Rainbow Six Siege X vs CS2 in 2025: Which tactical shooter is right for you?

Ten years after its arrival, Rainbow Six Siege has welcomed a brand new period that delivers a big slice of the kind of gameplay we’d anticipate from CS2. So with the Rainbow Six Siege X launch date now handed, it’s time to do greater than a fly-by on the similarities and variations between the 2. Whereas CS2 is a darling of Steam charts, R6 Siege is common… however may or not it’s the Siege X replace that reinforces it to the subsequent stage?

Probably. Beneath, we’ll have a look at an outline of the replace earlier than a dive into Rainbow Six Siege X gameplay and its particular parts when in comparison with CS2. If you happen to’re undecided which is for you, we hope that can assist you whether or not you’re selecting between the 2 for the primary time or contemplating a brief (or everlasting) change. 

At 10 years previous, Rainbow Six Siege was given a brand new replace delivering ‘Siege X’, which shifts the title to a free-to-access mannequin and provides a brand new mode to the title. The Siege X launch date delivered what Ubisoft calls a “distinctive, everlasting 6v6 recreation mode” named ‘Twin Entrance’, wherein six groups can battle throughout a map, in search of to regulate their very own and the enemy staff’s sectors throughout a bigger play space. This differs from the common ‘assault or defend’ R6 Siege gameplay dynamic, and in additional methods than simply the flexibility to do each, with a number of key additions layering the techniques required to win.

As a part of this new ‘Twin Entrance’ mode, the Siege X replace provides respawns, combining assault and defend operatives in a single staff for the primary time, and provides a ‘Twin Entrance Impartial Sector’ to the Twin Entrance mode. This sector focuses on dynamic goals referred to as ‘Assignments’, which can change each season and, when secured by a staff, will ship gameplay rewards. 

However Siege X is a little more than Twin Entrance, because the R6 Siege X replace provides the next:

Probably the most apparent reference factors for the newly added Siege X gameplay is CS2, not simply because it’s a tactical shooter. That new Siege X recreation mode, ‘Twin Entrance’, is meant to be extra accessible to gamers of map-control-focused shooters, so gamers of CS2 or…let’s say, VALORANT, could really feel extra comfy checking it out.

To this finish, although, the bigger Siege X map in Twin Entrance will supply a extra layered gameplay expertise in comparison with CS2, with Siege X’s added verticality, dynamic goals, and map interactivity (destruction). Nonetheless, a 6v6 recreation mode with an enormous give attention to tactical parts and securing sectors is simply actually a unique proposition from a 5v5 single-objective fast-paced and extra single-level tactical shooter. 

Have a look at it this manner, with out the brand new Twin Entrance mode, in the event you consider a ‘tactical shooter’, Siege X feels way more emphasised on the ‘tactical’, with CS2 extra on the ‘shooter’. Even evaluating CS2 gameplay on to the Twin Entrance mode, the tempo and motion will land on the aspect of CS2, whereas the extra tactical map strategy belongs to Siege X. 

It is a tough comparability ingredient. Whereas technically, there are 13 official CS2 maps and 27 maps for R6 Siege X (formally listed by Ubisoft), not all of these maps can be found throughout all recreation modes. However when it comes to pure selection, if that’s necessary to you, Siege X takes this space with double the maps…with one pretty huge caveat. 

The issue is that the brand new Twin Entrance mode at present solely has one map, District, which makes the comparability between this extra ‘CS2-like’ mode and CS2 itself fully lop-sided. The replayability and extra vertical and tactical parts of District could make replayability a giant issue right here, although, and that would effectively even the taking part in discipline.

Following our earlier suggestion that Rainbow Six Siege X emphasises ‘tactical’ and CS2  ‘shooter’ within the tactical shooter style, weapon choice reinforces this. The 50+ CS2 weapons give attention to pistols, SMGs, heavy (shotguns, MGs), rifles, and an entire lot of knife varieties. 

In the meantime, Rainbow Six Siege X’s weapons embody round 100 weapons throughout comparable classifications, even earlier than together with the generic assault (eg, breach cost, drone, stun grenade) and defence (barbed wire, nitro cell, bullet-proof digicam) devices. On high of those, there are 20 distinctive devices, making making ready for a spherical in Siege X a much more thought of determination.

As you’d anticipate, this all performs into the gameplay of every title. It’s virtually inconceivable to select a winner when it comes to required talent stage. Nonetheless, CS2 prioritises gunplay, precision, and parts like recoil and time-to-kill, whereas efficiently climbing Rainbow Six Siege ranks is extra associated to pre-planning, quick-thinking, on-point tactical manoeuvres, and your operators’ skills. 

Rainbow Six Siege’s 75 operators and your staff’s means to maximise their expertise and devices throughout a match may have a big impact on who in the end wins any spherical. As we’ve said, attackers and defenders have entry to particular devices, however there are distinctive skills too, making your choice of an operator whose loadout gels (or doesn’t gel) together with your playstyle necessary. Studying the optimistic and… much less optimistic factors of every operator is vital to development. 

If that’s the kind of tactical and personalised gameplay you get pleasure from, meshing your most popular operator together with your staff’s operator preferences, then R6 Siege X will give you extra depth and pleasure. For all its fast-paced, precision-rewarding gameplay, CS2’s operators (technically, ‘brokers’) supply no distinctive skills and are primarily beauty skins. So your means to climb the CS2 ranks is predicated in your expertise and skill to offer worth to your staff in each map data and PVP nous.

Whereas each CS2 and (now) R6 Siege X are free to entry, there are a couple of concerns for every title’s accessibility – and we imply that in a number of senses. Firstly, with the Rainbow Six Siege X crossplay function in thoughts (this may be disabled), you possibly can play the sport on PC or console in opposition to gamers…on PC or console. Not so for CS2, which is sure to Home windows PCs (or Linux). CS2’s give attention to precision and fast-paced gameplay is sensible as a result of mouse and keyboard ship higher management in intense PVP.

For precise issue, there’s no clear ‘simpler possibility’. Whereas CS2 does supply ‘unranked’ in its Informal ‘10v10’ mode, and R6 Siege X returns its beforehand eliminated unranked mode, you possibly can soar into both and work out which is for you. That is helpful in doubtlessly decreasing or randomising the extent of competitors as you study both recreation, however neither recreation has a transparent lead right here. We also needs to keep in mind that whereas CS2 could demand extra of your PVP expertise, R6 Siege X will demand extra out of your tactical and operator-handling skills. 

The place issues are a bit extra particular are in accessibility options. If these are necessary to you, each video games do supply such options. For R6 Siege X, there’s a clear commitment to accessibility features, together with those who exist already in recreation: eg, customisable colors and visible depth settings. Whereas we can’t discover an official checklist of CS2 accessibility options, you possibly can actually allow or disable visible parts like head bob, digicam shake, and object highlights, in addition to muting participant pings and the enemy staff. 

It’s nice to have two viable tactical shooters obtainable in 2025. However, as we’ve alluded to some instances, Rainbow 6 Siege X and CS2 are completely different sufficient that it’s not essentially a one or the opposite selection. If you happen to favor tactical planning, then Siege X could also be greatest for you, and in the event you favor fast-paced and extra exact gunplay gaming, then CS2 could also be. As each are free to entry, you possibly can strive every and see which inserts. Or you possibly can set up each and respect them for his or her particular person focuses.