Tom Clancy’s XDefiant: Release date, free-to-play beta, trailer and everything you need to know

Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy’s XDefiant, a new free-to-play multiplayer shooter that pulls aspects from various franchises within the Clancy universe. The reveal trailer showcased expected gameplay elements: fast paced combat, customizable loadouts, a mix of conventional weapons and character-based abilities. At first glance, XDefiant looks like a dozen other first-person shooters released in recent years.

That’s not to say that the game isn’t worth checking out, of course. Developed by Ubisoft San Francisco, Tom Clancy’s XDefiant features some interesting elements. For one, it’s a crossover game that merges the franchises of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell and The Division. Players will be able to fight with characters representing known factions in iconic locations derived from these games. Ubisoft also added realistic gunplay, making XDefiant more akin to Valorant than Apex Legends. It won’t take copious amounts of lead to land a kill, as a solid headshot or a few bullets to the torso will do. This means players will need to be strategic, adding another layer to the running and gunning. 

Tom Clancy’s XDefiant Release Date and Beta 

As of this writing, Ubisoft hasn’t revealed XDefiant’s release date. The company did make mention of a closed test starting on August 5th though. PC players in the U.S. and Canada who are eager to play can sign up at the XDefiant website right now. Other regions will get a chance to play XDefiant at a later date. Ubisoft plans to slowly increase the player count over a specific period of time.

If you don’t get into XDefiant’s first test, don’t worry as there’s bound to be more. The idea is to get player feedback in hopes of addressing bugs, balancing issues and other potential problems that could hinder an otherwise solid launch. And considering that Ubisoft hasn’t specified if this is an “Alpha” or “Beta” test, it’s possible that the full game will be released sooner than expected.

Tom Clancy’s XDefiant trailer 

 Tom Clancy’s XDefiant — What is it? 

Tom Clancy’s XDefiant is a free-to-play, first person shooter that puts two teams of six against one another. Each team is made up of characters, called Defiants, that sport unique attributes based on the specific faction (or class) they belong to. For instance, the Wolves — a faction derived from Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon — are XDefiant’s tanks. It’s probably safe to assume they’d have some sort of shield or armor that’ll assist their teammates when under fire.