Inspired by the likes of Call of Duty and Overwatch, XDefiant has a varied selection of game modes for its free-to-play multiplayer action. From payload-pushing to classics like Domination, the XDefiant game modes have you covered no matter your preference.
What’s even better is that the XDefiant roadmap promises even modes in future updates. All these game modes will give you plenty of opportunities to put the equally varied XDefiant guns list and Factions to good use, with some mods favoring all-out offense and others offering great defensive plays.
All XDefiant Game Modes
The six XDefiant game modes are:
- Zone Control
- Escort
- Occupy
- Domination
- Hot Shot
- Capture the Flag (Season 1)
The launch selection of modes already offers a fair amount of variety, from more typical arena modes Domination, Occupy, Capture the Flag, and Hot Shot inspired by the likes of Call of Duty, to more Overwatch-style modes Escort and Zone Control.
Most importantly though, these modes have specially designed maps, ensuring that the action always flows remarkably well - which is one thing I really appreciate about XDefiant. Check out all the XDefiant maps to find out more.
While not currently available, executive producer Mark Rubin has confirmed that Team Deathmatch is being worked on and XDefiant's take on Search and Destroy, Bomb!, has been moved forward following significant fan demand.
Escort and Zone Control are classified as ‘Progression’ modes and take place on more linear levels. As the match progresses, your objective will generally shift through the map, with one team attacking and the other defending.
Domination, Occupy, Capture the Flag, and Hot Shot are ‘Arena’ modes where you will find your standard FPS maps with lanes. These modes generally don’t shift the action around the map in quite the same way as the Progression modes.
Zone Control
Zone Control is a Progression mode that’s built around an attacking team's attempt to capture zones to push the defenders back. Once a zone is taken by the attackers, the action will shift deeper into the map. This means that if the defenders are successful, you won’t even get to see the whole map in a match.
Escort
Another Progression mode, Escort is your typical payload game mode. The attackers have to stand near the objective to push the objective forward while the defenders have to keep the area clear to stop them in their tracks. Although there are checkpoints to keep things balanced as you progress through the map, Escort can get very intense.
Occupy
Occupy is an Arena mode directly inspired by Call of Duty’s iconic Hardpoint mode. There is a single objective to capture which changes locations and moves around the map as the match goes on. With both teams fighting over the same zone, it’s often a mad scramble to victory. Playing as one of the more defensive XDefiant Factions and classes certainly helps here, such as the Phantoms.
Domination
Ah, Domination. If you’ve played Call of Duty, Domination is yet another game mode you’ll recognize in XDefiant and it’s the one I can’t get enough of - despite it being the most bog-standard mode. With three, constant points to capture on the map, Domination is all about controlling the map. Your team will earn points for each flag you hold at any given time, so you’ll want to capture at least two of the three to get ahead.
Hot Shot
What’s that? Another mode from Call of Duty? That’s right. Hot Shot is effectively XDefiant’s version of Kill Confirmed. When you kill an enemy, they will drop a bounty token that you’ll need to run towards and collect to score a point for your team. Be careful though, as enemies can bag the tag to deny you a point.
However, what sets Hot Shot apart from CoD's Kill Confirmed is that players high-performing players will be marked as the Hot Shot, making them worth more points. With no standard Team Deathmatch in XDefiant, Hot Shot is your next best bet.
Capture the Flag
Added in XDefiant Season 1, Capture the Flag is exactly what it says on the tin. Your goal is to grab the enemy flag and bring it back to your base to capture it and score a point. Meanwhile, your enemies are trying to do the same thing to your flag. It's an intense back-and-forth that makes full use of the classes and abilities each one brings to the table.
So, that’s all the XDefiant game modes available in the game. Now all you have to do is grab the best XDefiant guns from our tier list and head into the action. And please, for your teammate's sake, don’t forget to play the objective.