I still remember my first ever Rainbow Six Siege multiplayer match: I spawned as Sledge, walked straight into a Kapkan trap 10 seconds in, and spent the rest of the round spectating my teammates while I tried to figure out what the red flashing box on my screen meant. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed before even clicking the “play” button, you’re not alone. Learning how to play multiplayer on Rainbow Six Siege doesn’t have to involve 10 straight losses and a pile of confused Google searches, and this guide breaks down every step you need to start having fun (and winning) fast.
How to Play Multiplayer on Rainbow Six Siege: Initial Setup and Queue Options
First, you’ll need to make sure your crossplay settings are adjusted if you want to play with friends on other platforms. Crossplay is enabled by default for all casual and ranked matches, but if you only want to play with people on your same console or PC, you can toggle this off in the general settings menu. Next, navigate to the “Play” tab on the main menu, and you’ll see three core multiplayer queue types to choose from. Casual is the low-stakes option, no rank loss if you leave, and it’s the best place for new players to learn maps and operators. Ranked unlocks once you hit level 50, and it uses a skill-based ranking system to match you against players of similar skill. Unranked is the middle ground, it uses the same rules as ranked but doesn’t affect your rank, so it’s great for practicing before you jump into competitive play. If you’re playing with friends, you can create a custom lobby by clicking the “Custom Game” option, which lets you adjust rules, pick specific maps, and even add bots if you want to practice with a small group before playing against strangers.
Key Pre-Match Choices That Set You Up for Multiplayer Success
Once you’ve picked your queue and found a match, the pre-match preparation phase is where most new players waste a huge amount of potential. The first choice you’ll make is your operator, and you don’t need to unlock every rare operator to be effective. Stick to low-difficulty operators for your first 20 matches – attackers like Sledge or Ash have straightforward abilities that don’t require complex timing, and defenders like Rook or Doc offer clear value to your team even if you don’t get any kills. Next, you’ll pick your loadout, and it’s almost always better to pick the weapon with the lowest recoil over the one with the highest damage. A full mag of shots that hit your target will always do more damage than three high-damage bullets that miss because you can’t control the recoil.
- Red dot or holographic sight – avoid high-magnification scopes for close-quarters map play, they slow down your aim and make it hard to spot enemies around corners.
- Vertical grip – this cuts down vertical recoil by almost 20% for most weapons, making it far easier to keep your aim on target during full auto sprays.
- Suppressor only if you’re playing a roamer defender – otherwise, a muzzle brake or compensator will give you better recoil control with no downside.
Unwritten Multiplayer Etiquette Rules New Players Often Miss
Siege has a pretty tight-knit community, and following a few simple unwritten rules will make your matches way more fun for you and everyone else on your team. First, never team kill on purpose, and always apologize if you accidentally shoot a teammate. Accidents happen, but intentional team killing will get you kicked from matches and even receive a temporary ban if you do it repeatedly. Second, don’t spam the ping button unless you see an actual enemy. Spamming pings for no reason will make your teammates ignore your pings entirely when you actually spot a real threat. Third, if you’re the last person alive on your team and the objective is almost complete, don’t run off to chase a single kill. Prioritize securing the objective or defusing the bomb over getting a kill that won’t win you the match. I’ve seen so many new players throw a sure win because they wanted to chase one last kill instead of planting the defuser, and it’s such an avoidable mistake. If a teammate gives you a tip after a round, don’t get defensive – most long-time players are just trying to help you get better, not roast you for making a mistake.
Quick Tips to Earn More Wins and Rank Up Faster in Multiplayer
Once you’ve got the basics down, there are a few small changes you can make to your playstyle that will immediately boost your win rate. First, use your drone every single round as an attacker before you push a site. Drones are free intel, and you should never push a room you haven’t scouted first – you’ll walk straight into traps or enemy ambushes 9 times out of 10 if you skip this step. Second, listen closely to audio cues. Siege has some of the best audio design in any multiplayer shooter, and you can hear enemies walking through walls, planting breaching charges, or reloading their weapons from several rooms away if you turn down your music volume and turn up your effect volume. Third, don’t be afraid to play support if your team needs it. You don’t have to get the most kills to be the most valuable player on your team – placing Rook armor plates for your team, using Doc’s stim pistol to revive teammates from across the room, or scanning enemies with IQ’s gadget can win you rounds just as easily as getting 10 kills. I’ve had rounds where I didn’t get a single kill, but my team won because I scanned three enemy positions with my drone before we pushed the site, and that’s just as satisfying as getting a clutch ace.
At the end of the day, the best way to get better at multiplayer is to just play and learn from your mistakes. You’re going to lose a lot of matches when you first start, and that’s totally normal. Even pro players have bad rounds where they get taken out by a random trap in the first 10 seconds. If you follow the steps we’ve laid out, you’ll be able to jump in and start having fun far faster than if you tried to figure everything out on your own. Now that you know how to play multiplayer on Rainbow Six Siege, grab a friend, queue up for a casual match, and don’t forget to check your corners before you walk through a door.
