It’s a super common scenario: you’ve spent weeks grinding ranked on your PS5, and your best friend just picked up a copy of Rainbow Six Siege for their new Xbox Series X. You’re both ready to squad up, run some quick matches, and troll each other over bad aim, but first you need to answer one big question: can Xbox and PS5 play together on Rainbow Six Siege? There’s a lot of outdated info floating around about R6 crossplay, since Ubisoft rolled out the feature in phases over several years, and many players still remember when crossplay was only supported between same-console families. This guide breaks down exactly what’s supported right now, how to set up cross-platform play, and what limitations you need to know before you queue.
Can Xbox and PS5 Play Together on Rainbow Six Siege? Official Crossplay Rules
The short, direct answer is yes, Xbox and PS5 players can absolutely play together on Rainbow Six Siege for all core game modes. Ubisoft rolled out full console crossplay support for all PlayStation and Xbox consoles back in 2022, and the feature has been enabled by default for all players ever since. That means if you haven’t messed with your crossplay settings, you’ve probably already played against or alongside Xbox players on your PS5, or vice versa, without even realizing it.
All console versions of Rainbow Six Siege share the same matchmaking pool by default, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. The only separate matchmaking pool is for PC players, to keep the playing field fair for controller users on consoles. PC players can’t play with console players at all, even if you turn on all crossplay settings, so don’t waste time trying to squad up with a friend on Steam if you’re on PS5 or Xbox.
There are a few small exceptions to this rule, which we’ll cover in more detail later on. For 99% of standard play, though, you don’t have to jump through any extra hoops to match with players on other console platforms.
Step-by-Step Setup to Play R6 With Friends Across Xbox and PS5
Matching with random players from other consoles happens automatically, but if you want to squad up with specific friends on a different console, you’ll need to adjust a few settings first. The process is straightforward, and only takes a minute or two once you know where to look. Follow these steps to get your cross-platform squad up and running:
- First, confirm crossplay is enabled in your R6 settings: Go to Options > General, then toggle Crossplay Matchmaking and Crossplay Invitations to On. If either of these are toggled off, you won’t be able to send or receive invites from players on other platforms.
- Add your friend to your Ubisoft Connect friends list, not just your console’s native friends list. You’ll need their exact Ubisoft username (including any unique numbers at the end) to send a request, or you can link your console account to Ubisoft Connect to import any existing friends you already play other Ubisoft games with.
- Once the friend request is accepted, you can find their name in your in-game friends list, select their profile, and send a squad invite regardless of if they’re on Xbox or PS5. You’ll see a small platform icon next to their name so you can confirm which console they’re playing on at a glance.
- If you don’t see their name pop up, double check that both of you have crossplay invitations turned on, and that you’re both running the latest game patch. Outdated patches can break crossplay functionality, so make sure you install any available updates before you try to squad up.
I’ve run into issues where a friend on PS5 didn’t get my invite at first, and it turned out they’d accidentally turned crossplay invites off when they first installed the game to avoid spam from random players. It’s an easy setting to miss, so always double check that first before you start troubleshooting deeper issues.
Native console party chat does not work across Xbox and PS5 for R6, so if you want to talk to your cross-platform squad, you’ll either need to use the in-game voice chat, or a third party app like Discord. I always recommend Discord for cross-platform squads, since the in-game voice chat can get spotty during peak play times, especially if you have players in different regions.
Key Limitations to Know Before Playing Cross-Platform R6
While crossplay between Xbox and PS5 works seamlessly for most use cases, there are a few important limitations you need to be aware of to avoid frustration. These aren’t bugs, they’re intentional design choices Ubisoft made to keep the game fair and balanced for all players.
If you use a keyboard and mouse on your PS5 or Xbox, you will be pulled into the PC matchmaking pool, which means you won't be able to play with controller users on other consoles. This rule applies even if you only switch to KBM for a single match, so if you plan to squad up with controller-using friends, make sure you’re using a controller when you launch the game. There’s no way around this rule, since it’s designed to prevent KBM users from having an unfair advantage over controller players.
Cross-progression is not supported between Xbox and PS5 for R6, even if you link both accounts to the same Ubisoft Connect profile. That means all your operator unlocks, skins, rank progress, and in-game currency will stay tied to the original console you earned them on. You can’t transfer any of that progress between Xbox and PlayStation, so if you switch consoles, you’ll have to start from scratch.
Some limited-time event modes may temporarily disable crossplay, usually for the first few days of the event while Ubisoft tests for bugs or balance issues. You’ll see a clear notification on the event screen if crossplay is disabled for that mode, and you’ll only be matched with players on the same console as you until crossplay is re-enabled. These restrictions are almost always temporary, and only apply to special event modes, not core quick match, unranked, or ranked play.
Common Crossplay Issues and How to Fix Them Fast
Even if you follow all the setup steps correctly, you might run into small crossplay issues every once in a while, especially after a new patch drops. Most of these issues have simple fixes that take less than a minute to try, so you don’t have to give up on playing with your friends if something goes wrong.
The most common issue is invites not sending or showing up for the other player. If this happens, first confirm both of you have crossplay invites turned on, then try sending the invite through Ubisoft Connect directly instead of the in-game friends list. If that still doesn’t work, restart your game and your console, then try again. Last month I spent 20 minutes trying to join my friend's Xbox squad from my PS5, and a simple restart fixed the issue immediately, so don't skip that basic troubleshooting step.
If you squad up with a friend in a different region, the match will be hosted on the server closest to the squad leader, so pick the leader with the most stable connection for the best experience. If you’re getting unusually high ping or lag in cross-platform matches, try switching the squad leader to someone closer to your region, and see if that fixes the problem. You can also manually select your preferred server in the game settings to avoid being placed on a server across the world.
Another common issue is not being able to join a friend’s ranked match, even if crossplay is turned on. This almost always has nothing to do with crossplay, and is just the standard ranked rank restriction. R6 only allows you to squad up for ranked if the highest rank and lowest rank in your squad are within 10 tiers of each other. If you’re a Gold 3 and your friend is a Diamond 2, you won’t be able to queue for ranked together, regardless of what platform you’re on. You can still play unranked or quick match together, though, so you don’t have to miss out on playing entirely.
If you’re still having issues after trying all these fixes, check the official Ubisoft support account on social media to see if there are any ongoing crossplay server outages. Server maintenance or outages can break crossplay functionality temporarily, and you’ll just have to wait until the servers are back up to play with your cross-platform friends.
At the end of the day, there’s almost no barrier stopping you from playing R6 with your friends, no matter if they’re on Xbox or PS5. The setup process is simple, the limitations are easy to work around, and most minor issues have quick fixes that don’t require any technical knowledge. Now that you know can Xbox and PS5 play together on Rainbow Six Siege, all you have to do is adjust your settings, send your friend an invite, and get ready to either dominate your matches or spend the whole time laughing at each other’s bad site pushes. Don’t forget to double check your crossplay settings before you queue, and have fun.
