We make every effort to ensure the rules are complete and up to date but this may not always be the case. You should also check the Info Page and News for additions, exceptions and modifications that may apply. The rules are a guideline and the decisions by admins may differ from them depending on the circumstances. If you have any questions about the rules, please write a support ticket.

1. Global Rainbow Six Siege Tournament Rules

1.1. Players

1.1.1. Eligibility

Any person that has a standing ban by Ubisoft for Rainbow Six Siege is ineligible to participate in any ESL-run Rainbow Six leagues and tournaments that have prize funding by Ubisoft, or are an ESL-run qualification event to a Ubisoft-funded Rainbow Six league or tournament. This ineligibility will last as long as Ubisoft upholds the ban.

Only players from the respective countries are allowed to compete in the competition.

1.1.2. Requirements and Gameaccount

A protest for wrong or missing gameaccount needs to be opened before the start of the match. This also includes players who joined the team after the tournament has begun.

The start of the match is considered when the operator ban phase is completed but not limited to the start of the ban phase, as soon as the operator pick phase begins its considered as an acceptance of the situation and the protest will be rejected so the match can continue.

• Only those who reside in a nation listed in the country restriction section of the rule-set can participate in tournaments with said restrictions.

• To be eligible to receive prizes each player needs to fulfill the requirements of the tournament and respect the rules. Each team is responsible for its own lineup and needs to make sure that all 5 players which took part in a match are correctly entered on all match pages. In order to receive the prize, the qualifying match needs to be played. Teams that got removed or disqualified from the tournament are not eligible to receive prizes. This also includes matches that have not taken place and have not been played out at all e.g default wins. Prizes are given out based on the lineup which played the majority of Matches.

1.1.3. Technical Issues

Players are responsible for their own hardware, software, and internet connection. Matches will not be rescheduled or paused because of technical issues. If a team cannot play with the number of players that is stated in the requirements then this will be counted as a forfeit.

1.1.3.1 Connection

All players are responsible to have a connection (ping) as good as possible for their team region and technical situation. Also, all downloads and other programs which are unnecessary for the match must be turned off. For abusing this rule, the team can be disqualified.

By default, the game will be hosted on the following server list - Server List

If both teams are unable to agree to play one of the allowed servers, they must use the default one.

If both teams agree on a different server not listed under the Server Table, the teams may proceed with the server they both agreed on.

If any of the teams face connectivity issues with the standard datacenters (based on the lowest ping), the tournament administration can choose a different datacenter on which the lobby gets hosted.

1.1.3.2. VPNs and other Tools

Any software that impacts and influences the connection are strictly prohibited, this includes services running in the background as well as active running software used during the matches. The use of VPNs and other tools to manipulate the connection leads to instant disqualification from the team and the player who has been found guilty of using that will be punished with 6 penalty points for the player and team.

1.1.3.3. High Ping

The ping limit for an ESL match is 130 ms. If a player is over this value please try to do a re-host first, before a protest is opened, and make sure a dedicated server was created. In case the player still has a ping over 130 ms and it's not possible to play the match without there being problems, a protest can be opened. It can only be counted as high ping if the ping is continuously over 130 ms and the necessary evidence was provided. When opening a protest due to high ping the match must not be finished and the team must submit at least three screenshots of the scoreboard which were taken at different times over two rounds with the high ping visible from the same player (in the action phase!).

1.1.4. Unsportsmanlike Behaviour

For an orderly and pleasant game, it is essential that all players have a sportive and fair attitude. Breach of this rule will be punished with 1 to 6 penalty points.

Every player should represent their team by participating to the best of their abilities. Anything that falls short of this is considered to be unsportsmanlike and will be penalized depending on the severity of the behavior as determined by the administration. This includes but is not limited to spamming, insulting, trolling, or unsportsmanlike behavior in general towards other players, teams, casters, and the staff.

