Standard

With the release of Operation Heavy Mettle, Ubisoft has made some tweaks to Unranked, starting with its name. From Aug. 2023 until further notice, Unranked will be known as Standard.

However, the playlist’s name isn’t the only change made. Keep on reading to know more about Standard, a revamped and quicker version of Unranked.

What’s Standard?

Standard is Rainbow Six Siege’s updated version of the formerly known Unranked playlist. In Standard, players can enjoy a similar Ranked experience without using an ELO system.

Standard vs Unranked - What’s the difference?

On paper, there are not many differences between Standard and what Unranked used to be. Nevertheless, Ubisoft has attempted to shorten the playlist’s length. Here’s a small comparison of both modes!

So, the differences between Unranked and Standard are the removal of the Map and Operator ban phases and the introduction of one-round overtimes.

Is Standard better than Unranked?

Before Operation Heavy Mettle, the Unranked playlist was a place for players to compete using the Ranked rules without having to compete for ELO. Now, this won’t be exactly possible.

So, is this good? Well, not necessarily. Changes have upsides and downsides. Let’s start with the positive talk points.

Reducing Standard’s playtime is good news, as now players will feel like they are playing more than before. Banning maps and operators takes time; now, the players won’t have to do that. We have to keep in mind that the majority of players who played Unranked were casual players, which means they aren’t that bothered to get familiar with the competitive side of Rainbow Six Siege. If they wanted to do that, they would play Ranked.

But, if the objective is giving more playtime to the players, why would you reduce the number of overtime rounds? Well, by doing that, Ubisoft is giving a hand to the players to end their games quickly and continue playing on what’s probably going to be a different map.

Casually, we think that this change is great. However, a lot of players liked Unranked because they could enjoy the Ranked experience without being worried about losing Ranked Points. If you used Unranked for that reason, you won’t enjoy Standard as much.

Is Standard better than Quick Match?

While Ubisoft is trying to find the perfect balance between the competitive and casual sides of Rainbow Six Siege, Standard may be better than Quick Match.

With the changes coming to Quick Match with the release of Operation Heavy Mettle, Quick Match has become a place for newcomers. If you have a basic idea of Rainbow Six Siege, you will probably end up preferring Standard over Quick Match. 

However, if you are still learning the basics of the game, we advise you to continue playing Quick Match!

Standard map pool

Starting with Operation Heavy Mettle, Standard will have the following map pool:

• Oregon
• Clubhouse
• Plane
• Yacht
• Consualate
• Bank
• Chalet
• Kafe
• Border
• Coastline
• Villa
• Nighthaven
• Fortress

Keep in mind that the playlist could be tweaked in the upcoming seasons, so don't worry if your favorite map isn't on the list!