The developers of Rainbow Six: Siege have had an interesting tactic when it comes to their seasons of content. Each season has introduced new operators to the roster, fixed any problems with the game, and some even introduced a temporary game mode that would never be seen again.
Sometimes this results in a fun experience players talk about years later, and other times players are more than happy to see the next update undo the damage a particular season did.
14 Dust Line
Dust Line was an interesting season because fans either loved it or hated it, with more being in the latter camp. The new operator, Blackbeard, was an incredibly popular character to play as because he was so broken that it made him a one-man war machine. Soon, the various metas of the game were divided into two camps; how to build a winning strategy around Blackbeard, and how on earth to stop him.
This was also the season that had rampant hacking and exploiters that ruined the game for many people. Admittedly, this might have had to do more with the game’s rising popularity than anything the season introduced, but, between the hacks and Blackbeard, it was a nightmare.
13 Wind Bastion
There’s not a lot to say about this season. The Operators were a nice addition with some good mid-range guns, and Fortress was an alright map. Probably most impactful from this season were the needed changes to how players browsed the shop along with the much-needed price changes to older operators.
12 Grim Sky
Grim Sky introduced the popular Maverick operator with his blowtorch for near-silent breaching and the promising but lackluster Clash with her shield/taser combo. It also made some adjustments to the Hereford Base and Consulate maps that were definitely needed.
11 Para Bellum
The greatest thing about this season was the introduction of Alibi and her holograms. These holograms introduced clever and interesting ways to play the game that have kept players on their toes ever since. Villa was also an aesthetically pleasing map that was fun to explore for a time.
10 Blood Orchid
Blood Orchid introduced the fun and quirky Theme Park map that was a nice change of pace from the more standard maps seen in earlier seasons. It also rolled out a number of weapons that shook up the meta and gave players some fun toys to experiment with for a while.
9 Skull Rain
Skull Rain was enjoyed mainly because it rolled back much of the hacking that took place in the season prior with the introduction of BattlEye. It also delivered the tactical realism mode that many veterans enjoyed in the beginning.
By far the best addition from this season was the angled grip that allowed players to go from hip firing to looking down the sights much faster.
8 Phantom Sight
Phantom Sight is the newest season and, while it has introduced some interesting changes, it hasn’t been anything groundbreaking. That being said, it’s introduced two of the most interesting operators the game has had in a while. Nokk is an enigma that can become all but invisible when moving around and has an intriguing backstory. Warden is practically the opposite of her character, filled with other people’s secrets and capable of seeing through smoke and stun grenades to see invisible enemies.
The Showdown mode with its western theme that came out on July 4th was also something of a trip that fans either loved or hated.
7 Health
The aptly named season Health introduced some much-needed fixes and quality of life changes that had been plaguing the game for a while. Specifically, it cracked down on hacking, fixed bugs, and streamlined the queues with 1-Step Matchmaking. The Alpha Packs were also a nice touch for long-time and new players.
6 Burnt Horizon
Burnt Horizon was an interesting season for delivering one of the most colorful operators in the game, Mozzie. He also has the unique ability to hijack drones that some players felt were becoming a little too powerful, especially Twitch’s attack drones. The Outback map was also a nice addition to the game.
5 White Noise
For a season that revolved around hacking, it was ironically one of the most bug and hack free seasons that ever came out. Players were able to dive in and enjoy the content without exploits or glitches getting in the way. Dokkaebi remains a fun operator, and Vigil has one of the best backstories in the game.
It also showed developers that fans enjoyed the ability to counter electronics and hijack devices for their own use, something they would pay attention to moving forward.
4 Black Ice
The first season of the game remains one of the more popular seasons that fans have ever played. For many, it represents a time when Rainbow Six: Siege was more about the tactics and skill then it was about headshots and rushing. The culture of Rainbow Six: Siege has never been quite the same and many bitter veterans were upset when younger players and wannabe streamers entered the scene in later seasons, bringing with them immaturity and toxicity.
Black Ice was also responsible for the spectator camera, which was a much-needed addition to the game and gave us Buck and Frost, two solid operators who see use to this day.
3 Velvet Shell
Velvet Shell’s greatest achievement was giving players an operator that changed the way they played forever, Mira. With her black mirrors, long-held strategies were upended, and defenders found themselves with a greater advantage that caused attackers to quickly adapt. The operator Jackal was also a solid addition that remains popular among fans.
2 Red Crow
Red Crow is a well-loved season because of how solidly it changed the game in a positive direction. It introduced two very popular operators in Hibana and Echo. Hibana is the ideal operator for players who like to rush with her X-KAIROS launcher that makes her one of the most popular characters in the game. Echo’s disorienting attack drones have also been a major game-changer.
Red Crow also gave players the incredibly fun Skyscraper map which is still used competitively to this day.
1 Operation Chimera
The most divisive season in the game is also the most fun. Chimera completely broke out of the mold by introducing Outbreak mode, a fight for survival, zombie-esque style of gameplay reminiscent of the Left 4 Dead series. Players had a blast, and it remains one of the most requested permanent additions to the game that the developers are unfortunately being stubborn about.