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Game Information​

Game Title: XDefiant

Platforms:

• PC (May 21, 2024)
• PlayStation 5 (May 21, 2024)
• Xbox Series X/S (May 21, 2024)

Trailer:

Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 72 average - 62% recommended - 14 reviews

MetaCritic - 68/100

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Critic Reviews​

Gamersky - 前朝刘沛公 - Chinese - 7.2 / 10

Compared to other FPS games, XDefiant offers limited initial content and significant balance issues, and even its most distinctive skill designs aren't particularly innovative. As a result, after a few hours of exploring different factions, game modes and maps, players may find it hard to stay motivated to grind for characters and weapons once the novelty wears off, leaving only a sense of endless fatigue.

GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 6 / 10

XDefiant isn't a Call of Duty killer or even a close competitor. It has potential despite its many issues, but it has a long way to go before living up to it.

Guardian - Keith Stuart - 4 / 5

You may feel a touch of deja vu as you mow down rivals with your M16 – but although it's unoriginal, this free six-person shooter is slick and enjoyable.

Hobby Consolas - David Rodriguez - Spanish - 80 / 100

xDefiant has some of that classic Call of Duty that many fans have been asking for years, but it also manages to add small gameplay tweaks to deliver a fresh, addictive and fun FPS experience. It falls short in terms of launch content, but Ubisoft already has its sights set to hit the bullseye.

IGN - Phil Hornshaw - 7 / 10

The fundamentals of XDefiant are good, but conflicting ideas and mechanics stop it from standing above a crowded shooter field.

IGN Italy - Alessandro Alosi - Italian - 7.5 / 10

XDefiant is an online shooter with balance problems but still fun, solid in some aspects, and (far too) generic in others.

Kakuchopurei - Lewis Larcombe - 70 / 100

XDefiant offers a refreshing hybrid of traditional and hero shooter elements, reminiscent of classic Call of Duty with its own unique twists. However, the limited content and customisation options make it clear that the game needs further refinement and expansion to truly stand out in the competitive FPS market.

Kotaku - Zack Zwiezen - Unscored

I hope that XDefiant has a long future ahead of it. The game is good and I’m happy to have a modern arena shooter back in my life that isn’t bogged down by battle royale nonsense, too many modes, or massive installs. But only time will tell if XDefiant succeeds, or if it joins so many other games that tried and failed to compete with Call of Duty.

Pure Xbox - Ben Kerry - 8 / 10

XDefiant has been built to scratch a very particular online FPS itch, and the more bloated and complex AAA shooters have become, the more we've come to appreciate an experience like this. The game could do with a little more content, and some tweaks to gunplay and progression wouldn't go amiss, but we can't see why XDefiant shouldn't have a bright future ahead of it. Ubisoft has shown us all that it has the patience to stick around with online shooters if they have a solid community - just look at the near decade-old Rainbow Six Siege - so this should definitely be one title worth investing some time into. XDefiant isn't perfect, but this is a very promising start and we're already becoming invested in where Ubisoft's latest Xbox FPS can go.

Push Square - Aaron Bayne - 7 / 10

XDefiant is a solid shooter that will likely scratch that arcade-y itch with its snappy gunplay, iconic map design, and fan-favourite game modes. It's the perfect multiplayer shooter to chuck on at the weekend, and we suspect it'll be home to several late-night sessions for old-school Call of Duty fans. It's not quite the breath of fresh air for the genre that The Finals is, but more like a blast from the past. Is it a CoD killer? No, but if Ubisoft can work its magic and go hell-for-leather with its multi-franchise post-launch content, then XDefiant could flourish into a regular staple of the shooter genre.

VGC - Jordan Middler - 4 / 5

XDefiant is a confident shooter that's far more than a Call of Duty knockoff. The Tom Clancyverse crossovers are somewhat cringey, but if Ubisoft doubles down on the great gameplay, and the weird faction warfare, we'll keep coming back for months to come.

VideoGamer - Antony Terence - 7 / 10

Despite varied factions and excellent maps, XDefiant’s shootouts are let down by a lack of identity and sluggish weapon progression. Outside an emphasis on making skill-based matchmaking optional, the game plays like every shooter from the last decade, leaning into nostalgia over attempting a breakthrough. While technical pitfalls can be resolved with seasonal updates, XDefiant needs novelty to sustain a player base.

Windows Central - Cole Martin - 3 / 5

Ubisoft's free-to-play first-person arena shooter is less Call of Duty and more Overwatch, but the Snowdrop engine shines even on maps that are way too large for their purpose. Weapon grinds are sluggish, leaving players with more time in the game access to better attachments, while newcomers struggle to even leave their spawns. The lack of skill based matchmaking is being celebrated by influencers on social media, but in practice it makes for unbalanced matches where high ranking players are steamrolling beginners, even in the Welcome Playlist.

ZdobywcyGier.eu - Paweł Bortkiewicz - Polish - 6 / 10

XDefiant is a title that had the potential to become a strong player in the FPS game market, but unfortunately does not meet all expectations. While dynamic gameplay and a variety of character classes are undoubted strengths, the lack of innovation, mediocre graphics and numerous technical problems significantly detract from the overall game experience.

 

[cash_longfellow]

I’m having fun with it, but the cheating in crossplay is ridiculous right now. Hope they do something about it before it kills the game.

 

[Kurotri]

I'm playing it and it's ok in short bursts, I'm not really much of a multiplayer guy so this is coming from a massive casual. Hope they keep improving the game, it feels like one misstep and the game dies.