We’ve all been there: you just lost a close ranked round because your teammate missed an easy shot, they claim they’re actually way better than you 1v1, and you’re ready to settle the debate once and for all. If you’re a regular Rainbow Six Siege player, you’ve probably asked at some point can you 1v1 in rainbow six siege, either to test your skills against a friend or to practice your aim and peeking without the pressure of a full 5v5 match. The good news is that it’s totally possible, and you don’t need any special mods or third-party tools to make it happen. I’ve been running 1v1 lobbies with my squad for years, both for fun and as a warm-up before competitive play, and it’s one of the most underrated ways to improve your individual Siege skills.
Can You 1v1 in Rainbow Six Siege Officially?
Ubisoft hasn’t added a dedicated 1v1 public playlist to Siege as of now, but the game’s flexible custom game mode gives you full control to set up a 1v1 match exactly how you want it. Setting up a lobby only takes a minute, and you can tweak almost every rule to fit your preferences, from round length to allowed gadgets and weapons. To get started, open the play menu, select custom game, create a new private lobby, head to match settings, and set the team size to 1 for both attackers and defenders. Disable auto-fill so random players can’t join your lobby, then send an invite to your opponent.
You don’t need any extra players or bots to start the match – as long as there’s one player on each team, you can launch the lobby right away. Custom 1v1 matches don’t count towards your ranked MMR, casual MMR, or battle pass progress, so you don’t have to worry about losing stats if you’re just messing around. If you want to make matches more competitive, you can set up a best-of-10 or best-of-15 series and track wins manually, just like you would in any other fighting or shooter game duel.
Best Settings and Maps for 1v1 R6 Siege Duels
The best part of custom 1v1 lobbies is that you can tailor every detail to fit what you want to practice. If you’re working on close-quarters aim, you’ll want a small, tight map with limited flanking routes. If you’re practicing long-range peeking and sniper play, a map with open sight lines is a better pick. After testing almost every map in the game for 1v1 play, these are my go-to picks:
- Club House: The basement bar and garage area is perfect for fast-paced, close-quarters duels. There are only a few main routes between spawns, so you don’t have to spend half the round searching for your opponent.
- Oregon: The first-floor dorm and kitchen wing strikes the perfect balance between close and mid-range fights. There’s enough cover to practice peeking and repositioning, but not so many hiding spots that rounds drag on too long.
- Border: The customs and inspection zone has wide, open sight lines that are ideal for practicing long-range aim and sniper duels. The tight side corridors also let you mix in close-quarters fights if you want to vary your drills.
For settings, I recommend setting round length to 2 minutes and prep phase to 15 seconds to keep matches fast and engaging. Turn off friendly fire (obviously, since there’s only one player per team) and disable spawn protection if you want to allow spawn peeking, or leave it on if you want a more fair start for both players. Always agree on ground rules with your opponent before starting the match – decide if runouts, gadgets, and spawn peeking are allowed so you don’t end up arguing mid-lobby. If you’re using 1v1s as a warm-up for ranked, stick to the same default settings as official ranked matches to keep your practice consistent.
Top Operators to Pick for 1v1 Rainbow Six Siege Matches
Not all operators are created equal for 1v1 play. Operators with team-focused abilities are basically useless when you don’t have teammates to support, so you’ll want to stick to operators with self-sufficient perks and strong, easy-to-control weapons. For attackers, Ash is my top pick every time. She’s one of the fastest attackers in the game, her R4-C assault rifle has almost no recoil and high damage, and her breaching rounds let you open up new angles without having to waste time placing regular breaching charges. Iana is another great pick: her hologram clone lets you scout out the defender’s position without risking yourself, which is a huge advantage when you don’t have teammates to gather intel for you.
For defenders, Jäger is the clear best choice. His 416-C carbine is one of the strongest defender weapons in the game, and his ADS devices will destroy any stun grenades, frag grenades, or breaching rounds your opponent throws at you. If you prefer a more stealthy playstyle, Caveira is a fun option: her silent step lets you flank your opponent without them hearing you coming, and her interrogation ability is a fun bonus if you want to add a silly rule to your matches. Avoid team-focused operators like Doc, Montagne, or Thatcher for 1v1 play – their abilities are designed to support a full squad, so they won’t give you any advantage in a head-to-head duel. If you’re practicing raw aim, stick to operators with low-recoil weapons so you can focus on your crosshair placement instead of fighting to control messy recoil patterns. You can always switch to higher-recoil weapons later once you’re comfortable with the basics.
Pro Tips to Win More 1v1 R6 Duels
1v1 Siege matches are totally different from regular 5v5 play. You don’t have teammates to watch your back or gather intel for you, so you have to rely entirely on your own skills and game sense to win. The first and most important tip is to always keep your crosshair at head level. I see so many players run around with their crosshair pointed at the ground, and they lose half their duels because they have to adjust their aim up to hit a headshot. Even when you’re moving around corners, keep your crosshair exactly where an opponent’s head would be, and you’ll land way more instant kills.
Peeking is another skill that makes a huge difference in 1v1s. Don’t wide peek every corner – that gives your opponent plenty of time to line up a headshot before you even see them. Instead, use small shoulder peeks to bait out their shots, then swing once they’ve fired and have to reload. Sound is even more important in 1v1s than it is in regular matches. Turn off any background music, and listen closely for footsteps, reload sounds, and gadget noises. You can tell exactly where your opponent is just by the sounds they make, even if you don’t see them. Don’t waste your gadgets early in the round – save stun grenades, impact grenades, and breaching charges for when you know exactly where your opponent is hiding, so you can catch them off guard and get an easy kill. Don’t be afraid to reposition after every engagement either. If you take a shot at your opponent and miss, move to a new spot right away so they can’t pre-aim the angle you were just holding. I’ve won dozens of 1v1s just by repositioning once and catching my opponent off guard when they’re still aiming at the spot I was 10 seconds earlier.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you 1v1 in Rainbow Six Siege is a resounding yes, and it’s one of the most fun ways to enjoy the game when you don’t have a full squad to play with. Whether you’re settling a bet with a friend, warming up before a ranked session, or just practicing your individual skills to climb the ranks faster, custom 1v1 lobbies are a super versatile tool that every Siege player should try at least once. Don’t be afraid to mess around with the settings and rules to make the matches fit what you enjoy – there’s no right or wrong way to run a 1v1 lobby, as long as both you and your opponent are having fun.
