What’s the difference between Rainbow Six Siege on PC and mobile?

With Rainbow Six Siege now coming to handheld devices with the launch of Rainbow Six Mobile, players might look at jumping from the PC and console versions to the new title. However, what’s the big difference, and is it worth it? Let’s break it down.

Rainbow Six Mobile is coming in 2022 with Ubisoft working on building Siege from the ground up on handheld devices.

The developers are working hard on making it as authentic to the original game as possible. However, there are some limitations with what Ubisoft can do with mobile versus PC and console. It’s also opened up new opportunities to ship nice quality of life changes too.

If you’re looking at diving into Siege from a new perspective in Rainbow Six Mobile, what’s going to be the major difference? Let’s break it down.

Overall gameplay: The exact same feel

This is a big one Ubisoft is focusing on ⁠— gameplay. Siege on mobile is still going to be a five-versus-five tactical FPS with the same emphasis on bomb defusal.

“From the beginning of production, it was incredibly important to us to make sure we captured those core mechanics for Rainbow Six Mobile and make it feel smooth and intuitive on mobile so the player can focus on teamwork and strategy,” Production Manager Sue Peterson told Dexerto.

• Read More: Will Rainbow Six Mobile have crossplay with PC and console Siege?

So while the gameplay will be optimized (more on that later), Siege players can expect a similar experience on mobile ⁠— just with different controls and a few bonus features.

Operators and maps: Much less available on mobile

One big disadvantage of Rainbow Six Mobile is that there’ll be less content available on release. Not all the Siege operators and maps will be ported to the handheld version at launch.

“While Rainbow Six Mobile is true to the Rainbow Six Siege experience, it is its own game and has its own content release schedule,” Peterson explained.

So far, Ubisoft has only confirmed 10 Operators and two maps. The Operators are: Ash, Sledge, Twitch, Thermite, Hibana, Caveira, Smoke, Valkyrie, Mute, Bandit. They have undergone visual overhauls for the launch.

Similarly, Bank and Border will be coming to Rainbow Six Mobile with major changes: “We took iconic maps like Bank and Border and tightened them for mobile, doing things like removing ladders and adding more lighting to improve how players navigate around the map.”

There’s room for potentially mobile-exclusive Operators down the line, as well as adding popular Operators from Siege. This will only expand over time ⁠— so mobile will catch up eventually.

Graphics and optimization: Better for lower-spec devices

Siege isn’t very well optimized on PC and console, but having the chance to build Rainbow Six Mobile from the ground up has allowed Ubisoft to focus on graphics and optimization.

“We wanted the core Rainbow Six Siege experience for mobile, and we built it from the ground up,” Production Manager Sue Peterson told Dexerto.

• Read More: How to claim Rainbow Six Siege Prime Gaming rewards

“We adapted the controls, shortened match lengths, and smoothed animation transitions. There is a ton of customization players can do to their HUD and different comfort settings so that it can be really tailored to each player’s playstyle.

“We have a Gadget Preview system which helps players utilize their gadgets better, an Audio Compass which helps players visually see sounds and whether they are coming from above or below, such as gunshots or footsteps from enemies.”

The game should run pretty smoothly at a low-spec on mobile, although top-end machines will still have a notable performance boost. The graphics have also been simplified to help out with this, with lower-res destruction and models generally.

However, as long as it doesn’t infringe on the gameplay, Ubisoft can call that a success in onboarding new players to the Rainbow Six universe.

“Rainbow Six Mobile offers players a new way to enjoy Rainbow Six Siege with unique features that are tailored to mobile. Our community has been asking for it and we can’t wait for them to try it out,” Peterson stated.

“We put a lot of thought into the experience for first time users with onboarding options which helps new players learn the mechanics of Rainbow Six and shows seasoned Rainbow Six players how the core experience they are familiar with has been represented in mobile.”