Rainbow Six Siege: Grim Sky release date – all the latest details on the new operation

The next operation for Tom Clancy’s competitive FPS has been officially unveiled – ready yourself for Rainbow Six Siege: Grim Sky. Unusually, there have been no leaks and only a lone teaser image in the run-up to the Grim Sky release date. But now we can put speculation aside as Ubisoft has revealed the name of Year 3 Season 3, and even a glimpse at the two new Rainbow Six Siege Grim Sky operators.

That’s not all either, as we also get a few interesting details about the backgrounds of both Grim Sky operators, information about other changes coming in the next season, and some very subtle clues as to what the new Hereford map rework will look like.

Judging by the look of the two new ops, Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Grim Sky is going to take the game’s competitive meta and turn it on its head. So, in order to break the upcoming season down for you, we’re piecing together everything we know about both the Delta Force and Scotland Yard operators coming to Siege.

Rainbow Six Siege Grim Sky release date

The most sensible place to start is with the Grim Sky release date: the new season should launch on September 4, 2018. Why? Well, we know the full reveal will likely take place during the finals of the Six Major Paris, and if this season follows previous seasons, the new season will then be launch on the Technical Test Servers the following Tuesday, 21 August. Test server runs tend to last for two weeks, so the full Grim Sky release date will probably be early August.

Rainbow Six Siege Grim Sky operators

Grim Sky adds two new operators to Rainbow Six Siege, an attacker from America’s Delta Force, and a defender from Britain’s Scotland Yard – together they form Urban Tactical Response Team, codenamed Grim Sky (or GSUTR).

Grim Sky attacker

We’ll start with Ubisoft’s initial description of the new Grim Sky attacker. “An American Attacker, a specialist with a remarkably sharp mind when it comes to tactical operations. He has seen the worst in Kabul. Despite it all, he fell in love with the city. Legendary for his surgical precision, he remains an enigma within Rainbow Six.”

If you have a careful look at the reflection of this operator you’ll notice that he’s carrying what appears to be a blowtorch, perhaps with a defensive shield mounted to it. This is the Grim Sky attacker’s ability, and for our money, this means he will fulfill the role of a hard breacher, offering players an alternative to Thermite and Hibana. Having a hand-operated breaching tool might mean players will be able to create a variety of different holes, or even draw their own.

One last note: this new attacker doesn’t look particularly bulky, so it’s fair to assume he will be either a two or three-speed operator.

Grim Sky defender

Ubisoft describe the new Grim Sky defender as “a tough police officer who’s an expert on mob behavior and snatch-squad tactics. She knows she belongs on the front line and she won’t tolerate any nonsense.”

She appears to be the first Rainbow Six Siege defender to carry shield, and it’s not just any shield either… the gadget looks like it has two electrical devices attached to it, which surely cause shock damage to anyone who gets on the wrong side of it. The shield also looks like it can be extended much like Montagne’s, although this could be purely aesthetic or only slightly extendable – we’ll have to wait for a full reveal to know for sure.

The new Grim Sky defender looks to be carrying very little armour, but as she carries a shield she will likely be a two-speed operator.

Hereford map rework

Operation Grim Sky will also launch with an entirely reworked version of Hereford, the SAS training ground map that’s been one of the weakest in the game since launch. Last season, Ubisoft released concept art for how the new Hereford would look, but now we have a teaser trailer for the upcoming map rework.

The first thing to note is the fog and rain – it probably won’t have any effect on gameplay as most of the action in Siege takes place indoors, but it’s moody and atmospheric. A few changes to outside appear to allow attackers plenty of sightlines into the building from outside, with Shooting Range spawn now appearing to offer full view of the the North face of the building. The observation ramp is a lot closer, too, so it won’t just be operators like Glaz who can provide overwatch. The West side of the building remains virtually untouched from the outside, with the garage exactly where it was previously, breachable surfaces and all. The East side Parking spawn has also been given a stunning facelift, with WWII aircraft on display and a much more formidable-looking barracks section.

The Hereford rework trailer also gave us some glimpses of the map’s new interior, but it’s impossible to piece together the exact layout without more footage. What is clear, is that a few rooms, like garage, piano room, and TV room, have only received visual updates, so you shouldn’t be too lost in the new Hereford. We’re still waiting to see how Ubisoft is adding additional rotation points to make life easier for roaming defenders, so hopefully the full reveal at the Six Major Paris will tell us more.

Rainbow Six Siege Grim Sky changes

While no precise details have been given, Ubisoft says in its announcement post for the new operation that it is introducing a few quality of life improvements alongside the release of Grim Sky. “Following a lengthy test phase, we’re bringing forth much-anticipated modifications to address the weapon sights misalignment. But that’s not all! In our constant pursuit to improve the game and the player experience, an adjustment with the Operator Idle Pick as well as dynamic resolution scaling for consoles are also on their way.”

The weapon sights fixes will be welcomed with open arms by Siege’s hardcore players, while news of an Operator Idle Pick system will make Siege that little bit easier for more casual players who dash off away from their keyboards between rounds and routinely forget to pick an operator.