Ranked can be a bit much sometimes, we know. Either you get tired of playing the same objective every game, or the stressful nature of Ranked finally destroys your motivation to play any longer.
Fortunately, Siege has a plethora of available playlists and game modes to choose from when you feel like you need a break. Aside from that, they’re a fantastic way to grind your Battle Pass, gain Renown currency, and even unlock brand-new limited cosmetics for your Operators!
Let’s look at the game modes usually available in the live version of Rainbow Six: Siege.
Gamemodes | Objective |
Hostage | Defenders are assigned to keep a hostage secure from the Attacking team |
Secure Area | Two objective locations that the Defenders need to protect from Attackers seeking to occupy it |
Bomb | Best-of-5 standard search & destroy |
Ranked | Best-of-7 standard search & destroy with no rank progression |
Unranked | Best-of-7 standard search & destroy with rank progression |
Terrorist Hunt | Survival against waves of enemies known as the White Masks |
Quick Play
Quick Play is one of the first modes a player unlocks alongside the Newcomer playlist. In all Quick Play games, players are divided into two teams: Attackers and Defenders. A random map from the rotation is picked, and the game plays out in a BO5 where the first team to win three rounds is awarded the victory.
However, there are sub-categories in the game modes available in Quick Play which decide what objectives the two teams will have to play for. Each mode has its unique twist, which differentiates it from the rest.
Hostage
In this mode, the Defenders are assigned to keep a hostage secure from the opposing team. You can reinforce the hostage site during the Preparation phase while the Attackers scout the area with their drones.
The game's rules are pretty simple; as an Attacker, you want to free the hostage and escort them to the safe zone, while as a Defender, you want to make sure the Attackers don't escape with the hostage at all costs. Eliminating everyone on the opposing will also result in a round win.
However, there are certain caveats. The hostage is to be protected by both teams under all circumstances; hence whichever team ends up harming the hostage loses immediately. This creates an extra layer of complication since bombardment/explosive utility is to be used with caution to ensure the hostage is left unscratched. Players also need to be conservative during clashes since any stray bullets that kill the hostage could lose them the round immediately.
Secure Area
Secure Area overlaps most with your regular Ranked games since it involves two objective locations that the Defenders need to protect. The main difference arises when instead of planting or defusing the bomb, Attackers simply have to take the majority at any of the two bomb sites for 10 consecutive seconds.
A round consists of the Preparation phase followed by the Action phase, just like any other Quick Play game mode. During the Action Phase, Attackers need to locate the Secure Area location and ensure they aren’t eliminated or forced away for the remainder of the securing phase. If the Defenders manage to sneak or force their way back into the objective location, the 10-second timer is reset to zero until the Defenders are removed.
Bomb
The Bomb game mode is the most popular of the three Quick Play modes, mainly since Ranked and Unranked games follow the same pattern as Bomb. The only difference between Bomb in Quick Play vs. Ranked/Unranked is that the latter plays out in a BO7 instead of a BO5
Otherwise, most elements are the exact same. The Attackers spawn outside the objective location, while Defenders spawn near any of the two bomb sites, primarily located in adjacent rooms. Their role is to stop Attackers from planting the defuser onto any of the bombs. In case Attackers manage to force their way into the bomb site and plant the objective, the Defenders must retake the bomb site and remove the defuser before the 45-second timer runs out.
Just as with all the other game modes, eliminating everyone on the enemy team also results in a round win.
Ranked/Unranked
The most strategic game mode in Siege incorporates agent pick and bans alongside the traditional Bomb rules. Superb individual skill and excellent displays of teamplay are required to progress through the Ranked ladder, so make sure to warm up in Quick Play before you queue into a ranked game.
Players are required to reach a Clearance Level of 10 to start playing Unranked. Similarly, a Clearance Level of 50 is required for Ranked.
Terrorist Hunt
Terrorist Hunt is a Survival type game mode that can be played in Co-op and solo. This PvE game mode involves progressively difficult waves of 'terrorists', called White Masks, that players are required to clear out.
These enemies are usually scatted all over the map, primarily defending or holding specific locations in small groups. Once players eliminate a certain number of adversaries, the remaining terrorists are alerted to the players' whereabouts and begin to hunt them down.
The Terrorist Hunt game mode is available in three different difficulties: Normal, Hard, and Realistic.
Limited Time Events
The development team often releases fresh content through limited-time events on special occasions. While the events and their parallel game modes are only playable for a short duration, you can bank on seeing some of the most popular ones return.
Here are some of the best LTMs that Ubisoft has released:
Money Heist
Released as a collaboration between the producers of the hit Netflix series and Ubisoft, Money Heist featured exciting new bundles for Hiban's Loadout and Vigi's Loadout alongside a glammed-up version of Hostage.
Quite appropriately, Bank was the only map available during the event. While this LTM didn’t bring much of a unique twist to the Hostage game mode, it was very well received by the community and certainly succeeded in hyping up the show.
Doktor Curse
Arguably the most memorable game mode released in Rainbow Six Siege, Doktor Curse was available during both Halloween 2019 and Halloween 2021 due to its popularity.
The event brought something fresh by introducing a game mode similar to Hide-and-Seek. The Theme Park map got a brand new look with spooky Halloween props, where players would spawn as Monsters (Defenders) and Hunters (Attackers)
On top of that, neither team would have access to any weapons. Instead, the Attackers would spawn with a modified version of Sledge's melee weapon, the Cabre. The Defenders were required to find the best, most obscure hiding spots to ensure they weren’t caught within the 2-minute timer allocated to the Hunters.
The event didn’t lack in terms of cosmetic releases either. Players were able to acquire unique Halloween-themed props for their favorite Operators, along with cool limited-time weapon skins!
Golden Gun
Introduced in March 2019, the Golden Gun game mode has appeared a grand total of four times. This game mode features a modified version of the Deagle, where each player spawns in with just one bullet in their gun chamber.
While it’s a great game mode for players to practice their accuracy, it’s also one of the best at creating hilarious moments. Players are forced to reload or switch to their melees after every missed shot, making Golden Gun the perfect game mode for anyone who likes seeing entire teams running around frantically with their melee weapons equipped.
Several other LTMs have been released since the debut of Siege. Most of these feature brand-new cosmetic bundles along with unique game modes. Even if you’ve missed any of the ones listed above, don’t worry! The most popular game modes will surely make a comeback, along with creative new LTMs you’ve never played before.