Is Rainbow Six Siege Free to Play? Free Access Explained
November 9, 2026 · 6 min read
On this page
- What free access includes
- What you have to pay for
- Free access vs paid editions
- How to start playing for free
- Dual Front is no longer part of free access
- Ways to grow your roster without paying
- Do players who bought the game lose anything?
- Is free access enough?
- Frequently asked questions
- Is Rainbow Six Siege free on PS5 and Xbox?
- Can you play Ranked in Rainbow Six Siege for free?
- How many operators do you get for free in R6?
- What is the difference between the Elite and Ultimate Editions?
- Is Siege X free?
- Is Dual Front still in Rainbow Six Siege?
Yes. Rainbow Six Siege has been free to play since June 10, 2025, when Ubisoft launched the Siege X update and opened free access on PlayStation, Xbox and PC. You can download it, play the casual modes and build up a small operator roster without paying anything.
There are two catches. Ranked and Siege Cup stay locked until you own a paid edition, and free players start with a much smaller roster than people who bought the game.
Last checked: November 9, 2026.
What free access includes
Ubisoft's notes for Operation Daybreak (Year 10 Season 2, the Siege X launch) describe free access as the base game with these modes:
- Quick Match and Unranked
- Deathmatch (Team Deathmatch and Free For All)
- Limited-time events
- Tutorials and AI training playlists
- Custom games
At the Siege X reveal, Ubisoft said free players get 10 operators from the start and can grow that to 26 operators by progressing through the game. The extra ones come from tutorials and newcomer challenges, so you don't need to spend money to reach 26.
What you have to pay for
Ubisoft's free access page lists four things that need a purchase: the Ranked playlist, Siege Cup, additional operators and cosmetics. In practice, that means:
- Ranked: the main competitive mode, where you earn a rank from Copper to Champion.
- Siege Cup: Ubisoft's in-game tournaments for five-player squads.
- A bigger roster: paid editions unlock dozens of operators instantly.
- Cosmetics: skins, bundles, the Premium Battle Pass and the membership.
Even after you upgrade, Ranked and Siege Cup open only once your account reaches Clearance Level 50. Buying the game early doesn't skip that requirement.
Free access vs paid editions
Ubisoft sells two paid editions alongside free access. Its comparison table on the free access page looks like this:
| Feature | Free access | Elite Edition | Ultimate Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Match, Unranked, Deathmatch | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Operators | 10 at start, up to 26 through progression | 16 extra operators unlocked instantly | 52 extra operators unlocked instantly |
| Ranked | No | Yes, from Clearance Level 50 | Yes, from Clearance Level 50 |
| Siege Cup | No | Yes, from Clearance Level 50 | Yes, from Clearance Level 50 |
Ubisoft's support pages describe the Elite Edition's 16 operators as the ones from Year 1 and Year 2, and the Ultimate Edition's 52 as operators from Year 1 to Year 10. Operators released in Year 11, such as Solid Snake and Noor, fall outside both bundles.
You can also play through Ubisoft+ Premium, which Ubisoft lists at $17.99 a month on PC, cloud and Xbox. Ubisoft notes that editions included in Ubisoft+ may not contain every piece of premium content, so check what's included before you subscribe for Siege alone.
How to start playing for free
- Download the game. Search for Rainbow Six Siege on the PlayStation Store or the Xbox store. On PC, it's available through the Ubisoft Store, Steam and the Epic Games Store.
- Sign in with a Ubisoft account. Siege links your progress to a Ubisoft account on every platform, so create one if you don't have it yet.
- Do the tutorials first. The attack and defense tutorials and the Enlisted playlist, where you play against AI, open at Clearance Level 2.
- Move into Quick Match. It unlocks at Clearance Level 3 and is the main place to learn the game against real players.
Here's when the main modes unlock, based on the Clearance Level list Ubisoft published with Siege X:
| Mode | Unlocks at |
|---|---|
| Tutorials and Enlisted (AI) | Clearance Level 2 |
| Shooting Range and Quick Match | Clearance Level 3 |
| Landmark Drill (map training) | Clearance Level 5 |
| Deathmatch | Clearance Level 7 |
| Field Training (custom AI matches) | Clearance Level 18 |
| Unranked | Clearance Level 20 |
| Ranked and Siege Cup | Clearance Level 50 (paid edition required) |
Dual Front is no longer part of free access
When free access launched, its headline mode was Dual Front, a 6v6 mode on a large map called District. Ubisoft retired it after three seasons: Year 11 Season 1 was its last season, and the playlist was removed when Year 11 Season 2 started in June 2026.
Some Ubisoft store pages still mention Dual Front in their free access description. If you're downloading the game for that mode, it's gone. Ubisoft said it wanted to put its focus back on the core 5v5 game and Ranked.
Ways to grow your roster without paying
Free players have a few ways to try more operators:
- Progression unlocks. Tutorials and newcomer challenges add operators as you level up. Since Year 10 Season 4, players between Clearance Level 16 and 20 can also complete specialty challenges that unlock operators, or pay out Renown if you already own that operator.
- Weekly trial operators. Since Year 11 Season 2, Ubisoft rotates six operators each week, three attackers and three defenders, that you can play for free in Quick Match, Unranked and several other playlists.
- Renown. You earn this in-game currency by playing matches, finishing the daily Renown challenge and reaching new Clearance Levels.
Our Rainbow Six Siege operators list shows all 78 operators with their roles, which helps when you're deciding which ones to try first.
Do players who bought the game lose anything?
No. When Siege went free, Ubisoft said existing owners would keep everything they had unlocked: game modes, operators, inventory and progression. Veterans also received rewards based on the year they first played, from Year 1 to Year 10.
The Siege X Clearance Level rework hands out some operators as level rewards. If you already own one of those operators, you get its value in Renown instead.
Is free access enough?
It depends on what you want from the game. Free access covers everything you need to learn Siege: the tutorials, the AI playlists, Quick Match and Unranked. Unranked uses the same rules, timers and operator bans as Ranked, so you can practice the competitive format without paying.
If you want a visible rank, Ranked rewards or Siege Cup tournaments, you'll need a paid edition and Clearance Level 50.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rainbow Six Siege free on PS5 and Xbox?
Yes. Ubisoft made free access available to new players on all platforms when Siege X launched on June 10, 2025. That includes PlayStation, Xbox and PC through the Ubisoft Store, Steam and Epic Games Store.
Can you play Ranked in Rainbow Six Siege for free?
No. Ranked and Siege Cup need a paid edition of the game. Even with a paid edition, both modes unlock only at Clearance Level 50.
How many operators do you get for free in R6?
Free players start with 10 operators and can reach 26 through in-game progression, according to Ubisoft. Weekly trial operators let you play six more each week without owning them.
What is the difference between the Elite and Ultimate Editions?
The Elite Edition unlocks 16 extra operators right away, and the Ultimate Edition unlocks 52. Ubisoft lists the Elite operators as the Year 1 and Year 2 roster and the Ultimate set as operators from Year 1 to Year 10. Both editions open Ranked and Siege Cup at Clearance Level 50.
Is Siege X free?
Yes. Siege X was the name of the June 2025 update that added free access. It's the same Rainbow Six Siege download, not a separate game.
Is Dual Front still in Rainbow Six Siege?
No. Dual Front was removed at the start of Year 11 Season 2 in June 2026, after three seasons. The core 5v5 modes are now the focus.
Rainbow Six Siege is a trademark of Ubisoft Entertainment. mgame.gg isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Ubisoft.
