Is Siege worth getting in 2026?

If you‘re looking for a competitive, skill-based tactical shooter that stands the test of time, Rainbow Six Siege is absolutely still worth buying in 2024. With a thriving esports scene, constantly evolving meta, and dedicated developers delivering fresh content, Siege has only gotten better with age.

Why Siege remains a top tactical shooter

Siege first launched in 2015 as the latest entry in Ubisoft‘s Rainbow Six franchise. Over 7 years later, it has evolved into one of the premier competitive first-person shooters on the market. Here‘s why the core Siege experience remains irresistible to new and veteran players alike:

• Destructible environments enable creative strategy – Siege‘s destructible maps let you destroy walls, floors, and ceilings to open up new lines of sight, flanks, and approaches. This forces adaptive, tactical play instead of memorizing set paths.

• Asymmetrical gameplay promotes teamwork – Attackers and defenders have different tools, objectives, and perspectives, leading to cat-and-mouse gameplay full of risk/reward decisions. Coordinating with your team is essential.

• Diverse operators change the meta – With over 60 operators now, there are endless team compositions and strategies. New ops consistently shake up the meta so it never gets stale.

• Gunplay emphasizes skill – Weapons have real recoil patterns and headshots are lethal. This raises the skill ceiling and makes firefights intensely skill-based.

• High stakes competition – Attacking and defending an objective with no respawns creates clutch moments. Matches frequently come down to the wire to keep tension high.

These core pillars ensure Siege provides a profoundly deep and engaging tactical shooter experience that can‘t be found anywhere else.

The esports scene is thriving

Siege now features one of the most vibrant and popular esports scenes in all of gaming. The annual Six Invitational event drew over 1.8 million peak viewers in 2022. Pro league matches on YouTube average around 50-100k concurrent viewers.

This level of competition continually raises the skill ceiling as pros discover new strategies. It also brings consistent content updates from Ubisoft to keep balancing and evolving the game.

Popular streamers like Beaulo and KingGeorge provide entertaining high-level play and tutorials for new players aiming to rank up and get better. The esports scene surrounding Siege is a huge part of what gives the game longevity.

Onboarding is better than ever

Siege notoriously had a steep learning curve for new players when it first launched. But in recent years, Ubisoft has put in the work to smooth out the early game experience. Here are some of the improvements:

• Structured training modes – Situations provide bot matches to learn mechanics. Newcomer playlist exclusively matches new players together.

• Operator guides – Built-in videos give overviews of all operators and tips for playing them effectively.

• Map knowledge – Callouts and compass pings make learning map layouts less daunting. Reworked maps have clearer navigation.

• Progression – Daily/weekly challenges provide clear goals to work towards. Battle pass rewards engagement.

While Siege still takes dedication to master, new systems get players up to speed faster than ever before. The early progression is much improved compared to past years.

Siege playerbase remains massive

Even 7 years post-launch, Siege still boasts an impressive playerbase. According to activeplayer.io, Siege averages 130k-150k daily players across all platforms.

On Steam alone, Siege peaks at over 60,000 concurrent players daily as of February 2023. Queue times for matches are fast across casual and ranked.

Having a healthy player population is essential for any multiplayer game‘s longevity. The fact that Siege maintains such an active userbase shows that people still love playing it year after year.

Consistent content keeps things fresh

Ubisoft‘s consistent post-launch support has been a driving factor in Siege‘s long-term appeal. Major content drops every 3 months bring new operators, maps, cosmetics, quality-of-life improvements, and limited-time modes.

Here are just some of the major additions since launch:

• 22 new maps – Reworked classics like Oregon plus originals like Emerald Plains

• 27 new operators – Creative new ops like Alibi, Melusi, Sens, Azami

• Limited events – Special modes like Rainbow Is Magic, Doktor‘s Curse, Money Heist

• Battle pass model – Providing new challenges and cosmetic rewards

• Numerous reworks – Operator, attachment, UI, lighting, gameplay systems

Siege in 2024 looks nothing like it did at launch. Ubisoft continues supporting the game with exciting new content and improvements that keep the experience feeling fresh.

