There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

In most cases the straightforward approach works. The exceptions are specific and listed below.

  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • Keep a save or backup from before you start — it costs nothing and occasionally saves an evening.

Siege rewards knowing the building more than knowing the gun, which is why map knowledge outranks aim here. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here.

The practical answer

Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why.

The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of Rainbow Six Siege. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it.

When the usual advice fails

Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows.

  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Write down what you changed, so you can undo exactly one thing if it goes sideways.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.

Worth knowing alongside this

If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. Rainbow Six Siege is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of.

Why it works this way

The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

Everything below is framed around the current state of Rainbow Six Siege rather than a launch-week impression. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see.

What to do instead

If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.

Where people go wrong

  • Rushing the last step, which is usually the one with the actual requirement in it.
  • Downloading a helper tool for something the game already does in its own menu.
  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.
  • Copying a setup wholesale from a streamer without understanding what each part does.

Siege FAQ

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

Does this change between platforms?

The behaviour does not. Where menu paths or prompts differ, that is noted above.

What if none of this works for me?

Then something in your setup differs from the assumption — version, region or platform. Check those three before anything else.

Why do other guides describe this differently?

Most were written for an earlier version and never revisited. Compare the steps against what your build actually shows.

Work through it in the order above and google stadia store stops being a question you have to look up again.