Rainbow Six Siege Operation Void Edge: Everything We Know

Ubisoft hurls Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege into 2020 with its Year 5 lineup, promising a new wave of tri-monthly updates expanding upon the hit shooter. The debut season of the year promises two fresh faces to expand the Rainbow Six roster, accompanied by the usual entourage of maps and other gameplay improvements. And while details remain tight on what lies ahead, we’ve wrapped up everything about Operation Void Edge we know so far.

Rainbow Six Siege Void Edge release date

Rainbow Six Siege Operation Void Edge acts as Ubisoft’s introductory update for Year 5, marking the latest milestone in the shooter’s post-launch roadmap. Early reports suggest some sizeable changes in the pipeline, reducing resources attributed to Operators, and spotlighting “additional content,” including events, reworks, and core features.

Operation Void Edge is scheduled for a reveal on February 16 at the Six Invitational 2020 in Montreal. The dedicated Year 5 Season 1 panel kicks off 3:30 PM ET / 12:30 PM PT / 8:30 PM ET UK time, providing the first public overview of new Operators and more.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5: Everything We Know

While Ubisoft rarely commits to a firm release date until hours before deployment, Operation Void Edge is expected to launch on March 10 or March 11, 2020. Given long-established schedules, with the customary three weeks of Test Server (TS) trails, it provides an estimate of public availability on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Rainbow Six Siege Void Edge Operators: Oryx and Yana

As with past Rainbow Six Siege seasons, Operation Void Edge is expected to add two new playable Operators, further expanding the lineup of counterterrorist specialists. New abilities promote further gameplay diversity, changing up roles on both attack and defense. And with an increased focus on supporting lore, expect the usual pairing of male and female Operators assigned to global counterterrorism units (CTUs), each with distinct backstories.

Reputable leaks provide an overview of what to expect for Year 5 Season 1, currently rumored with codenames Oryx and Yana. Kormora on ResetEra, a continued source of accurate Rainbow Six leaks, details a new defender capable of charging through walls. Likened to the Kool-Aid Man commercials of late last century, such an ability could carve new rotation routes or stun enemies. While details on the attacker Yana remain ambiguous, rumors suggest a controllable, deployable hologram.

Further details on both Operators also come directly from Ubisoft, with a Test Server (TS) slip-up detailing planned weaponry in November. The pre-release testing environment featured various references to “Y5S1 ATK” or “Y5S1 DEF,” exposing planned loadouts in development. Assuming the same loadouts transpire to the final release, the attacker will feature the G36C and ARX200, former assault rifles from Ash and Nomad, with the MK1 9mm pistol used by Canadian CTUs. Our heavyweight defender will reportedly feature the MP5 and SPAS-12, with the USP40 semi-automatic pistol and Bailiff 410 revolver as secondaries.

Premature listings from GAME.es also provide the best look at Year 5 Pass artwork to date. It outlines what appears to be Year 5 Season 1 Operators, illustrating a lightweight attacker and burly defender. With the Year 5 Pass slated to return, buyers will gain seven-day early to new Operators before becoming publicly purchasable with Renown or R6 Credits.

But ahead of the February reveal, Ubisoft keeps information on its next update locked down tight. While confirmation of the Void Edge name comes from the Six Invitational app, we’re still yet to receive teasers mere days from the event.

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 features

Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 will introduce a wealth of quality-of-life improvements, expanding beyond the usual two Operators, maps, and balancing adjustments. Rainbow Six Siege EMEA Community Management Lead, François Roussel, detailed a “direction focused on features that benefit all players, not just those playing the newest Operators,” with a focus on “free events, extensive reworks, and other core gameplay features” in Year 5. And while much comes down to speculation, the ever-reputable Kormora provides a leaked insight into what to expect.

Tachanka will reportedly see his long-anticipated rework in Year 5, following years as Rainbow Six’s weakest Operator. The stationary nature of his mounted RP-46 light machinegun misaligns with the fundamentals of the modern meta, with Ubisoft trailing significant changes to his core identity. That reportedly includes ditching the RP-46 mount and adopting an incendiary gadget. While we recommend taking information lightly, we’ve wrapped up everything about Tachanka’s rework so far.

Year 5 may also introduce the first iteration of a Replay Mode, allowing players to revisit past matches, switch perspectives, and gain additional insight into match performance. While the real-time spectator mode has proven immeasurably valuable in the competitive scene, post-game tools could bring similar value to the average player. We hear Ubisoft is developing a system for map bans, like Pick and Ban for Operators, providing further configuration of Ranked matches. However, it remains unclear whether these features target Year 5 Season 1 or arrive later in 2020.

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