How to play ranked with friends in Rainbow Six Siege

You can play Rainbow Six Siege ranked with friends in a squad of up to five, as long as everyone is close enough in rank. Since Ranked 3.0 in June 2026, the game turns a squad that's too far apart away with "High rank disparity in squad": squadmates from Copper to Emerald must be within three full ranks of each other, and a squad with a Diamond or Champion player within two. For three and a half years before that, anyone could queue with anyone, and some answers still say so.

This guide is for a player who plays ranked with friends, or wants a stack to play it with. It covers which ranks can queue together, how the game counts the gap, why friends who play their placements together can lose the right to queue, how a squad with a rank gap is matched, what crossplay does to a console player's rank, what every friend needs before ranked opens, and how to find a stack in range. For other games, see every game's team format.

In short

• A ranked squad is up to five players, and the game fills the empty places.
• Squadmates from Copper to Emerald must be within three full ranks of each other. A squad with a Diamond or Champion player must be within two.
• The game counts divisions, five to a rank, and a squad must be fewer than 15 apart, or fewer than 10 with a Diamond or Champion. Platinum V and Bronze V, exactly 15 apart, are refused.
• Ranks two apart, such as Gold and Emerald, can always queue together, and ranks three apart only at close divisions. With a Diamond or Champion in the squad, that's one rank apart always and two only at close divisions.
• Every friend needs a paid edition, Clearance Level 50, 10 Attackers and 10 Defenders, and 2-Step verification.
• Placement matches have no restriction, but friends who place together can come out too far apart to queue afterwards.
• A squad with a rank gap is matched closer to its highest player, and Rank Points follow.
• A console player who queues with PC friends plays in the PC pool, on a separate PC rank.

Which ranks can queue ranked together

Ubisoft's Ranked 3.0 update sets the limits: "Copper to Emerald can queue with teammates within 3 full Ranks of their own Rank. Diamond and Champion players are limited to teammates within 2 full Ranks." Ubisoft says the limits are there "to reduce extreme Rank disparities while preserving matchmaking balance".

A squad can be any size up to five. The game fills the empty places, so a duo, a trio or a four-stack can queue as well as a full five. Outside ranked, Unranked and Quick Match have no rank limits, so friends who are too far apart can still play together there. Above Champion, the Legend Division is solo queue only, by the Operation Split Fire season notes, so a stack of Champions plays the ordinary ranked playlist together.

The table gives who each rank can queue with:

Your rank	Always	Only at close divisions
Copper	Copper to Silver	Gold
Bronze	Copper to Gold	Platinum
Silver	Copper to Platinum	Emerald
Gold	Bronze to Emerald	Copper
Platinum	Silver to Emerald	Bronze, Diamond
Emerald	Gold to Diamond	Silver, Champion
Diamond	Emerald to Champion	Platinum
Champion	Diamond to Champion	Emerald

A rank missing from your row can't queue with you at any division. A Gold and a Diamond, for example, never play ranked together, though they're only three ranks apart: Gold's limit would allow some pairs, but the Diamond player's limit is two full ranks, and even Gold I is 11 divisions below Diamond V.

How the game counts the gap

In divisions. Every rank has five, from V up to I, so three full ranks are 15 divisions and two are 10. Ranked 3.0 gave Champion five divisions as well, so the count runs all the way up.

When a squad is too far apart, the Ranked tile says "High rank disparity in squad", and the game explains: "Squad members must be within 15 ranks to play Ranked." The ranks in that message are divisions.

Players have found that exactly 15 apart is already too far. A Platinum V can't queue with a Bronze V, and a Diamond V can't queue with a Platinum V, exactly 10 apart. So count the divisions between the squad's highest and lowest player, and keep the gap under 15, or under 10 if the highest is Diamond or Champion.

For example, a Gold II can queue with a Copper I, 14 divisions down, but not a Copper II. Upwards it reaches every Emerald, but no Diamond: Diamond V is 12 divisions above Gold II, past the Diamond player's limit of 10.

Placements: play them together, then check the gap

Your first five matches each season are placement matches, and Ubisoft's Ranked 3.0 update says they "do not include Squad Restrictions, allowing players to queue freely with friends regardless of Rank". They give more Rank Points than usual, so players get back to last season's level faster.

But your starting rank isn't only your five games. By Ubisoft's help on rank, each season starts with a soft reset, so your rank "will depend on the previous Season and your placement for your first five matches". Each friend brings their own last season, and players have found that a duo who won all five placements together can still land Bronze and Platinum.

So place together, then look at the gap. If you've come out too far apart, play Unranked together until your ranks close, or climb separately until the lower-ranked friend is in range.

How a squad with a rank gap is matched

Closer to its highest player. By Ubisoft's Ranked 3.0 update, team balancing "is calculated at the squad level first. When squads contain large Rank gaps, the system weights the team closer to the higher-ranked player".

That changes what each match is worth. Beating stronger teams gives more Rank Points, beating weaker teams gives fewer, and losing to lower-ranked teams costs more. A squad of a Platinum and a Silver plays lobbies nearer Platinum, where the Silver player's wins can be worth more than usual.

Ranked 3.0 also removed hidden MMR. Matchmaking uses only your Rank Points, so the rank you see is the one you're matched on, and the one the squad limit measures.

The closer a stack's ranks, the fairer its lobbies for everyone in it.

Crossplay: PC and console friends

A console player can queue ranked with PC friends by turning crossplay on. The whole squad then plays in the PC pool, and the console player plays on a separate PC rank.

