There’s no better weekend vibe than grabbing a second controller, stacking snacks on the coffee table, and playing your favorite shooter with a friend who’s actually in the room with you. If you’re both obsessed with Rainbow Six Siege, the first question that pops up when you sit down to play is can you do split screen on rainbow six siege. I’ve run into this exact scenario at least a dozen times over the past 7 years playing Siege, whether it’s with my old college roommate, my little cousin, or friends visiting from out of town, so I dug through official Ubisoft statements, tested every possible trick on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, and put together everything you need to know.
Can You Do Split Screen on Rainbow Six Siege: Official Answer
Let’s cut straight to the chase: there is no native split screen support for Rainbow Six Siege on any platform right now, and Ubisoft has repeatedly stated they have no plans to add the feature in future updates. I’ve checked every menu on every current platform, dug through 8+ years of patch notes, and even reached out to Ubisoft support last year to confirm, and there’s no hidden toggle, no secret code, no way to enable split screen for casual, ranked, Terrorist Hunt, or any other game mode directly in the game.
This isn’t a case of the feature being removed, either. Split screen was never added to Siege at any point in its lifecycle, even during its early access launch in 2015. A lot of players assume it was cut after launch because other Ubisoft shooters like Far Cry and Call of Duty have split screen support, but that’s never been the case for Siege. The dev team has always prioritized competitive performance and gameplay balance over local co-op features, which is the main reason the feature was never built into the game in the first place.
You don’t have to waste time scrolling through settings menus or watching fake YouTube tutorials that promise a split screen glitch, trust me, I’ve already tried all of them. None of the “hidden glitch” videos work, and most of them lead you to change settings that will just mess up your normal game performance instead of unlocking split screen.
Workarounds to Play R6 Siege With Friends Locally
Just because native split screen doesn’t exist doesn’t mean you can’t play Siege with friends who are in the same room as you. I’ve tested all of these workarounds personally, and while none of them are a perfect replacement for true split screen, they’re all safe, free, and let you get that local co-op experience you’re looking for.
- Local network custom lobbies: If you and your friend each have your own copy of Siege and separate systems (consoles or PCs) on the same Wi-Fi or ethernet connection, you can host a private custom lobby to play against each other or team up against AI without lag. You can both play on your own accounts, earn renown and XP, and tweak the lobby rules to fit whatever playstyle you want.
- Shared screen turn-based play: For casual scrim practice or learning new operators, you can take turns playing rounds on the same account, swapping controllers after each attack or defense phase to let both players get hands-on time. I do this all the time with friends who are new to the game, and it’s a great way to teach them map callouts and operator abilities without them having to buy their own copy first.
- Cloud gaming split screen workarounds: Some high-end cloud gaming services let you run two separate game instances side by side on the same screen if you have two controllers and two separate Ubisoft accounts, though performance varies based on your internet speed. This is the only option that lets you play at the same time on the same screen, but it’s not accessible for everyone since it requires a paid cloud gaming subscription and very fast internet.
None of these workarounds are ideal, obviously, but they’re the only legitimate options right now. I’d recommend sticking to local custom lobbies if you have the extra hardware, since that’s the most seamless experience that lets both players play at the same time without performance issues.
Why Ubisoft Hasn’t Added Split Screen to Rainbow Six Siege
A lot of players get frustrated that split screen isn’t available, but there are very logical reasons the dev team has never added the feature, and most of them tie back to what makes Siege unique as a competitive shooter.
Competitive integrity is a top priority for the Siege dev team. The game has a global pro league, a ranked mode with millions of active players, and strict performance standards to make sure no player has an unfair advantage. Running two instances of the game on the same console would force lower render resolution and lower frame rates for both players, which would put anyone using split screen at a huge disadvantage, especially in higher ranks where 60+ FPS is mandatory to react fast to peeks and sound cues. The dev team doesn’t want to add a feature that would intentionally make the game less fair for some players.
Destruction physics are extremely resource-heavy. Unlike most other shooters, every wall, floor, ceiling, and object in Siege can be destroyed, modified, or blown up in real time. The game’s engine has to render all of those changes dynamically for every player in the match, which uses a huge amount of processing power even for a single instance. Running two instances at once would make even current-gen consoles struggle to hit 30 FPS for both players, leading to a laggy, unenjoyable experience for everyone involved.
The last reason is simple: there’s very little player demand for the feature. Ubisoft ran a community survey a few years back asking players what features they wanted added to the game, and less than 2% of respondents said split screen was a top priority for them. The dev team has limited resources, so they’re focused on updating the meta, adding new operators and maps, and fixing bugs that impact the majority of the player base, rather than building a feature very few people would use.
Tips for Playing R6 Siege With In-Person Friends
Whether you’re using one of the workarounds we listed or just hanging out and watching each other play, there are a few things you can do to make the experience way more fun for everyone involved.
If you’re doing turn-based play, make a small friendly wager for each round, like the loser buys the next soda or has to play the next round as a meme operator like Tachanka. It adds a fun competitive layer to the game even if you’re not playing against each other directly, and it takes the pressure off if you’re playing with someone who’s new to the game.
If you’re running local custom lobbies, don’t be afraid to mess around with custom game settings to make the match more fun. You can turn off one-shot headshots, enable infinite ammo, turn off friendly fire, or even limit the lobby to only use shotguns or snipers if you want to mess around. You don’t have to stick to standard ranked rules if you’re just playing for fun with friends.
If you’re planning to try the cloud gaming workaround, make sure you have a wired internet connection with at least 100 Mbps download speed before you sign up for a service. Wi-Fi connections usually have too much latency to run two game instances at once, and you’ll end up with lag that makes the game almost unplayable for both players.
Never download third-party “split screen mods” for PC, no matter how legitimate they look. Most of these mods are malware that will steal your account information, and even the ones that actually work will get your Ubisoft account permanently banned for violating the game’s terms of service. I’ve seen multiple people lose accounts they’ve had for 5+ years because they tried to use a split screen mod, and it’s never worth the risk.
At the end of the day, it’s a bummer that native split screen support isn’t on the horizon for Siege, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a blast playing the game with in-person friends. To circle back to the original question of can you do split screen on rainbow six siege, the official answer is no, but the workarounds we’ve listed are reliable, safe, and can give you that local co-op experience you’re looking for without risking your account or wasting money on fake tools. I still do turn-based casual rounds with my cousin every other weekend, and we’ve had just as much fun learning new map angles as we would if we were playing side by side on a split screen. If Ubisoft ever announces plans to add split screen support in a future update, we’ll update this guide immediately with all the details you need to get it set up.