1.1.4.1. Forbidden on PC

Any modification or changing of the game using external graphics solutions or other 3rd party programs are strictly prohibited and may be punished under the cheating paragraph

Furthermore, it's forbidden to use all kinds of overlays which will show the usage rate of the system in any way in-game (e.g. Nvidia SLI display, Rivatuner Overlay, Nvidia Profile Inspector). Overlays that only show the frames per second (FPS) are not forbidden and can be used.

1.1.4.1.2. Virtual Machines

The use of the following programs is considered cheating: Multihacks, Wallhack, Aimbot, Colored Models, No- Recoil, No-Flash, Macros, Sound changes and Graphical changes through third-party tools. These are only examples, other programs or methods may be considered cheats as well.

Players are also not allowed to run programs that offer remote control (Teamviewer or other similar remote control programs), or Virtual Machines of any kind including but not limited to Hyper-V, VM Ware, or VirtualBox. This includes active programs and background services included but not limited to for example the TeamViewer background service. If these programs are detected during a match, the guilty team will be removed from the tournament, forfeit all prizes, points and 6 penalty points to the team/player will be given.

1.2. Team rules

1.2.1. Roster

Team rosters must consist of the number of players stated under requirements on the tournament page to participate in a cup. All roster changes must be made prior to the generation of the matches.

The ESL Play Team must not be modified/changed in any way throughout the entirety of the tournament. Teams are only allowed to play with players on their ESL Play Team which have their correct gameaccount entered before the start of the tournament.Playing with different players and/or illegal ringers will be punished.

All matches have to start with a full roster depending on the tournament requirements.

1.2.2. Substitute Players

It is only allowed to substitute a player before the match has started. As soon as all players have joined the lobby of the match, the team is considered as ready to play and no further changes to the roster are allowed, exceptions may be authorized by an admin through a protest. Teams are allowed to change players in between maps in a Best of 2 and a Best of 3 Series, those players need to be part of the roster prior to tournament start.

1.3. Tournament rules

1.3.1. Settings for the tournament

All players are expected to follow the given settings and rules. Different agreements between the teams and their players are not allowed and tolerated unless approved by an admin through a protest.

1.3.2. Mapvote and Hosting rights

Map bans must be done via the map veto system on the match page.

The team with the higher seed (lower number in the bracket) gets the lobby hosting right. The game must be hosted on a dedicated server. The dedicated server location must be settled by default (based on ping). Who is the lower and higher seed? Example: Seed Number

The team which picked the last map (banned the final map) in a Best of One cannot choose the starting side, the team can only pick the starting side in overtime which must be set up correctly before the start of the match.

During a Best of Three, each team can pick the starting side of the map picked by the other team. Team A picks the Map and Team B can choose the starting side on that map, while Team A can choose the starting sides in overtime. On the pick of team B, team A can choose the starting side while team B can choose the starting side in overtime. Sides in the last map at a Best of 3 are chosen by the team with the best round difference in the previous maps. In the case of the same round difference, a coin flip will determine which team decides the starting side. Should further assistance be needed with the coin flip, a protest must be opened. The team that does not decide the starting side decides the starting side on overtime.

When a team has all their players in the lobby, they are counted as ready and the match, considering both rosters are complete, can be started.

1.3.3. No show

If a contestant is not ready to play the match after 15 minutes has passed (e.g no Maps have been banned and no communication took place), then they should be reported for a no-show to the admin team via a protest ticket. The 15-minute countdown starts from the moment both teams have progressed to the match, and not at the time stated on the matchpage. Additional time will then be given by the admin team depending on the circumstances. Delaying the tournament will result in disqualification.

1.3.4. Forfeit

If a contestant chooses to forfeit a match, they will forfeit any prizes and points, to forfeit a Match the Team needs to open a Protest and confirm that.

1.3.5. Match postpone

Any match that can start before 11:00 PM (CDT for MX tournaments, GMT-3 for SA tournaments, and BRT for BR tournaments) must be played on the tournament day.

