Rainbow Six Siege: Y9S4 Update Downtime
Every few months brings a new season to Rainbow Six Siege, and December is the perfect time to release a free present for the first-person shooter community. A new operator rework is set to be released tomorrow, alongside many balancing improvements and quality of life additions.
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Soon enough, Siege fans will be able to play the upgraded Blackbeard operator, so it's time to dive into the update's downtime and what new content to expect. Here's all the juicy details about when Operation Collision Point releases and the Blackbeard rework.
When Does Downtime Start for Operation Collision Point?
💥Y9S4 Maintenance💥
— Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) December 2, 2024
We'll be deploying Operation Collision Point tomorrow, December 3rd.
💻 🎮 All Platforms: 09:00 EST / 14:00 UTC
⏲️ Downtime up to 60 mins pic.twitter.com/H1yj8IOupc
Ubisoft officially confirmed the downtime for Operation Collision Point's update. In an X post by @Rainbow6Game, it was revealed that maintenance for the update will start on December 3rd at 9 AM Eastern Time. They also made note that the downtime will likely last an hour. Season 4 of Year 9 is going to be an action-packed finale to 2024, which is why we've listed each time zone in the table below so that every Siege fan can dive straight into tomorrow's update.
Time Zone | Downtime |
|---|---|
PDT | 6 AM |
EDT | 9 AM |
UTC | 2 PM |
CET | 3 PM |
What's Coming in Operation Collision Point?
Although Blackbeard's rework is the main event of Operation Collision Point, there are lots of other long-awaited features that you'll get to explore in the newest release. Here's every major change being added to Rainbow Six Siege tomorrow.
Free Blackbeard Upgrade
Blackbeard is an old operator who is being completely revamped with powerful abilities. His most notable upgrade is a new shield that can shatter through walls. However, Blackbeard is also receiving smaller changes to balance his kit for competitive play, which is necessary since his abilities will now be much stronger.
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Blackbeard isn't the only operator that's being switched up; Ying and Sens are also receiving balancing changes. Whether you play any of these characters or not, it's always nice to know that Ubisoft is starting to work towards a fair competitive scene in Rainbow Six Siege.
Crossplay
Crossplay between consoles and PC is a significant enhancement coming to Rainbow Six Siege tomorrow. Once the update launches, you'll be able to hop into PC lobbies with your friends even if you play on Xbox or PlayStation. It's unclear if crossplay will be a smooth feature at launch, but stability will likely improve over time.
Unfortunately, crossplay between PC and consoles will limit players to PC lobbies, which makes it more difficult for Xbox and PlayStation fans. Regardless, it's a small price to pay for all Siege fans to be able to play together in harmony.
Winter Event
The past few years of Rainbow Six Siege have been a lot of fun, particularly because of the regular festivals that Ubisoft invents for each major holiday. In the past, we've seen events like Freeze For All or Snow Brawl during the winter, and it's likely a freezing event will be introduced during Operation Collision Point. Snow-filled maps, festive cosmetics, and even new game modes may make an appearance during this year's holiday season.
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Although there's no indication of which event we might receive just yet, Ubisoft will likely make an announcement in the next two weeks. It's possible that new information about a 2024 winter festival will be leaked after tomorrow's update, but the event is very likely to appear at some point in December at the very least.
How is the Community Reacting to Operation Collision Point?
The Rainbow Six Siege community is buzzing on social media about their excitement and most anticipated features in Operation Collision Point. The notable topic of discussion on X is PC to console crossplay implementation, which is set to be included in the upcoming update. Though many players are excited about Blackbeard's upgraded kit, it's a smaller addition than crossplay for most dedicated fans.
Finally I’ll be able to play with my console friends 🙏
— Jackpot (@ugh12319) December 2, 2024
X user @ugh12319 has stated their excitement about being able to enjoy Rainbow Six Siege with their Xbox and PlayStation friends. With multiple consoles on the market, not everyone plays on the same system, so the newest crossplay feature in Siege may bring thousands of players back into the first-person shooter.
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Michael Caruso is a journalist of five years who works to share his passion for gaming with the world. Throughout his career, Michael has written for various video game and news publications, focusing his writing on entertainment and the well-being of the environment. When Michael isn't writing, he can be found playing his guitar or immersed in a virtual world.