Earlier today, Ubisoft revealed the format of RE:L0:AD (Reload). Taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the 20 R6 Share 2025 Partnered Teams will face off against to take home a share of the competition's USD$480,000 prize pool.
When Reload was unveiled in Boston, Massachusetts, during the Six Invitational 2025 Finals, fans got extremely thrilled about the creation of a new competition. One month later, in Atlanta, Georgia, during the Rainbow Six Siege X Showcase, the excitement only got bigger after Ubisoft revealed that Reload will be the first-ever tournament played on Rainbow Six Siege X.
Almost three weeks after the announcement, it's fair to say Reload's format has caught everyone off guard. After two years of normalizing what could be defined as a common combination of Play-Ins, Swiss Stage, and Playoffs formats for BLAST R6 Majors and the traditional combination of Group Stage and Playoffs for the Six Invitational, Ubisoft has decided to go imaginative in Reload with the creation of a Bullet and a Card System.
Although this new format is shocking and everything but common and traditional, all of these unique elements make Reload extremely interesting. While we know the gaming community isn't exactly known for being patient and open minded, you will probably have to stop everything you're doing and put all your brains to fully comprehend Reload's format.
Ready? Well, here we go! Here's Reload's format explained:
Note: All the graphics included in this article are from Ubisoft's official blog post.
Stages and dates
Let's start with the easy stuff. Reload will be divided into two stages: Group Stage and Playoffs.
Reload's Group Stage will be played between May 10 and May 14. Finally, Reload's Playoffs will be played between May 16 and May 18.
Here's how the action will be spread across the eight days of competition:
Group Stage
All matches in Reload's Group Stage will follow a BO1 format, including elimination games.
- Round 1: May 10
- Round 2: May 11
- Round 3: May 12
- Round 4: May 13
- Round 5: May 14
Playoffs
While Quarterfinals and Semifinals will follow a BO3 format, the Grand Final will follow a BO5 format.
- Quarterfinals: May 16
- Semifinals: May 17
- Grand Final: May 18
So far it, sounds easy to understand, right? Well, hold up. Keep on reading, we promise you it is about to get messy.
Group Stage format
By the looks of the Group Stage mentioned above, readers could think we're looking at the common Swiss Stage. Well, if that's you, you're wrong.
Reload's Group Stage, known as Reload to Survive, will follow a Reload system. In Reload, all teams will start the Group Stage with six bullets, which are placed in a Bullet Reserve. For each victory, teams will earn bullets. For each defeat, teams will lose bullets. Teams who fall to zero bullets will be automatically eliminated.
For example, let's say that Team A (three bullets) and Team B (five bullets) clash and Team A uses two bullets (Reloads) while Team B uses three. If Team A wins, the team gets back the two Reloads used and the same amount but doubled. In this case, Team A ends with five Reloads, while Team B loses the three Reloads used; falling to just two Reloads.
After each round, the Leaderboard is updated. By the end of Round 4, the four teams with the highest number of bullets will qualify for the Playoffs. By the end of Round 5, the next four teams with the highest number of bullets will join the top four seeds in the Playoffs. Meanwhile, the rest will be eliminated.
After understanding this, let's continue with how each Group Stage (Reload to Survive) round will work:
Group Stage rounds
In Round 1, all teams start with six bullets and will only be able to reload a maximum of two. The matches in this round are drawn randomly.
Starting from Round 2, although teams are still only able to reload a maximum of two bullets, lower-ranked teams are the ones to pick their opponents.
It's after the conclusion of Round 3 when things get spicy as teams are allowed to use a maximum of eight bullets. A team can commit more bullets than its total number, but a defeat would drop its bullet tally to negative numbers, resulting in elimination.
In Round 4, the four-best teams automatically qualify for the Playoffs, while teams seeded between 20th and 17th place are eliminated.
Finally, in Round 5, the top four teams also qualify for the Playoffs, while the rest of rosters are eliminated.
While this system is already a bit complicated to understand, there's more. If you have understood the Reload system, it's time to introduce you to Reload's Cards system.
Reload's Special Cards
In Reload, teams will be able to use six different wildcards, also known as the Wildcards of Reload. This is also exclusive to the Group Stage.
The Card System is divided into two categories: cards that are always active and cards that can only be used once and at certain times. Let's dive into this fascinating system by having a look at each card:
Always Active
These cards are always active, can be used by any team, and an unlimited times:
- Survivor Card: Teams that start a match with one bullet and win the game will gain an extra bullet.
- Flawless Victory Card: Teams who get a 7-0 win will be rewarded with two extra bullets.
- Eliminator Card: Teams that eliminate another team after a match or a duel will earn an extra bullet.
Single Use
These cards can only be used once per team, and only at specific situations:
- Chicken Card: Using this card will allow a team to decline a direct challenge, forcing the challenger to find another opponent. It can only be used once between Rounds 2, 3, and 4.
- Extended Mag Card: Teams can deploy this card before the start of a match. Using this card will boost the number of bullets a team can retrieve, adding six bullets on top of their normal recovery. It can only be used once between Rounds 3, 4, and 5.
- Duel Card: Teams who face elimination can invoke this card to initiate a 1v1 duel. If the team that used the card wins, their Bullet Reserve is reset to 0 and gain one bullet for every in-game round won beyond their opponent's score. Losing means the Bullet Reserve remains unchanged and the team ends up being eliminated.
Reload's Group Stage for dummies
We get it, Reload's format is strange, hard to understand. But, we have a feeling that tells us to give it a chance. This mix of randomness, uniqueness, and competition could create some of the greatest memories. Let's have a more basic look at the competition:
- Round 1: Every team has six bullets, can only use two in a match, no cards can be activated.
- Round 2: Lower Ranked teams pick a Higher Ranked team for a match, picked team can use the Chicken Card to avoid the clash. A maximum of two bullets can be used.
- Round 3: Lower Ranked teams pick a Higher Ranked team for a match, picked teams can use the Chicken Card to avoid the clash if it hasn't been used yet. A maximum of eight bullets can be used, Duel and Extended Mag Cards can be used.
- Round 4: Lower Ranked teams pick a Higher Ranked team for a match, picked teams can use the Chicken Card to avoid the clash if it hasn't been used yet. Teams can also use the Extended Mag Card if it wasn't used on Round 3. By the end of Round 4, the four teams with the highest number of bullets qualify for the Playoffs; seeds 20 to 17 are eliminated.
- Round 5: Lower Ranked teams pick a Higher Ranked team for a match, picked teams can's use the Chicken Card anymore. Only available card is the Extended Mag Card; seeds 5 to 8 qualify for Playoffs, the remaining teams are eliminated.
By now you should have understood much of what's going to happen in Reload's Group Stage. Thought we were done? It's time to look at the Playoffs:
Playoffs format
Fortunately for you (and us), Reload's Playoffs are easier to understand. While the Quarterfinals and the Semifinals will be BO3 series, the Grand Final will be BO5.
If you're interested in going to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to watch Reload, you can still get tickets here.
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