Maps are arguably the gameplay element that sets Rainbow Six Siege apart from other games.
The knowledge required to traverse each map is important and knowing which walls are “soft,” which ones are “hard,” and how to navigate reinforcements is a big part of improving at the game.
Here are our picks for the top 10 maps in Rainbow Six Siege.
10) House
It’s hard to have a top 10 Rainbow Six maps list and not include House. While the map is casual by nature, it’s iconic and was the first map shown to the public during the announcement of the game.
Some of the charm of the map was taken away during its recent rework, but the map plays better overall. You don’t have to like the map—you may only use it to warm up on Terrorist Hunt. But you can’t deny that it’s one of the most iconic maps of the franchise.
9) Kanal
Another recently reworked map comes in at ninth on our top 10 list. While technically competitively viable, we won’t be able to see this map pushed to its absolute limit until it gets added into the professional play rotation. Until then, the only other thing stopping Kanal from being higher is how cheesy it is.
Spawnpeeks, early-round runouts, and sneaky Valkyrie cameras dominate most levels of play. Once the attackers get into the building or on the balconies, the gameplay loop gets better. But getting there is the hard part. While spawnpeeking and runouts are completely fair strategies, it gets dull trying to fight people in windows every round on attack.
8) Oregon
Another recently reworked map, Oregon was changed from a map where you fight for every inch in a closed corridor to a more balanced experience. Old Oregon was “Hell in a Cell.” Shotguns, Maestro’s ALDA 5.56, and brute force were the name of the game for quite some time.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with having a map like old Oregon, it just got stale. New Oregon is a breath of fresh air but lacks the distinct gameplay loop that old Oregon had. It went from being completely and totally unique in both good and bad ways in the map pool to just another map. No one is doubting how much better Oregon is in competitive play, but not much really sticks out about the map now.
7) Bank
Bank is an iconic Rainbow Six map and thematically one of the best in the game. The only problem is the gameplay loop. It’s become stale over time and way too easy to predict.
On attack, there are near-instant runouts if you spawn anywhere close to the front lobby—and the back alley spawn isn’t too much better. Once you fight off the spawnpeekers, good luck trying to clear the roamers when you have one or two attackers sitting on rappels or the parking garage, trying and failing to channel their inner Bob Lee Swagger. They won’t channel Bob Lee Swagger and are likely to leave their valuable utility and drones outside while you and your team fight inside at a disadvantage.
At the professional level, the map is just stale and in need of a rework. Thematically, the map is gorgeous. The effects in the basement are particularly gripping, though not the best for competitive play. The feel of a map with so many avenues for passive attackers to bait their team in new and unprecedented ways and a stale competitive meta is pretty unfortunate for how thematically excellent it is. Bank will make its way to the top soon, it just needs a small rework to some high traffic areas.
6) Chalet
Chalet is the most recent rework on the list and is arguably the best recently reworked map. Everything that was a drag about old Chalet is gone or toned down significantly and the map is all the better for it. Every bombsite feels viable now in the early stages of figuring out the rework and there appear, for now at least, to actually be multiple ways of attacking some bombsites.
This might be the rework hype speaking, but new Chalet is an excellent rework that fixed problems without taking the charm and unique gameplay loop away. Yes, sitting on the Kanine spot on the balcony is still a strategy for attackers. You just won’t get as much raw map control out of it as you used to. It’s easy to be high on the potential of Chalet, but time could be unkind to this traditionally controversial map.
5) Coastline
The “danger donut” is another map with a unique playstyle—if by unique you mean aggressive. The building itself is so small that defenders are essentially forced to play outside of it on certain bombsites and are forced to make extremely aggressive plays. This makes Coastline a profoundly entertaining watch in professional play and a profoundly frustrating play in ranked.
Most of what you know about Rainbow Six is thrown out the door: Coastline doesn’t require an attacking hard breacher or a Thatcher pick for a smooth attack, and running in and planting quickly is often the best move. For better or worse, Coastline is staying and is ranked so highly here because of how insanely fun it is to watch at the professional level. Every round of Coastline is a flurry of trades and high-skill peeks. Though it’s not traditional Rainbow Six, it’s a blast.
4) Kafe Dostoyevsky
Another reworked map that’s seeing a resurgence in popularity, Kafe Dostoyevsky went from awful at most levels to one of the best maps in the pool. There’s not much to say about the map other than it’s solid. It’s unique enough to provide interesting gameplay while retaining Rainbow Six basics.
You won’t be able to execute a clean attack without clearing the roamers and setting up flank drones. For every site, a hard breacher is necessary. Rappel play is necessary for some attacks too. In the old IGN review adage, it’s got a little bit for everyone.
3) Villa
Villa is a roamer’s haven. Until recently, it used to be extremely defender sided. It’s changing, but change has come slowly.
When Villa was introduced into professional play, it wasn’t uncommon to see 6-0 or 5-1 halves, ending in a 7-5 or 8-7 finish depending on who got defense last. At lower levels, Villa may be defender sided, but that’s not the fault of the map. Maybe the players in your ranked games don’t have to push into the vulnerable Study room on every attack round? That’s just some food for thought.
Either way, Villa has everything you want out of Rainbow Six and then some. There are tons of vertical play opportunities and the map specifically rewards good droning and flank watching on attack. To get good at Villa, you have to hone your fundamentals, though. You can’t just walk in guns blazing.
2) Consulate
Consulate is rated this highly for one reason above all others: it’s incredible to watch in professional play. There’s intense vertical gameplay, especially on the split site, a chance for a classic “open the garage and have a shootout” attack, and plenty of opportunities for risky defender play.
Consulate doesn’t always feel the best to play, mostly because it’s so aggressive. The actual building is small—one of the smallest—and it feels like everyone is everywhere unless you’re in at least a five-vs-two. But it’s not as slanted toward gunfights as Coastline is and rewards utility plays just as much.
On the professional level, you can expect teams to win rounds with excellent utility usage and just plain old shooting themselves out of trouble. There’s only one competitor to Consulate in terms of watchability, though.
1) Clubhouse
If Rainbow Six had a Dust II, it would be Clubhouse. It has it all: vertical play, the need for a coordinated attack, enough space for defenders to experiment with setups, and it requires pristine utility usage.
There are so many iconic professional moments on Clubhouse that it’s hard to count them all. The map plays great for all ranks. It highlights the uniqueness of Rainbow Six—and there’s room to experiment in some cases. We don’t know how anyone could disagree, Clubhouse is the best Rainbow Six map.
