XDefiant Is Holding Another Playtest Soon

Ubisoft's XDefiant has had a turbulent pre-release period, to say the least. The free-to-play shooter was well-received by players during its early insider tests but has been the subject of numerous delays. Originally, it looked like XDefiant might have been released last fall before it was pushed back after failing certifications. Then, it was delayed indefinitely back in October after a Public Test Session. XDefiant was delayed once again last month, but the devs announced that another Test Session would be happening soon. Today, the latest XDefiant test session has been revealed, and it's coming sooner than you might expect.

XDefiant April Server Test Session Announced

The new XDefiant Server Test Session kicks off on April 19th at 1 p.m. ET and runs through April 21st. Because this is a server test, Ubisoft is opening this up to everyone. After all, the point behind a server test is to load up a game's servers with as many players as possible to make sure the backend can sustain a large playerbase at once. That also means that the session is open across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC platforms. If you want to hop in, all you need to do is head to the relevant store, look for the XDefiant – Server Test Session, and download it. The test is currently available for pre-loading, so if you're planning to hop in, you might as well download it now.

Interestingly, the server test includes a few rewards players can earn for spending time in the test build. For playing a single match, you'll earn an MP5 Shamrock Weapon Skin, while anyone who hops into a party will get the M9 Ember Weapon Skin. Finally, anyone who gets all the way to Level 18 will earn three Weapon XP Boosters. That final option should come in handy once XDefiant fully launches, making it a reward worth going for if you're planning to jump into the shooter on day one.

XDefiant Release Date

Unfortunately, we still don't have a firm release date for XDefiant. The server test is an important step for the developer, especially if it wants to maintain a large playerbase from the jump. Plus, in the previous update, the XDefiant devs said that following the test, they "expect to be able to lock a launch date and start sharing more about the exciting content XDefiant has to offer in the future!"

Again, don't expect a launch anytime soon until Ubisoft says something official, but it does seem like the developers are finally almost ready to release XDefiant's 1.0 version into the wild. Hopefully, everything goes well with the server test and we get a release date next week, but after how many times XDefiant has been pushed back, it's better to wait and see.