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.

1.1.2. Requirements and Gameaccount

A protest for wrong or missing gameaccount needs to be opened before the start of the preparation phase of the 2nd round. This also includes players who joined the team after the tournament has begun. Later objections are considered as an acceptance of the situation and the protest will be rejected so the match can continue.

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.

• All players need to enter their correct gameaccount associated with their platform on their ESL profile before the start of the tournament.

• 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 prices your team needs to meet all tournament requirements and the correct lineup must be entered on all played matches. Each team is responsible for their own lineup and needs to make sure that all 5 players, which competed are correctly entered in the lineups on the match pages. Please note: Teams, which get removed from/left the tournament or competed with ineligible players (e.g. ringers/fakers/minors) get their prices revoked.

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 servers:

• EU: EUW
• NA: CUS
• LATAM: SBR

It is possible to change the data center to a different one instead of the default one, and both teams need to agree on their choice, the tournament administration needs to approve that change.

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 which the lobby gets hosted on.

1.1.3.2. VPNs and other Tools

Any software which impacts and influences the connection is prohibited, i.e. active running software during the matches (background service-processes are excluded). If said kind of software is detected running actively during a match and there is sufficient evidence (e.g. MOSS screenshots showing the active connection together with all three timestamps in the logs) for the usage of VPNs or other tools to manipulate the connection, a protest must be opened and the guilty team might be disqualified. The player(s) and team(s) who have been found guilty using the tool will be punished with 2 penalty points.

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 one to six 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 penalised depending on the severity of the behaviour as determined by the administration. This includes but is not limited to spamming, insulting, trolling or unsportsmanlike behaviour 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 is strictly prohibited and may be punished under the cheating paragraph

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.

Furthermore, it's forbidden to use any kind 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 which show the frames per second (FPS) are permitted.

1.1.4.1.1. Virtual Machines

Players are not allowed to actively run (background service-processes are excluded) Virtual Machines of any kind, including but not limited to Hyper-V, VMWare, or VirtualBox. If said kind of software is detected running actively during a match and there is sufficient evidence (e.g. MOSS screenshots showing the active usage together with all three timestamps in the logs) a protest must be opened and the guilty team will be removed from the tournament, forfeit all prizes and points, in addition, 2 penalty points will be given to the team/player.

1.1.4.1.2. Remote Control Software

Players are not allowed to run programs (background service-processes are excluded) that offer remote control like Teamviewer or similar programs. If said kind of software is detected running actively during a match and there is sufficient evidence (e.g. MOSS screenshots showing the active usage together with all three timestamps in the logs) a protest must be opened and the guilty team might get removed from the tournament, forfeit all prizes and points, in addition, 2 penalty points will be given to the team/player. Software primarily used for communication during matches, including but not limited to Discord and Skype which are permitted to be run during tournaments. The usage of software, which is not mentioned here, is permitted, with acknowledgement from the admin-team.

1.1.4.2. Forbidden on Consoles

Any changes to sprites, skins, scoreboards, and crosshairs are strictly disallowed. Only the official models are allowed. If a player plays with custom files (not models) or removed files that have been installed by the game, then this will be penalized with two penalty points per player. If a player plays with custom models, then this will be penalized with 6 penalty points per player and the opponent of the match may request a rematch in a ladder match. In a cup or league match, this will result in a default win for the opposite team.

If a player is suspected of using an illegal device to use Mouse and Keyboard, sufficient evidence needs to be provided. High Sensitivity does not automatically prove the use of Mouse and Keyboard.

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.

• In a single or double elimination tournament, this is the creation of the bracket

• In a Swiss tournament, this is the generation of the first SWISS round

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 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 its 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 matchpage.

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 case of a 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 risk forfeiting all prizes and points. In order to forfeit a match, the team needs to open a protest and inform the tournament administration about their decision.

1.3.5. Match postpone

Any match that can start before 11:00 PM (CEST for EU tournaments, EDT for North American Tournaments and BRT for Latin American 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 administration in a protest ticket 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. Furthermore, 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.

An exception is rules regarding ESL Wire Anti-Cheat and MOnitor System Status (MOSS) as well as cheating accusations according to rule 1.6. Cheating.

Protest should be opened on the matchpage 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 to 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.

Example of a correct result screenshot:

Correct Screenshot

Examples of incorrect result screenshots:

Incorrect Screenshot 1

Incorrect Screenshot 2

Incorrect Screenshot 3

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 matchpage 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 are 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 matchpage 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 SWISS rounds, every match must be played in the 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 favour of the team who 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 evaluation period of operators or the tournament format (e.g. Vanilla Open Cups) can be found within the "Info"-tab of each tournament and are prohibited use in the action phase of a match.

In case your opponent team is playing with 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.

1.4.3.2 Unallowed cosmetics

Cosmetics that are listed here are prohibited to use during matches.

List of currently banned cosmetics:

• Outbreak Collection

• Wind bastion Bundle

• Blood orchid Bundle

• Twitch & Valkyrie Elite

• Ember Rise bundle

• Seared Flats bundle

• Satellite bundle

• Wanderer Bundle

If any player of a team will select a cosmetic that is currently listed as banned the tournament administration should be notified through a match protest with a clear screenshot with the ineligible cosmetic with the player name visible before the start of the next round in order to be eligible to protest for it.

The team of such a player will receive a penalty based on the list below:

• 1st violation - Match warning

• 2nd violation - Round loss

• Further violations - Disqualification

1.4.3.3 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.

Doing so will result in a round loss for the defending team.

Any kills happening after 2 seconds within the action phases are legal.

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 only allowed if both teams agree. An exception to this rule is ESL Staff and people that are explicitly allowed to observe (e.g. Community Casters or Content Creators).

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. 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.

2.1. Barrages

Players that receive barrages during a cup related to following violations are not allowed to continue the cup:

• cheating

• fake- & multi-account

• ringing

• unwanted contents & behaviour

• underage barrages

Barrages which are not listed allow players to continue the cup, with acknowledgment from the admin-team.

2.2. 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.

2.3. 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 disqualification of the team.

2.4. Ladder

• In Ladder matches there will never be given default wins only match deletions

2.4.1. Game-specific penalties

3. 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.

4. Legal

Selling and/or Trading of tournament prizes, as well as the attempt, is strictly prohibited. This includes but is not limited to in-game content (e.g. charms or credits) and ESL premium prizes. Any violation of this rule will lead to a barrage of the selling player.