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Solid Snake is officially joining Rainbow Six Siege as a permanent playable Operator when Operation Silent Hunt launches on March 3, 2026, and yes, David Hayter is back to voice him.

The Metal Gear Solid icon headlines Year 11 Season 1, bringing his stealth expertise, Soliton Radar gadget, and battlefield scavenging abilities into Ubisoft’s tactical shooter.

David Hayter Returns As Solid Snake

David Hayter, the original voice of Solid Snake since 1998’s Metal Gear Solid, reprises his role for this crossover.

Creative director Joshua Mills confirmed that securing Hayter for the English voiceover was a core objective, calling his performance iconic. Hayter hasn’t consistently voiced Snake since 2010’s Peace Walker, after Kiefer Sutherland replaced him in Metal Gear Solid V.

This time, Hayter is recording entirely new voice lines rather than recycled audio, marking one of his most substantial returns to the role in over a decade.

Snake will also interact narratively with Sam Fisher, known in Siege as Zero. Ubisoft confirmed that Snake answers a personal call for help from Fisher during Year 11 Season 1, before both characters are written out of the seasonal story arc while remaining playable in the roster.

Soliton Radar MKIII And On-Site Procurement Explained

Solid Snake’s signature gadget is the Soliton Radar MKIII, a handheld device that displays a real-time floor plan of his immediate surroundings. It detects defenders on the same level and connected staircases, highlighting soft walls and destructible floors.

The radar changes colour based on threats. Green signals all clear, yellow indicates active default CCTV cameras, and red means one or more enemies are present.

Precision Mode goes further, revealing enemy positions and vision cones in real time. It has limited charges and a cooldown, but it delivers some of the most powerful intel available to attackers.

Defenders are alerted when detected and can counter in several ways. Alibi’s Prisma holograms appear as real Operators on the radar. Vigil’s cloak hides him completely. Mute’s jammers disrupt detection. Custom camera gadgets like those from Valkyrie, Maestro, Echo or Mozzie are also invisible to Snake’s radar.

Snake’s passive ability, On-Site Procurement, lets him scavenge utility from eliminated Operators. Unlike others who spawn with multiple grenades or gadgets, Snake starts with just one item and builds his toolkit mid-round by collecting dropped utility pouches.

He can carry one of each category, including frag grenades, stun grenades, smoke grenades, impact EMPs and breach charges. This makes him uniquely adaptable depending on how a round unfolds.

Weapons And Limited-Time Event Details

Snake’s primary weapons include the PMR90A2 designated marksman rifle and the F2 assault rifle, which is receiving new grip attachment options in Operation Silent Hunt.

He also introduces a new secondary weapon, the TACIT .45 pistol, featuring an integrated suppressor and reflex sight for stealth eliminations.

Beyond the Operator himself, Operation Silent Hunt includes a Metal Gear Solid-themed Battle Pass and a limited-time 4v4 infiltration event set on a modified Nighthaven Labs map inspired by classic MGS locations.

Cosmetics include Jackal as Gray Fox and Ash as Meryl, while a Psycho Mantis outfit arrives for Smoke.

Operation Silent Hunt also launches alongside the broader Rainbow Six Siege Year 11 roadmap, which introduces Ranked 3.0, new maps, operator reworks and a new Legend Division.

With Solid Snake permanently joining the attacker roster and David Hayter fully returning to the role, this crossover feels less like a short-term event and more like a long-term expansion of Siege’s identity.