Matches where one (or both) of the teams progress to after this deadline can be moved to the next day. Teams need to open up a protest and find an agreement for it.

If only the final and the 3rd place matches have to be postponed they can, exceptionally, be moved up to three days from the starting day of the tournament with the approval of an admin through a protest.

If both teams agree to play a match on the tournament day after 11:00 PM, they are allowed to do so. Matches which started after this time must be played till the end. However, in case of an issue, the admin team may not be available.

1.3.6. Protests

If a controversial situation occurs, whether or not it is described in this rulebook during a match, the team that has spotted it should immediately stop the match and inform the administrator about it. If the team does not stop the match and continues to play, it will be taken as an acceptance of the situation and therefore the result of the match will not be changed.

As a result of that, the team will lose all rights to file a protest concerning that situation after the game has ended. Protests must be made immediately, or they may be ignored depending on the circumstances.

Exceptions are rules about MOSS or accusations of cheating by timetable.

Protest should be opened on the match page of the respective match or here: PROTEST

1.3.7. Match Results

Both teams are responsible for entering correct results on the ESL website. Therefore, both teams should take a screenshot at the end of the match, where we can see the correct result and they need to upload it after the match to the ESL website. If you have a conflict in the match, please open a protest, so the staff team can check the case and make a decision. The decision can also mean that both teams are disqualified if there is not enough proof for either team to be the clear winner. Overall Results: Bo1: 1:0 or 0:1 Bo3: 2:0 2:1 1:2 and 0:2 Possible Overtime Score to win the map: 2:0 2:1 1:2 and 0:2

A Match score entered into a match which has not been played out is considered as a Fake score and will be punished according to our rules and might lead to disqualification of the Team.

1.3.7.1. Match media

All match media (screenshots, demos, etc) must be kept for at least 14 days. In general, you should upload the match media from a match to the match page as soon as possible. Faking or manipulating match media is forbidden and will result in severe penalties. Match media should be named clearly based on what it is. It is not possible to file a protest or write a support ticket to complain about bad match media naming. However, if an admin is hindered in their work because of bad match media names then it can be punished.

1.3.7.2 Fake Results

It is only allowed to add a score when the match is finished and played. Entering a fake result or entering the result before the match is concluded, can lead to disqualification of the team. Submitting an invalid result can result in punishment.

If a team enters the match as a loss for themselves, it will be instantly automatically closed. If a team submits a win for them to the match, the opponent has 15 minutes to accept the result or to open a protest ticket. If no protest is opened the match will be closed automatically when the time period has expired.

1.3.7.3 Closed matches

Both contestants of the match lose their right to file a protest ticket after the match has been closed. A closed match will stay closed in almost every scenario unless ESL representatives deem it needs to be reopened. In case a wrong score has been submitted and later on accepted by either contestant the administration of ESL reserves the right to not take any action. Filing a protest ticket will not be taken into account and will be closed immediately.

An exception is the rules about MOSS files and accusation of cheating by timetable.

1.3.8. Disqualification

All matches of the tournament must be played as soon as both teams are added to the match. The starting date on the match page is not relevant in this case.

To keep the delay during the cup as low as possible we reserve the right to disqualify teams from the tournament. This will only be done in cases where a team shows no real effort to get a match done or is even obviously stalling. In severe cases, this can even affect both teams.

To prevent delaying the cup, every match must be played in a period of 90 minutes. If the match takes longer than the period of time the match will be cut and a draw will be given. Any abuse of this rule is considered to be deception and will result in punishment, up to and including disqualification of the Team

1.4. Ingame

1.4.1. Player drops

If a player drops from the server during a match, the round will continue uninterrupted until the end (Round starts with the first second of the preparation phase) if a team leaves the round before it's finished the other team will get the round point. After the round completion, the player who disconnected will be allowed to rejoin the server or a re-host can be requested.

