If you've ever jumped into a Rainbow Six Siege lobby late at night when queues are long, or wanted to test a new operator without throwing a ranked match, you've probably wondered are there bots in rainbow six siege. I've been playing Siege on and off since Operation Health, and I still hop into bot matches whenever I want to mess around with a new loadout or practice peeking angles without getting flamed by my squad. A lot of new players don't realize Ubisoft has included bot options for multiple game modes, though they're not as widely advertised as the PvP core of the game. These bot modes are accessible to every player, no extra downloads or paid content required.
Are There Bots in Rainbow Six Siege? Official Bot Match Options
The short answer is yes, Ubisoft has included official AI bot support across several game modes for both new and experienced players. The 10 introductory Situations that unlock when you first launch the game are all played against low-difficulty bots, designed to walk you through basic mechanics like breaching, reinforcing, and using operator gadgets. Many players skip these once they unlock PvP, but they're a great starting point if you're coming back to the game after a long break. If you're wondering are there bots in Rainbow Six Siege outside of PvE modes, the answer is only the temporary fill bots in casual PvP lobbies.
Terrorist Hunt is the most popular dedicated bot mode, available to play solo or with up to 4 teammates. In this mode, you'll either attack or defend a site against waves of AI-controlled terrorists, with adjustable difficulty settings to match your skill level. Custom games also let you add as many bots as you want to either team, so you can set up specific practice scenarios without any pressure. Official bot matches are the only way to play against AI that's sanctioned by Ubisoft, so you don't risk account bans accessing these modes.
You may also encounter bots as temporary fill-ins for casual PvP matches if a player leaves in the first 30 seconds of a round. These bots are set to medium difficulty, and will leave the match as soon as a human player queues into the open spot. They're not very strategic, but they're better than playing a man down for an entire round.
How R6 Siege Bot AI Performs Across Different Difficulty Levels
When you're first figuring out are there bots in Rainbow Six Siege that are worth playing against, you might be tempted to jump straight to hard difficulty, but it's better to start with easy or medium to build your confidence first. Each difficulty level has distinct AI behavior and accuracy levels, so you can pick the one that aligns with your current skill goals. Easy bots are very forgiving, with slow reaction times and inconsistent aim, so you can take your time testing new gadgets or memorizing map layouts without getting eliminated immediately.
Medium difficulty bots have slightly faster reaction times and will occasionally flank you, so you'll have to watch your back just like you would in a real PvP match. Hard difficulty bots have reaction times similar to average gold-ranked players, with near-perfect aim if you're caught out in the open. Realistic difficulty is the most challenging, with bots that can one-shot you with a headshot from across the map, and no HUD markers to show where they are. Realistic difficulty bots don't show up on your HUD, so you'll have to rely on sound cues and map knowledge just like you would in a real PvP match.
- Easy difficulty: Best for learning operator abilities, testing loadout recoil, and memorizing basic map layouts without pressure
- Medium difficulty: Ideal for practicing site setup as a defender, or basic entry pathing as an attacker before playing casual PvP
- Hard/Realistic difficulty: Perfect for advanced players looking to sharpen peeking speed, reaction time, and crosshair placement against aggressive opponents
You can adjust the difficulty for both Terrorist Hunt and custom bot matches in the game settings menu, so you can swap between levels whenever you want to try something new. I usually switch to easy difficulty when I'm testing a new operator's gadget, and bump it up to hard when I'm practicing my peeking skills for ranked play.
Common Misconceptions About Bots in Rainbow Six Siege
There are a lot of rumors floating around the Siege community about bots, and most of them are not true. One of the most common myths is that there are bots in ranked PvP lobbies to fill empty spots or make queue times shorter. That's completely false. You will never see a bot in a ranked or competitive PvP match, even if a player leaves mid-game, the spot stays empty instead of being filled by AI. If you run into a player with weird movement or bad aim in ranked, that's just a low-skill human or a smurf account, not a bot.
Another common myth is that all bots are useless for practice. Many players think bot matches are only for total beginners, but even experienced players can get a lot of value out of them. You can test new operator loadouts, practice 1v5 clutch scenarios, and memorize new map changes without risking your rank or getting yelled at by your teammates. I've spent hours in custom bot matches practicing jump peeks and sound cues, and it's made a huge difference in my ranked win rate.
There's also a myth that you can download third-party tools to add bots to ranked or casual PvP lobbies. Any third-party tool that claims to add bots to PvP lobbies is a cheat, and using it will result in a permanent Ubisoft account ban. These tools aren't actual AI bots, they're aimbots and auto-peeking cheats that give you an unfair advantage over other players, so avoid them at all costs.
Practical Ways to Use Bot Matches to Improve Your Siege Gameplay
Bot matches are one of the most underrated resources for improving your Siege skills, no matter what your current rank is. The first way to use them is to test new operators and loadouts right after you unlock them, or right after a patch changes their abilities. For example, if you just unlocked Fenrir, you can test how his F-NATT Dreadnought mines work in a bot match before you use them in a real PvP round, so you don't waste them on useless spots. You can also test different weapon attachments to see which recoil pattern works best for you, without throwing a match for your team.
You can also use custom bot matches to memorize map layouts and callouts. If a new map drops, or you're just struggling to remember the names of every room on Bank or Consulate, you can run around the map in a bot match, calling out each room name as you go, until you have them all memorized. This will make communicating with your squad in PvP matches way easier, and you won't have to waste time asking where your teammates are when they call out an enemy position.
Bot matches are also great for practicing sound cues. Turn off the in-game music, turn up your volume, and listen for bot footsteps as you play. You'll learn to tell the difference between footsteps on wood, metal, and concrete, and you'll be able to tell which floor an enemy is on before you even see them. This is one of the most important skills in Siege, and it's way easier to practice in low-pressure bot matches than in high-stakes ranked rounds. Even top-tier pro players use custom bot matches to test new operator changes right after a patch drops, before they bring those strategies to competitive play.
At the end of the day, if you're still asking are there bots in rainbow six siege, the short answer is yes, and they're one of the most underrated tools for players of all skill levels. You don't have to jump straight into high-stakes PvP lobbies when you can take your time learning the game at your own pace against AI. Next time you're frustrated with a losing streak, or want to try something new without letting your team down, boot up a Terrorist Hunt match or custom bot lobby and mess around for a bit. You might be surprised how much your gameplay improves after even 30 minutes of low-pressure practice.
