XDefiant Review

XDefiant reviewed by Phil Hornshaw on PC, also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

XDefiant joins the free-to-play shooter crowd as a respectable competitive FPS built around various Ubisoft franchises, but little makes it really stand out. Its shooting mechanics generally feel great, and even dying doesn’t kill the momentum since you're dropped right back into the action within a few seconds. Some of its issues, like weapon balance, are relatively minor elements that we can expect Ubisoft to adjust over time. Tougher to solve, however, is the clash between its main ideas: fast time-to-kill makes a lot of its class abilities feel difficult to make the most of because you’re usually dead before you can use them. It’s also lacking a defining mode, leaning on samey point-capture ideas and tried-and-true but tired concepts like Payload and Kill Confirmed. On the other hand, excellent maps keep things interesting longer than they otherwise would be, so hopefully it’ll have the time it needs to carve out its own niche.