, as well as the snappy and reactive gunplay.

The graphical presentation is looking top-tier, too, with the world of XDefiant being brought to life by Ubisoft's proprietary Snowdrop engine, the same engine that's powering the visuals of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws.

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