How to play guide

Rainbow Six Siege Beginner's Guide: Drones, Reinforcing Walls and Your First Operators

For new Rainbow Six Siege players: attack and defense rounds, drones and reinforcements in the prep phase, destructible environments, default PC keys and common beginner mistakes.

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Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is Ubisoft's 5v5 tactical shooter. It rewards information and planning as much as reflexes: walls can be breached, floors opened, and cameras and drones reveal where opponents are. The Siege X update in June 2025 added free access; Quick Match, Unranked and the 6v6 Dual Front mode can be played for free with a selection of operators.

This guide is for players who just started or keep saying "I don't even know where I was shot from". Dying quickly is usually about missing information rather than aim, so it puts droning, setting up a defense and reading the map first.

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Below you will find the goal of the game, default PC keys, first steps, concrete tips, common beginner mistakes and the questions people ask most.

Goal of the game

In standard matches the two teams swap between attack and defense across rounds. Each round starts with a short preparation phase. Defenders reinforce walls, barricade doors and windows and place traps and surveillance gear. Attackers drive observation drones into the building to find the objective and the defenders.

In the action phase, attackers enter the building and try to take the objective while defenders protect it. You take the round by eliminating the other team or completing the objective. Each player picks an operator with a unique gadget. Destruction is at the heart of the game: you can breach soft walls for new sightlines, rappel in through windows or from the roof, and pressure from floors and ceilings. Dead players keep helping through cameras or remaining drones for the rest of the round.

Controls

Key	Action
`W A S D`	Move
`Left Shift`	Sprint
`Alt`	Walk slowly and quietly
`C / Ctrl`	Crouch / prone
`Q / E`	Lean left / right
`Space`	Vault, rappel; jump while controlling a drone
`Left click / Right click`	Fire / aim
`R / B`	Reload / change fire mode
`V`	Melee
`F`	Interact; reinforce and barricade on defense
`Mouse wheel click or 4`	Operator's primary gadget
`G or 3`	Secondary gadget (grenade, claymore, etc.)
`5 / 6`	Observation tools (cameras, drones) / deploy drone
`Z`	Ping
`Tab`	Scoreboard

First steps

Start with the onboarding pathAccording to the Steam page, new players get a clearance level path that teaches the basics step by step. Following it before your first matches teaches drones, reinforcements and rappelling without real match pressure.
Get to know the free operatorsFree access unlocks a selection of operators. Pick one attacker and one defender from them and stick with them in the first days. Every gadget works differently, and knowing one well beats trying all of them superficially.
Always drone in the prep phaseOn attack, deploy your drone with 6 at round start and drive it inside. Find the objective room and where defenders stand, and ping them with Z. If your drone survives you can reconnect with 5 during the round, so do not leave it in the open.
Learn to reinforce on defenseOn defense, reinforce the destructible walls of the objective room with F. Reinforced walls cannot be opened with ordinary breaching charges. Talk to your team about which walls to reinforce; cover the ones attackers are most likely to use, not every wall.
Learn a few maps firstMap knowledge is everything in Siege: objective rooms, camera spots, drone holes and common angles. Play the same few maps in Quick Match and Unranked to learn the floor plans.
Practice in Quick MatchQuick Match is more relaxed; you can try gadgets and operators without worrying about mistakes. Unranked offers an experience close to ranked rules without affecting your rank.
Watch cameras when you dieThe round is not over when you die. On defense, cycle through remaining cameras; on attack, through remaining drones, and ping enemy positions for your team. That information often decides the round.
Try Dual Front for a different paceDual Front, added with Siege X, is a 6v6 mode that differs from the classic round structure. If the pressure of the classic mode feels heavy, it is a more relaxed place to try operators and gadgets.

Tips and tactics

Do not sprint around cornersRushing around a corner is exactly what a defender pre-aimed at that angle expects. Slow down and clear the angle piece by piece, leaning with Q and E.
Use sound for directionFootsteps, breaching and drone noise reveal enemy positions. Walking with Alt reduces your footsteps; this matters most in the final seconds and when you are the last one alive.
Hold your crosshair at head levelA single headshot is usually enough. Keep your crosshair at head height on door and window edges.
Hide your droneBefore the prep phase ends, park your drone in a corner, under a shelf or where defenders will not look. You can reconnect during the round for late information.
Shoot camerasOn attack, destroy defender cameras you see. A blind defense has to guess where you are coming from.
Do not all sit in the objective on defenseWhen every defender is stacked in the objective room, attackers can flood one spot with explosives and grenades. One or two teammates roaming outside can slow the attack, but do not try that alone when you are new.
Use destruction for informationEven a small hole in a soft wall or floor is a new sightline. Make small holes with melee (V) or gunfire to watch opponents without being seen.
Give short calloutsGive short info with location names like "two in kitchen, one at top of stairs". Learning room names speeds up communication a lot; room names are shown on screen as well.
Watch for friendly fireYou can damage teammates and there are penalties. Check where your teammates are, especially when using explosives in tight spaces.
Pick operators with the team in mindIf nobody can open reinforced walls, the attack stalls; if nobody brings surveillance on defense, the team is blind. Think about what the team needs before picking.

Common mistakes

Skipping drones in the prep phase: entering without knowing where the objective and defenders are means walking into traps one by one.
Sprinting around corners: a pre-aimed defender almost always gets the first shot.
Forgetting to reinforce on defense: an open wall gives attackers a direct way into the objective room.
Leaving the screen after dying: information from cameras and drones can win the round for your team.
Trying a new operator every match: switching constantly without learning gadgets means mastering none.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rainbow Six Siege free?

Partly. Siege X added free access: according to Steam, Quick Match and Unranked are free with a selection of operators, and Ubisoft's announcement includes Dual Front in free access. Ranked, Siege Cup, additional operators and cosmetics require payment.

Does it support Turkish?

According to Steam, the game has a Turkish interface. Turkish audio and subtitles are not listed.

Can I play alone?

The game is online and team-based; you can queue alone and play with random teammates. There is a step-by-step learning path for new players, but no classic story mode.

What is Dual Front?

A permanent 6v6 mode added with Siege X. According to Ubisoft it is available on current-gen consoles and PC and included in free access.

How long does a match take?

It depends on the mode and number of rounds. Rounds are short, but a match has several of them, so a classic match usually takes around half an hour; Quick Match is shorter.

This guide was written for version: This guide reflects the live version (post Siege X) as of September 2026. Keys are the PC defaults and can be changed under Settings > Controls; the operator roster and free access scope may change with seasons.