If you’ve ever logged onto Rainbow Six Siege on your Xbox and wanted to squad up with a friend who only plays on PC, you’ve probably asked can xbox play with pc on rainbow six siege. The short answer is yes, but there are a few caveats, setting adjustments, and small hoops you’ll need to jump through to make it work smoothly. I’ve been playing Siege across console and PC for the last four years, and I’ve run into every crossplay glitch, rank disparity issue, and setting mismatch you can imagine. I remember spending 20 minutes confused a couple years back when my friend on PC couldn’t see my squad invite, just because I’d only added him on Xbox and not Ubisoft Connect, so I know how frustrating those small mistakes can be.
How to Set Up Crossplay When You Want Xbox to Play With PC on Rainbow Six Siege
The setup process only takes a few minutes if you follow the right steps, and you won’t have to repeat it unless you switch accounts or reset your game settings. First, both you and your PC friend will need to have a valid Ubisoft Connect account linked to your respective platforms. Xbox players can link their account through the Siege launch screen, while PC players can link theirs directly through Steam or the Epic Games Store when they first boot up the game. You must add each other as Ubisoft Connect friends, not just Xbox or Steam friends, to send cross-platform squad invites.
Next, navigate to the Options menu, select the General tab, and make sure the Crossplay Matchmaking toggle is switched on. Crossplay is enabled by default on most new installs, but it’s worth double-checking if you can’t see your friend’s name in your friends list. Once you’re connected as Ubisoft friends, you can send a squad invite directly from the in-game friends list, and they’ll get a notification regardless of what platform they’re on. If you’ve confirmed that crossplay works for your account, test a casual match first to make sure your connection is stable before jumping into ranked play.
Common Crossplay Issues and How to Fix Them Fast
Even with the right settings, you might run into small errors when trying to connect across Xbox and PC. One of the most common questions we get about crossplay errors is why can xbox play with pc on rainbow six siege for some friends but not others, and the answer almost always comes down to account linking or privacy setting issues. If your invite isn’t showing up for your friend, first check that they have friend requests enabled for all Ubisoft players, not just people on their same platform. You can adjust this setting in your Ubisoft account privacy dashboard online.
If you’re getting constant connection drops or “failed to join squad” errors, the issue is usually related to your network setup. Make sure both you and your PC friend have an open or moderate NAT type, as strict NAT will cause constant connection drops when playing cross-platform. You can check your NAT type in the Siege network settings menu, and adjust it through your router’s admin panel if needed.
Here are a few more quick fixes for the most frequent crossplay glitches:
- Restart both your game and Ubisoft Connect client if invites fail to appear, as this resolves 70% of minor crossplay glitches
- Verify your game files on PC or clear your Xbox cache if you get a "failed to join squad" error repeatedly
- Turn off input-based matchmaking in your general settings if you want to queue with friends using a different input method
Input-based matchmaking is separate from crossplay settings, so you can enable crossplay while still only matching against other controller players if you prefer. If you leave input-based matchmaking on, you’ll only be matched with other controller users even if you’re playing with a PC friend, unless your friend plays with a controller too.
Pros and Cons of Playing Cross-Platform Between Xbox and PC
Crossplay isn’t for everyone, and it’s good to weigh the benefits and drawbacks before you turn it on permanently. The biggest pro, of course, is that you can play with all your friends regardless of what platform they own, no need to buy the game twice to squad up. Queue times are also drastically shorter when crossplay is enabled, especially for less popular game modes like Ranked Tactical Realism or limited-time arcade events. You’ll also get exposed to a wider range of playstyles and strategies that are less common on console, which can make you a more well-rounded player overall.
There are some downsides to keep in mind too. The most obvious is that keyboard and mouse players have a natural advantage in aim speed and reaction time, so you might be at a disadvantage if you’re playing against random PC players while using a controller. If you only want to play with PC friends without facing random PC players, you can set your squad to "private" so the matchmaker only fills empty spots with other console players if you leave slots open.
Another minor downside is that PC lobbies have a slightly higher rate of cheaters than console lobbies, though Ubisoft’s BattlEye anti-cheat has gotten much better at catching and banning hackers within 24 to 48 hours of a report. You also won’t be able to transfer game licenses between platforms, so if you bought Siege on Xbox you’ll still have to buy it separately if you want to play on PC later, though all your progression, skins, and renown will carry over as long as you use the same Ubisoft account.
Tips for Fair, Fun Crossplay Matches Between Xbox and PC Players
If you decide to play cross-platform with your PC friends, a few small adjustments can make the experience much more enjoyable for everyone. First, adjust your operator picks to play to your strengths if you’re using a controller against keyboard and mouse players. Stick to anchor operators like Smoke or Mute on defense, where you don’t need to make fast long-range flicks to be effective, or hard breachers like Thermite on attack where your main job is to open walls rather than get picks.
You can also tweak your controller settings to better compete against PC players. Most pro console players use an aim assist value between 70 and 80 for crossplay matches, which balances locking onto targets without feeling sluggish. Avoid turning aim assist all the way up, as it will make it harder to track fast-moving targets or switch between enemies in close quarters.
Use in-game Ubisoft voice chat or a third-party app like Discord instead of Xbox party chat, since Xbox party chat won’t work with PC players. Make sure you’re communicating about operator picks and site setups, too, since the meta is slightly different between PC and console. For example, PC players tend to use Jäger far more often to counter accurate projectile throws, while console players usually get more value out of trap operators like Kapkan or Frost, since controller players are more likely to rush through hallways without checking for traps. If you ever get frustrated playing against PC players, you can turn crossplay off at any time in the general settings menu to go back to matching only with other Xbox players.
At the end of the day, the answer to whether can xbox play with pc on rainbow six siege is a resounding yes, as long as you have your accounts linked properly and crossplay enabled. It’s a great way to connect with friends who don’t own the same platform as you, and it can even make you a better player by exposing you to different playstyles you wouldn’t run into on console alone. Just keep the small caveats around input advantage and connection settings in mind, and you’ll be queuing up for cross-platform matches without any issues in no time.
