Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six vs Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is an FPS game from Red Storm Entertainment (1998) while Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is an FPS strategy game from Ubisoft Toronto (2015).
Quick answer: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six has the higher Metacritic, 85 to 79.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
What each one is
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is filed under FPS. In contrast, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege under FPS and Strategy.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is a 1998 tactical shooter video game developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, with later ports for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Mac OS, Game Boy Color, and Dreamcast. It is the first installment in the Rainbow Six series. Based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name, the game follows Rainbow, a top secret international counterterrorist organization, and the conspiracy they unravel as they handle a seemingly random spike in terrorism.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is an elite, tactical team-based shooter where superior planning and execution triumph.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
In 1999, in response to a post- Cold War rise in terrorism, the world's special forces units , police tactical units , and intelligence agencies form "Rainbow", a covert international counterterrorist organization led by John Clark . In 2000, Rainbow responds to a series of terrorist attacks linked to the Phoenix Group eco-terrorist organization. Rainbow's operations against Phoenix are assisted by John Brightling, chairman of the powerful biotechnology… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six was met with mostly positive reviews on PC, though the console ports received relatively lower ratings. Review aggregator Metacritic displays a score of 85 out of 100 for the PC version. Video game review aggregator GameRankings displays scores of 82% for PC, 74% for the Nintendo 64, 48% for the PlayStation, 54% for the Game Boy Color, and 73% for the Dreamcast. (Wikipedia)
Plot
Years 1–3 Angela Bassett performed voice works and motion capture for Aurelia "Six" Arnot, the former director of Team Rainbow. Three years after the Rainbow Program's deactivation, there is a resurgence of terrorist activities, with the White Mask being the most prominent. The terrorists' goals are unknown, yet they are causing chaos across the world. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . The game's multiplayer was widely praised by critics. Chris Carter from Destructoid praised the game's open-ended nature, which made each match unpredictable and helped the experience to stay fresh even after an extended period of playing. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 7.7/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Very Positive (82%, 1,546,025) |
| Critic aggregate | 85/100 | 79/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Free |
| