Ubisoft's quiet giant FPS continues to prove that it's not going anywhere, and boosted by a week of free access and a ridiculous $4 discount, "Rainbow Six Siege" set a new record this weekend with 201,933 concurrent users, setting Steam's all-time record for the highest number of concurrent users ever set on Steam.

Not bad for a live-service shooter entering its ninth year, but especially surprising considering this isn't the first time Siege has been cheap and momentarily free; Ubisoft has hosted free weekends on Steam more than 10 times before (for several full weeks). Ubisoft has held free weekends on Steam more than a dozen times before, usually to coincide with the release of a new season. This time is no different, as Year 9 Season 1 kicked off earlier this month with new operators and balance tweaks.

So why are more people playing Siege in 2024 than in a similar free week in 2022? Jynxzi, the biggest streamer on Twitch right now, plays almost exclusively Siege. His guest appearance at the Rainbow Six Invitational 2024 made it the most watched event in gaming history, and he is a big reason why Siege is currently #11 in Twitch's overall game rankings (according to Twitch Tracker).

I also suspect that lapsed players are coming back in droves to check out the Year 9 changes. I've barely touched the game for the last 5 months, but signed in on Day 1 to check out the shield rebuild, ADS slowdown, and scope changes that finally put an end to the 1.5x site domination. Then again, Deimos himself seems to have become quite the fun attacker.

I also think there is something to factor in about Siege's reputation. Early on, Siege was known as a buggy mess that was pulled out of a disastrous launch thanks to its one-of-a-kind gunplay and destructive power; as of 2024, it is still buggy, but it is not afraid to change with the times, turning over entire systems that no longer make sense and making the game more It has established a new reputation as a shooter that rethinks the rules to make them fair and fun. Ubisoft has worked hard over the past few years to make Siege a consistent and balanced game, gradually adding quality-of-life features that rival its larger competitors, which is why it is little wonder that Ubisoft has no plans to make Siege 2 It is

. Regardless of its outdated graphics and aging engine, Siege is one of the best FPSs out there, and it continues to evolve. And until March 21, you can get it for less than a large coffee.