The match is considered 'live' when the operator ban starts. At least half of the players need to remain to play (3 players in a 5v5 match and 2 players in a 3v3 match), the match needs to be played until the match ends and a the winner is decided.

If this isn't possible due to connection issues it will be considered a forfeit in favor of the team that is able to have all players on the server.

Every team can re-host the server once in a map. If problems like this appear again, such as a player dropping out when the match has already been re-hosted, the team needs to play the map with the remaining players to its conclusion. Any abuse of this rule will be considered as deception and will result in penalization and including disqualification of the team.

Each user is responsible for his/her own hardware.

1.4.2. Re-host

Rehosts are possible up to 30 seconds in the action phase if no player was killed.

All members of the rehosting team have to leave the match before the first 30 seconds of the action phase passed. If not all members of the rehosting team left the match within the given time, it will count as a round loss. A rehost doesn't have to be confirmed by the opponent.

If a team leaves the game because of a protest, this will not count as a rehost. Admins may decide that multiple re-hosts are appropriate depending on the circumstances e.g Ubisoft Servers have issues.

If a match is interrupted then it should be continued where it left off, by re-host. If a round is to be replayed due to a rehost, players must choose the same operators, same sixth pick, same bombsites and the same equipment.

The number of authorized re-hosts depend on the match format:

• Bo1: max. 2 re-hosts (1 per team)

• Bo2: max. 4 re-hosts (1 per team on each map)

• Bo3: max. 6 re-hosts (1 per team on each map)

Should a team not resume the match 10 minutes after a re-host, the admin team must be informed via protest. Additional time will then be given by the admin team depending on the circumstances.

1.4.3. Prohibited Actions

Any actions that result in an unfair advantage are illegal. This includes bug and glitch using of any kind. If a team is using any bug or glitch in a tournament it will result in a round loss in the round the bug or glitch was used, by the second violation of this rule the team will be disqualified.

1.4.3.1 Unallowed operators

Operators that are banned to play either due to the operator rotation or the tournament format (e.g. Vanilla Open Cups) can be found within the "Info" or the "Rules"-tab of each tournament and are not allowed to be picked for the action phase of a match.

In case your opponent team is playing as a banned operator in action phase a protest must be opened with a screenshot of the scoreboard/player in action phase where it is clearly visible the operator was played.

Operators currently banned:

• Thorn

Playing as a banned operator result in a round loss. Further usage of unallowed operators may result in disqualification.

1.4.3.2 Bugs/Glitches

Below is a list of known intended and unintended game mechanics. Any situations that arise and are not specified below will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. In general, common sense will be applied.

Not allowed:

• using a Mira shield to boost

• standing on a window ledge undetected

• shield boosting on to undetected window ledge

• one-way shots

• shooting through what should be non-destructible walls/floors/ceilings/objects

• glitching through walls, objects, surfaces, etc at any moment

• blocking window vaulting with a destructible shield

• placing a Valk cam in a place where it can't be destroyed

• placing a Maestro's Evil Eye on Alibi's decoy.

Using these glitches/bugs will result in a round loss for the team that uses it, further penalties if used again by the same team during the tournament.

Allowed Actions:

• any position that you can get to and out of without glitching through walls/objects/surfaces, and you can be seen and shot at normally

• shield boosting

• standing on a window ledge and being detected

• shield boosting onto a detected window ledge

• Hibana and Thermite charges can be placed anywhere

• using a teammate to boost

• long-arming

• using equipment or defusing through a destructible surface

• destroying the whole floor of a bomb spot so the enemy team can not plant the defuser

• smoke through wall

The tournament directions reserve the right, also retroactively, to add more bugs to the list of explicitly allowed bugs.

1.4.4 Spawnkilling

Spawn killing which results in a kill of an attacker during the first 2 seconds of action phase is not allowed.

