If you’ve ever wanted to squad up with a friend who plays Rainbow Six Siege on Xbox while you’re on PC, you’ve probably asked: can Xbox and PC crossplay Rainbow Six Siege? I’ve been in that exact spot last year, when my college roommate switched from PC to Xbox Series S and we spent 20 minutes fumbling through settings trying to join the same lobby. We worked through all the kinks, so I’m breaking down everything you need to know to make crossplay work, avoid rank locks, and fix common issues that pop up when mixing platforms.
Can Xbox and PC Crossplay Rainbow Six Siege: Official Rules & Eligibility
The short answer is yes, Ubisoft rolled out full cross-platform play support between Xbox consoles and PC back in 2022, and it’s been expanded to cover all game modes except for a few competitive restrictions. It works for all Xbox generations, including the Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X, and all PC distribution platforms: Steam, Ubisoft Connect, and Epic Games Store. I tested this last month with a friend on an original Xbox One and my Steam copy of Siege, and we had no issues connecting even with the generation gap between our devices.
Crossplay is enabled by default for all casual and unranked lobbies, so you won’t have to dig through settings to use it if you’re just playing for fun. But there are specific rules for ranked play to keep matches fair for all players. There’s also a common myth that you need to buy the game twice to crossplay, right? That’s not true. If you own Siege on PC, you don’t need to buy it again on Xbox to play with your Xbox friends, as long as they own the game on their platform.
You need a valid Ubisoft account linked to both your platform (Xbox/PC) to access crossplay — that’s non-negotiable, no guest accounts or offline profiles will work. Your cross-progression (skins, rank, unlocks) is also tied to this same Ubisoft account, so you can switch between Xbox and PC and keep all your progress if you ever decide to pick up the game on a new device.
Step-by-Step Setup for Xbox and PC Rainbow Six Siege Crossplay
Setting up crossplay only takes a few minutes once you know where to look, and most of the steps are the same regardless of which Xbox model or PC store you use. First, for PC players: Open Rainbow Six Siege, navigate to the settings menu, select the “Crossplay” tab, and confirm the “Cross Platform Play” toggle is switched on. For Xbox players: Press the menu button in-game, go to Options, scroll to the Account & Privacy section, and make sure crossplay is enabled there. You should also double check your Xbox system privacy settings to make sure cross-platform play isn’t blocked by parental controls or account restrictions.
The biggest mistake most new crossplay players make is trying to add friends via their platform gamertag instead of their Ubisoft username. You can’t add someone’s Xbox gamertag through the PC friends list, or their Steam username through the Xbox friends list. Search for their Ubisoft account username in the in-game friends menu, send a request, and once they accept, you can invite them to your lobby the same way you would any other friend. Once you have all these settings sorted, you’re ready to start enjoying Xbox and PC crossplay Rainbow Six Siege with your whole friends list, no extra steps needed.
Before you queue up, make sure you meet all these pre-requisites to avoid connection errors:
- Valid, verified Ubisoft account linked to both your Xbox and PC gaming profiles
- Latest version of Rainbow Six Siege installed on both devices (no pending updates)
- Crossplay enabled in both in-game settings and your platform's system privacy settings
- No active bans or restrictions on your Ubisoft account for competitive play
Limitations You Should Know Before Crossplaying Between Xbox and PC
Crossplay works really well for most use cases, but there are a few limitations you should be aware of before you queue up, especially if you’re planning to play ranked. The biggest one is input advantage: PC players almost always use mouse and keyboard, which is faster for aiming and quick reaction times, especially at long ranges. Xbox players can plug a mouse and keyboard into their console if they want, but most use controllers, which can put them at a slight disadvantage against skilled PC players.
Ubisoft has input-based matchmaking for casual lobbies, but it’s not 100% perfect. If you’re in a mixed input squad (one player on controller, one on mouse and keyboard), you’ll almost always be placed in lobbies with mostly mouse and keyboard players, so Xbox players on controller should be prepared for a slightly steeper challenge. I’ve noticed that PC players usually have shorter load times than Xbox players, so you might have to wait 10-15 seconds for your Xbox friends to load into the map before the round starts. It’s a small annoyance, but it’s nothing that ruins the experience, especially if you’re playing casual.
Ranked play has extra restrictions too: You can’t crossplay between Xbox and PC if you’re in the Champion rank, to keep competitive matches fair and prevent smurfing. There’s also a MMR cap that prevents players with more than a 3-rank difference from queuing together in ranked crossplay lobbies. You can't turn off crossplay if you're in a squad with someone on a different platform — that’s an automatic setting, so you’ll be matched against other crossplay lobbies, no way around it. Custom games have no restrictions at all, though, so you can play any custom mode or tournament with friends regardless of rank or input.
Fixes for Common Xbox and PC Siege Crossplay Issues
Even if you follow all the setup steps correctly, you might run into a few common issues when crossplaying, most of which have super simple fixes. The most common issue is not being able to see your friend in the in-game friends list. If that happens, double check that you searched for their Ubisoft username, not their Xbox gamertag or Steam ID. If it still doesn’t show up, make sure both of you have your Ubisoft profile set to public, not private, so you can send and receive friend requests.
If you get a “failed to join lobby” error when trying to join your friend’s squad, the easiest fix is to have the other person send the invite instead, or restart your game. 9 times out of 10 that works, I’ve tested it dozens of times when playing with my own cross-platform squad. If you’re getting matched against way higher skill players than you expected, that’s usually because you’re in a mixed input squad. If you want to avoid that, stick to squads with all controller or all mouse and keyboard players, or turn off crossplay when you’re playing solo.
Voice chat delay or no voice chat between platforms is another common complaint. First, make sure you have crossplay voice chat enabled in your in-game audio settings. If that’s already on, check your platform’s privacy settings to make sure voice chat with players on other platforms is allowed. If the delay is still bad, you can use an external voice chat app to talk instead, it’s what my squad does for ranked play. Never download any third party "crossplay fix" tools — they’re almost always malware, and all official fixes are done through in-game or system settings.
At the end of the day, the answer to can Xbox and PC crossplay Rainbow Six Siege is a clear yes, as long as you follow the setup steps and account for the small limitations that come with mixing platforms. I play crossplay with my Xbox friends at least twice a week now, and once we worked out the initial kinks with adding friends, it's been seamless for the most part. Whether you're playing casual matches to mess around or grinding unranked to practice new operators, crossplay opens up a ton of opportunities to play with people you might not otherwise get to squad up with. Just remember to double check your settings before you queue, and don't get frustrated if you run into a few connection hiccups here and there — they're almost always easy to fix in a minute or two.
