If you’ve ever logged onto your console copy of Rainbow Six Siege and wondered if you can join your friend who’s grinding ranked on their gaming PC, you’re not alone. Thousands of players ask can you crossplay with pc on rainbow six siege every month, especially as more gaming titles roll out full cross-platform support for all devices. For years, Ubisoft has adjusted Siege’s crossplay rules to balance fair competition and community connectivity, and the current setup has a few important nuances you need to know before you try to queue up with cross-device friends. This guide breaks down every rule, restriction, and workaround you need to make your cross-platform play sessions run smoothly.
Can You Crossplay With PC on Rainbow Six Siege: Current Official Rules
Ubisoft first rolled out partial crossplay support for Rainbow Six Siege in 2022, after years of requests from the player base. But the team made a deliberate choice to separate PC and console pools from the start, to avoid creating an unbalanced playing field. PC players have access to mouse and keyboard input that gives a significant accuracy advantage over controller users, especially in fast-paced gunfights that define Siege’s ranked mode. On top of that, PC has a higher risk of cheaters using undetectable aimbots or wallhacks, so segregating the pools helps keep console lobbies fair for players who don’t want to deal with those threats. This rule applies to all game modes, from casual quick match to competitive ranked play, and even private custom games. The only exception for PC crossplay is across different PC storefronts, which we’ll cover in more detail later.
Crossplay Pairing Rules For All Rainbow Six Siege Platforms
While PC can’t pair with console, there are still plenty of allowed cross-platform combinations for Siege players. Ubisoft has expanded crossplay support steadily over the last two years, making it easier to play with friends no matter what store or device you use, as long as you’re in the same platform pool. The current allowed crossplay pairs are:
- PC (Steam, Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games Store, Amazon Luna): All PC platform players can queue together with no restrictions, regardless of which store they bought the game from. You can even share in-game items and progression across all PC storefronts if you link your Ubisoft account.
- Console (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5): All current and last-gen console players can crossplay with each other, as long as they have crossplay enabled in their settings. You can also turn off crossplay if you only want to match with players on the same console family as you.
- Mobile (Rainbow Six Mobile): The mobile version of the game is entirely separate from both PC and console pools, with no crossplay support for any other platform at this time. Ubisoft has not announced any plans to add crossplay for the mobile build in the future.
Many players assume that because console supports crossplay across brands, PC would be included too, but that’s not the case. Ubisoft tested mixed PC/console lobbies in internal trials a few years back, but the feedback from both player bases was overwhelmingly negative. Controller users reported being outmatched by mouse and keyboard players almost every round, while PC players complained that console players had access to aim assist that felt unfair for mouse users. So the separate pools are likely here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Common Workarounds For Mixed PC/Console Play (And Which Ones Actually Work)
If you’re still asking can you crossplay with pc on rainbow six siege after reading the official rules, you might be looking for workarounds to connect with friends on other devices. There are a lot of myths floating around online about ways to bypass the pool restrictions, so we’re breaking down which ones are safe and which ones will get you banned. Some players also wonder if playing with a controller on PC will let them join console lobbies, but that’s not how the system works. Your input method doesn't change your platform pool for Siege crossplay – if you’re running the game on a PC, no matter what controller or mouse you use, you’ll only be matched with other PC players.
The only legitimate workaround if you want to play with console friends from your PC is to use Xbox Cloud Gaming to run the console build of Siege. This version runs on Microsoft’s servers, so it’s treated as a console instance, and you can queue with your PlayStation and Xbox friends. But that’s not the same as native PC/console crossplay, since you’re not running the PC build of the game. There are no third-party tools or mods that let you bypass crossplay restrictions – any tool claiming to do this will likely get your account permanently banned, as it violates Ubisoft’s terms of service. I’ve seen multiple players in high-ranked lobbies get banned for using these tools in the last six months, so it’s never worth the risk just to play a few rounds with friends on a different platform. If you really want to play with friends on a different platform type, the only safe option is to buy a copy of the game for that platform.
Tips To Optimize Your PC Crossplay Sessions
Even if you’re only playing with other PC players, cross-store crossplay can have a few quirks that ruin your session if you don’t prepare ahead of time. These tips will help you make sure your crossplay runs smoothly, no matter which store your friends bought their copy from. First, make sure you have crossplay enabled in your Siege settings – it’s turned on by default, but if you turned it off in the past to avoid smurfs from other stores, you’ll need to flip it back on to play with friends who own the game on a different PC store. You can find the toggle in the “Gameplay” section of the settings menu, under the “Crossplay” header.
If you’re playing with friends from different regions, you might notice higher ping than usual, so make sure the party leader is in the region with the most players to minimize lag. You can also adjust your server selection in the settings to prioritize servers that are close to all members of your party. Another useful tip is to use the in-game friend system instead of store-specific friend lists, so you can add friends from any PC store without having to link your Steam, Epic, or Ubisoft accounts outside of the game. If you run into issues connecting to a friend’s lobby, try restarting your game and making sure all of you have the latest patch installed – crossplay bugs are usually fixed in the latest game updates, so keeping your game up to date will prevent most connection issues.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you crossplay with pc on rainbow six siege if you're playing on console is no, but there are still plenty of ways to play with your friends no matter what device you own. Ubisoft has stated that they have no plans to add PC-console crossplay in the foreseeable future, so if you really want to play with friends on a different platform type, your best bet is to pick up a copy of the game for that platform. As long as you follow the official rules and avoid sketchy third-party tools, you can have seamless crossplay sessions with your squad, no matter which PC store or console you use. And if you do decide to pick up a second copy of the game, you can carry over all of your operator progression and cosmetic items by linking the same Ubisoft account to both platforms.
