Ubisoft outlined a major change to the pricing structure of Rainbow Six Siege today, effectively raising the cost of the game by $20 for the average buyer after February 13, 2018.
At that time the Standard Edition of Siege (currently $40 in most stores) will become the "Advanced Edition," and retail for $60. It's worth underlining that buyers will get slightly more out of this version of the game, but in the form of bonus cosmetic item packs and in-game currency, not operators, although that currency can be spent on operators.
"The Advanced Edition comes with all of the content that the Standard Edition had – access to all Rainbow Six Siege content: modes, maps, weapon options, level progression and the standard amount of time required to unlock the original 20 Operators," reads Ubisoft's blog post. "As an added benefit, the Advanced Edition comes with 600 Rainbow Six Credits, and 10 Outbreak Collection Packs." At this time, 600 Rainbow Six Credits retails for $5.
In kind, the "Gold" edition of the game, which includes the most recent year of DLC operators, will cost $90, rather than its present $70. The Gold Edition will also include 10 of the new Outbreak Collection Packs and in-game currency. And finally, the Complete Edition of Siege will run $130.
As these changes roll out next month, the $15 Starter Edition, which I do not recommend, will remain in tact at that price, and will offer the same benefits.
In summary, after February 13:
- Starter Edition - $15
- Advanced Edition (currently Standard Edition) - $60 (currently $40)
- Gold Edition - $90 (currently $70)
- Complete Edition - $130 (currently $90)
For more than a year, Rainbow Six Siege has been a complicated game to buy. Ubisoft split the game into four editions, with the lowest-tier Starter Edition of the game essentially operating on its own, slower economy, offering cheap entry but locking owners into paying as much as 10 times more non-cash currency (Renown) to unlock individual operators. Rainbow Six Siege has 32 characters, and plans to add eight more in 2018.
I'll be updating our "How to buy Rainbow Six Siege" story with new recommendations soon.
As someone with lots of good things to say about it, I do believe Siege is worth $60, but the cost increase will make it harder to recommend to all PC gamers. Siege is now more than two years old, and while it's arguably in its prime in terms of balance, features, and popularity, a price increase feels slightly unprecedented. The only comparison I can think of is games like ARK: Survival Evolved that have gone up after leaving Early Access.
To that end: I'd encourage anyone with a strong interest in the game to buy the Standard Edition now while it's still available at $40. Or, even better, get it on the Humble Store now for $24 before the deal expires in a few days.
If you already own the Standard Edition, you won't experience any changes to your game or account, per this official tweet below:
The Advanced Edition is not currently available for sale. The Standard Edition is not "becoming" the Advanced Edition. The Standard Edition is simply being removed from the store.January 25, 2018