1.4.5 Cosmetics

Players can only use the battle dress uniforms and headgears listed below. All other battle dress uniforms and headgears are banned from use in competitive play:

• Operator’s default skins
• Pro League skins (gold sets)
• Pro teams branded cosmetics
• Esports Programs’ cosmetics
*Six Invitational Battlepass cosmetics are not permitted.

Weapon skins and charms are not subject to any restriction.

1.5. Casting

Casting an ESL match is only allowed with an ESL admin agreement. To get an agreement please write a support ticket at least 24 hours before the start of the tournament.

A list of official ESL Community Casters, as well as information to apply yourself, can be found here: https://play.eslgaming.com/rainbowsix/streams

1.5.1. Observers

Observers are allowed only if both teams agree. An exception to these rules is ESL Admins and people that are explicitly allowed to observe by an admin (e.g. Casters or Content Creators). Under no conditions is it allowed to play with Observers or Casters other than those decided by an admin.

Teams should only allow observers they trust. It is not allowed to protest after a match to complain about observers that were allowed in the game.

Admins are allowed to revoke the permissions of Casters and Observers any time when ghosting is suspected.

1.5.2. Personal Streaming

Personal Streaming is always allowed if no ESL broadcast takes place. If ESL or a Community Caster broadcasts a match, personal streaming is not allowed without an admin agreement. Personal Streaming of a match shown by ESL, without permission from an ESL Admin, can lead to disqualification of the team or ban of the streaming player in the tournament. ESL advises using a delay in the streams.

If a player decides to stream his own point of view it is his own responsibility to take action against stream sniping e.g the use of a delay. Stream sniping will not be prosecuted as a rule breach within a protest!

1.6. Cheating

1.6.1. Accusation of cheating by timetable

If you want to accuse your opponent(s) of cheating, you need to hand in a timetable within 72 hours after the match has finished. Timetables must be prepared based on videos in Full HD quality. A timetable should be handed in along with the opening of the protest, so please make sure you have your timetable(s) ready when you open the protest. Nevertheless, the timetable can still be handed in later (if it is within the 72h deadline) in case you did not do that, along with the opening of the protest. An accusation of cheating by timetable will not be executed during a tournament. All timetables which are not in the correct form will be directly declined.

1.6.1.1. Timetable structure

The timetable has to contain the following information:

• name and account link of the accused player

• the in-game nickname of the player you want to be checked

• sort, description and the name of the suspected cheat

• link and name of the video/photo evidence

• specific times of the demo which look suspicious, along with a reason for each (e.g. why it cannot have been a coincidence, luck, hearing or skill)

1.6.1.1.1. Example

I have the suspicion that the player1 cheated against player2 because he was afraid to lose the match.

Player link: link to the player's profile. In-game nick: Mister Spock1337 Cheat: aimbot, flashhack and wallhack/ESP Demo link: link to download the demo from the matchsheet Demo name:

12:21 - I creep to the ramp and the player1 stays at the ramp too because he "sees" that I'm coming.

14:34 - I'm throwing a flash grenade to the entry of the hall and the player1 stands there, therefore he has to be blinded but he sees everything and kills me immediately when I come out of the door.

15:01 - I creep in the anteroom of the radio room to the chippy, and the crosshair of the player 1 remains on my head

18:00 - The player1 stands on the ct base and looks up to the hall, I creep from the ramp to the ladder. All at once his crosshair moves to my head and then he shoots. He couldn't hear me!

20:21 - I'm running in the hall and the crosshair of the player1 is locked at my head. Although I jump his crosshair is still on my head.

27:12 - The player1 sits on the hall and he is aiming at the entry of the hall. I'm coming out of the chippy (I creep out) and the crosshair of the player1 immediately is locked at my head. Unbelievable reaction!

30:12 - I throw another flash in front of the player1, but he is aiming unchecked at me.

