Over the course of XDefiant’s short life cycle, there has been a plethora of modes for players to dive into. From traditional first-person shooter modes such as Team Deathmatch and Domination, to the fast paced action in Hot Shot, and even a Ranked mode, there’s an experience to suit every playstyle. Updates have continued to shake up the playlists, but Season 3 has brought more new game modes to XDefiant than ever before.
It was recently announced that XDefiant will shut down in June, 2025. This means that Season 3 marks the arena shooter’s final major content drop, so the developers have decided to bring content forward that was already prepared for future seasons. Complete modes that were intended for Season 3 and beyond have been released and are available now.
More XDefiant guides
XDefiant: All New Factions and Abilities | Season 3 | XDefiant: How to Unlock all Season 2 Weapons | XDefiant: Bomb Mode Explained | Season 2 | XDefiant: Is There Cross-Progression? | Answered | XDefiant: How to Disable Crossplay | XDefiant: How to Slide Cancel | XDefiant: Is There Skill-Based Matchmaking? | XDefiant: How to Earn Quick-Swap Kills | XDefiant: How to Unlock Mastery Camos | Bronze, Silver, and Gold | XDefiant: How to Refer a Friend and Earn Rewards |
More ways to play
There are five fresh game modes and a new Party Modes playlist. Here are their official descriptions to give you a sense of what they entail.
Defuse
- This season sees the debut of Defuse, a tactical and slower-paced version of BOMB! Teams take turns planting and defending bomb sites, yet all players only have one life. Defuse is designed for play on a new “corridor” type map, in this case the Animus Anomaly created exclusively for this category.
Vs Bots
- There’s now a Vs Bots option where you can face off against varying levels of computers. You’ll even earn XP by battling bots, although at a slower pace compared to human enemies.
Lum Hunt
- Catch them if you can, Lums (beings of pure energy possessing of a mindbogglingly sunny disposition) have been placed around the Enchanted Forest map in this variant of Hot Shot. Also available in Private Matches.
Tilt
- Now available in our Linear playlists, this mode is a simultaneous battle over who can push around Carlos the most, poor robot.
Turbo XD
- Super jump your way to victory in this gravity defying mode.
New Party Modes Playlist
- From one shot kill, to headshots only, and even no skills allowed, there’s a little something for everyone in this playlist. With no one here to make names for them, we wish you the very best of luck to figure them out.
As you can see, the diverse range of modes bring a change of pace to the game, with new mechanics and the introduction of Lums. There’s even something extra for fans of tactical combat and the existing BOMB! mode with Defuse.