By Ubisoft's crossplay help, crossplay "is activated by default on PC and can not be deactivated, and is deactivated by default on consoles". Turning it on lets a console player "join the PC matchmaking for Ranked games and your PC Rank will be different from your console Rank."

• A PC player keeps the squad on PC. Since Collision Point in December 2024, "any Squad that has a PC player must play in the PC matchmaking pool", and PC players can't join the console pools.
• The PC rank is the one compared. In a crossplay squad the game says "Displayed ranks are for PC." A console player's PC rank starts from its own placements in their first season in the PC pool, so they can land far from the PC friends they joined it for, and out of range of them.
• PlayStation and Xbox play together. Since Solar Raid in December 2022, console players can play with other consoles and squad up through Ubisoft Connect.
• Mouse and keyboard on console is allowed only in the PC pool, by the Operation System Override season notes.
• Text chat is unavailable on consoles, so a mixed squad talks by voice.

What every friend needs before ranked opens

Each player in the squad unlocks ranked on their own. Free access doesn't include it: by Ubisoft's free access page, Ranked and Siege Cup "require payment to unlock". By Ubisoft's help on competitive modes, every player needs:

• an Elite or Ultimate Edition of the game
• Clearance Level 50
• 10 Attackers and 10 Defenders unlocked
• 2-Step verification on their Ubisoft account
• on PC, a phone number on their Ubisoft account
• on console, their Ubisoft account linked to their platform account, and an active PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass subscription

Reputation counts too. By the Prep Phase season notes, a Dishonorable standing locks a player out of Ranked and Siege Cup, and a Disruptive one locks them out of Siege Cup and ranked rewards.

So a new friend on free access, or below level 50, can't join a ranked squad yet. Check before you plan a night around them.

Finding a stack in range

Recruit players whose rank is in the "Always" column for everyone already in your stack, on a platform that shares your pool, at the hours you play.

Range first. A player fits your stack at every division when their rank is in every member's "Always" row. A Platinum and Emerald stack, for example, can always take an Emerald, but a Diamond only at close divisions to the Platinum. Ranks move during a season, so a gap that only fits at close divisions today may not fit next week.

Platform. A PC stack recruits from PC, and from console players willing to play on their PC rank. A console stack that wants to stay in the console pool recruits on console.

Roles. A stack wants an entry and a support on attack, a roamer and an anchor on defence, and someone to make the calls. On TeamTavern, anchor is the Siege role with the widest gap between the groups asking for it and the players offering it, as the role chart in the guide to joining a team shows, though from few group posts. If you play anchor, lead with it, and if your stack needs one, expect to look longer.

Keep a good teammate. After a good match with a stranger, invite them through Ubisoft Connect, which is how Siege adds friends across platforms. Siege has no in-game squad finder. Ubisoft's roadmap lists a new social hub, to "invite friends and players to your squad more easily, directly in-game", for its next season. The official Rainbow 6 Discord is another place players look for a squad.

From ranked to Siege Cup. A stack of five that plays every week can enter Siege Cup, the in-game tournament for five-stacks, which runs every weekend and asks for the same as ranked. Its roster can't change once you register, so register the five who'll show up. The guide to joining a team covers Siege Cup and the way up from it, and How to make an esports team covers keeping a team together.

Post on TeamTavern. Ranked is what most Siege players on TeamTavern are after: 85% of player posts and 77% of group posts tick it. Put up a player post with your rank, roles and platform, and tick "Ranked" under "Looking for". A stack looking for players puts up a group post, with a rank range of the ranks that fit every member at any division. That range is narrower than many groups ask for: a third of the Siege group posts that give a range ask for one whose two ends can no longer queue ranked together, such as Copper to Champion. Then filter the posts by rank and platform and message the ones that fit.

Rainbow Six Siege players and groups on TeamTavern

Frequently asked questions

What ranks can play together in Rainbow Six Siege ranked?

From Copper to Emerald, squadmates within three full ranks, fewer than 15 divisions apart. With a Diamond or Champion in the squad, within two full ranks, fewer than 10 divisions apart. Ranks two apart, such as Gold and Emerald, can always queue together, or one apart with a Diamond or Champion.

Why can't I play ranked with my friend?

Most often the gap: the Ranked tile says "High rank disparity in squad". Exactly 15 divisions apart, such as Platinum V and Bronze V, is already too far. Check too that both of you have unlocked ranked (a paid edition, Clearance Level 50, 10 Attackers and 10 Defenders, and 2-Step verification), and, if one of you is on console with crossplay on, that it's that player's PC rank being compared.

Can you play placement matches with friends?

Yes. Placement matches have no squad restriction, so friends of any rank can play them together. But you can come out of them too far apart to queue together afterwards.

Can a four-stack play ranked in Siege?

Yes. A squad of any size up to five can queue for ranked, and the game fills the empty places.

Can PC and console players play ranked together?

Yes, if the console player turns crossplay on. The squad plays in the PC pool, and the console player plays on a PC rank separate from their console rank.

Find your stack

• Recruit from the "Always" column for everyone in your stack, and every division fits.
• When in doubt, count divisions: under 15 apart, or under 10 if the highest is Diamond or Champion.
• Play your placements together, then check the gap.
• Expect lobbies nearer your best player.
• Know which pool and which rank a console friend plays on.

Post as a player with your rank and tick "Ranked" under "Looking for", or post as a group with a rank range your whole stack can queue with: Rainbow Six Siege players and groups on TeamTavern.