2. GAME SETTINGS

All matches have to be played with the following settings:

2.1. Playlist settings

• Playlist Type: Normal Mode

• Server Type: Dedicated Server

• Voice Chat: Team Only

• Time of the Day: Day

• HUD Settings: Pro League

2.2. Match settings

• Number of Bans: 4

• Ban Timer: 20

• Number of Rounds: 12

• Attacker/Defender Role swap: 6

• Overtime Rounds: 3

• Overtime Score Difference: 2

• Overtime Role Change: 1

• Objective Rotation Parameter: 2

• Objective Type Rotation: Rounds Played

• Attacker Unique Spawn: On

• Pick Phase Timer: 15

• 6TH Pick Phase: On

• 6TH Pick Phase Timer: 15

• Reveal Phase Timer: 5

• Damage Handicap: 100

• Friendly Fire Damage: 100

• Injured: 20

• Sprint: On

• Lean: On

• Death Replay: Off

2.3. Game Mode: BOMB

• Plant Duration: 7

• Defuse Duration: 7

• Fuse Time: 45

• Defuse Carrier Selection: On

• Preparation Phase Duration: 45

• Action Phase Duration: 180

2.4. Mappool

• Bank
• Chalet
• Clubhouse
• Coastline
• Kafe Dostoyevsky
• Oregon
• Villa

3. MONITOR SYSTEM STATUS (MOSS)

MOnitor System Status (MOSS) is mandatory for all players to use for the full duration of all matches in Weekly Open Cups and Majors without exception. If a player is not able to correctly run MOnitor System Status (MOSS), then he is not allowed to take part in a tournament.

For missing MOSS files the players/teams will be punished depending on the circumstances:

First violation results in a warning, valid for 3 months. Another missing MOSS file within the 3 months will result in disqualification.

Corrupt, defect or incomplete MOSS files will be treated like missing MOSS files and will be punished identically. MOSS files with 2 or more in-game rounds missing as well as files with more than 50% black or not visible screenshots count as incomplete and missing.

Manipulating MOSS and MOSS-files will be strictly punished and is considered as cheating.

3.1. MOSS-File upload

It is mandatory to upload the MOSS files within 10 minutes after the match. If any of the files are missing after 15 minutes then you have to open a protest ticket within the protest period to complain. The player(s) will get additional time from the opening of the protest to upload their MOSS files.

If the player(s) still have not uploaded their MOSS files within this deadline, then the match will be, in a ladder, deleted and the player(s) and team are punished with 3 penalty points. In a cup-match the player(s) and team will receive a warning for missing MOSS files which is valid for 3 months. Teams that already have an active warning will get disqualified.

4. PENALTY POINTS AND BARRAGES

In general, players and teams can receive up to 6 penalty points per match, unless a single violation has a higher punishment. Where a player or team receives penalty points for multiple violations, the penalty points are added together.

A team is only punished once per violation, regardless of the number of players. Where a player or team receives penalty points for multiple violations, the penalty points are added together.

4.1. Barrages

Players that get barred during the cup are allowed to finish it. Exceptions are barrages for:

• cheating

• fake- & multi-account

• unwanted contents & behavior

• ringing

4.2. Bypassing barrages and penalty points

Bypassing barrages and penalty points due to the creation of new teams is strictly forbidden.

Existing penalty points/barrages will be transferred, barrages which result out of it may remain. Further sanctions for the teams and players in case of recurrence are reserved.

4.3. Cups

• Penalty points are given out for special cases (e.g No Show)

• Due to a match deletion not being possible in a cup this results in a disqualification of the team.

4.3.1. Game-specific penalties

5. Penalty Point Catalogue

In general, a player and the team can receive up to 6 penalty points per match, unless a single violation has a higher punishment. A team is only punished once per violation, regardless of how many players violated the specific rule. Where a player or team receives penalty points for multiple violations, the penalty points are added together.

¹In cup and league-matches default wins are given instead of a match deletion and penalty points.

Matches only get deleted if the team/player violating the rules won the match.

6. Legal