Core gameplay stands the test of time

Even after constant updates, Siege‘s core gameplay loop still holds up incredibly well:

• Breach into the enemy base
• Secure the objective
• Defend against getting flanked
• Use operators synergistically
• Check corners and win gunfights
• Defuse/plant the bomb in clutch moments

Despite new maps, ops, and mechanics – it‘s still the same tactical, team-based FPS at its core. And that core loop remains as compelling as ever.

Destructible environments force adaptation. Team compositions allow endless strategies. Gunskill determines victors in split-second firefights. It‘s a satisfying competitive sandbox.

As long as these fundamental pillars stay intact, Siege offers an unparalleled competitive FPS experience. And Ubisoft has done a great job maintaining these pillars over the years.

Affordable for new players

Compared to AAA shooters with annual releases, Siege is extremely affordable:

• The base game frequently goes on sale for $10-15.
• No need to buy yearly sequels or passes.
• All post-launch maps and modes are free.
• Only cosmetics require real money.

For the price of a single character skin in Fortnite, you can buy the entire Siege game on sale and enjoy years of updates and content.

Between frequent sales and no paid DLC, Siege offers new players tremendous bang for their buck compared to other shooters.

Still improving after 7 years

Most competitive multiplayer games fade from relevance after a few years. The fact that Siege is bigger than ever shows how well it‘s evolved with the times.

Recent innovations like replays, map bans, simplifed HUD, new sights, arcade playlist, training ground updates, and Quality of Life changes have made Siege better than ever before.

Ubisoft Montreal has supported this game with consistent passion and effort for over 7 years. It‘s clear they intend to keep building on this foundation well into the future.

For new players, that means you‘re getting in on the ground floor of what will likely become an all-time multiplayer classic.

Hopefully I‘ve made the case for why Siege is very much alive and worth playing in 2024. But new players should know that there will still be a learning curve. Here are my top tips for getting started in Siege based on my own experience learning:

Step 1: Play situations and tutorials

• They provide low-pressure environments to learn basic mechanics like leaning, reinforcing, shooting through surfaces, using gadgets, etc.

• Situations also introduce some maps and common sites so you start recognizing layouts.

• Clear situations on normal then realistic difficulty to get a reward of 1000 renown currency.

Step 2: Try all operators

• When starting multiplayer, experiment with all different operators on both attack and defense.

• Find ones that fit your preferred playstyle (rush, support, anchor, etc).

• Understanding every op‘s gadget will help counter them later.

• Well-rounded choices for beginners include Sledge, Thatcher, Jager, Rook.

Step 3: Learn maps

• Study maps offline or use custom games to learn layouts before playing PVP.

• Learn camera spots, entry points, sites, lines of sight.

• Pay attention to callouts teammates use and look up map guides.

• Knowing maps is just as important as mechanical skill!

Step 4: Use mic and communicate

• Share intel on where enemies were spotted.

• Coordinate pushes with teammates and combo abilities.

• Communicate when planting, defusing, or clutching.

• Siege requires teamwork – don‘t be afraid to use mic!

Step 5: Improve aim and reflexes

• Tune sensitivity to balance precision and turning speed.

• Focus on crosshair placement at head level.

• Learn recoil patterns of main guns in Terrorist Hunt.

• Quick leaning and pre-firing will win duels.

Step 6: Watch streamers and pro league

• Study how experienced players position themselves and make decisions.

• Learn clever cam spots, angles, and operator tricks.

• Soak up game sense and strategy.

• Apply what you see to your own play.

With some patience and dedication, you‘ll rapidly improve from clueless newbie to confident player. Stick with Siege and you‘ll come to appreciate its incredible depth and ceiling for mastery.

Soon you‘ll be the one clutching 1v5s and hitting slick headshots like Beaulo. Now go get some epic plays!