Launch event to replace May Major, promotions are back, R6 Share program updated

Earlier today, Ubisoft offered Rainbow Six Siege fans a preview of what’s to come in the 2025 season.

Following BLAST’s takeover of the competitive scene in Year 8, the number of Six Majors was reduced from two to three. Additionally, new regional divisions were created as the number of rosters participating in each Major increased from 16 to 24.

While Year 9 saw the return of the Six Invitational regional qualifiers and a reduction in the number of competitors in both BLAST R6 Majors, nothing can compare to what’s to come in Year 10.

Here’s what’s changing in Rainbow Six Siege’s competitive scene ahead of the next season:

Calendar changes

The first off-season of the year will begin after the conclusion of the 2025 Six Invitational and will run from March to April. Instead, Tier 2 teams will have the chance to compete in the Challenger Series, where squads will play to earn promotion to their respective regional division.

The 2025 season of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege for top-tier teams will officially begin in May with the Kick-off event, which will replace the first BLAST R6 Major of the year. As explained in Ubisoft’s blog post:

This new event, an evolution of our traditional May Majors, will bring together Rainbow Six Esports’ biggest teams for an exciting and high-energy start to the season. While we’re not ready to reveal all the details just yet, fans can expect an incredible experience filled with fun, excitement, and warmer weather.

Between June and October, first division teams will compete in their respective regional divisions, which will be divided into two divisions. There will be a short break in August “for third-party competitions” – which will likely be the Esports World Cup.

In November, the teams will face each other in the November BLAST R6 Major. The regional finals will take place a month later. Later in December and January, teams that did not qualify for the Six Invitational 2026 through the Global Rankings will have a second chance at the regional qualifiers. Finally, in February 2026, the Six Invitational 2026 will take place in France.

Challenging Series

The Challenger Series will take place in the off-season and will offer Tier 2 teams the chance to qualify for their respective Division I division. The Challenger Series will take place between the Six Invitational 2025 and the kickoff event.

The Challenger Series will be divided into the following stages:

Open Qualifiers: Open qualifiers will be open to all teams.
Group Stage: The best teams from the open qualifiers will qualify for the group stage.
Playoffs: The best teams from the group stage will qualify for the playoffs.
Promotion Final: The best teams from the playoffs will face each other in the promotion final.

R6 Share Update

The R6 Share program is changing ahead of the 2025 season. Next year, teams included in the R6 Share program will release multiple packages throughout the season rather than releasing just one. “After working closely with our partners, we determined that introducing multiple releases per year will increase sustainability as the program continues to evolve.”

However, to introduce these changes, R6 Share is experiencing a reduction in the number of teams, as only twenty organizations will participate in the program.

“To ensure resources are dedicated to these additional versions for the entire program, the number of organizations supported had to be adjusted and, through consideration of a competitive application process, 20 partner teams were selected.”

Despite the decrease in the number of teams included in the R6 Share program, Ubisoft will introduce the Affiliate Program. “The Affiliate Program will offer financial support to help with the operational sustainability of teams outside of the Partner Program through a revenue sharing pool.”

More details will be revealed at BLAST R6 Major Montreal, so keep following SiegeGG for more updates!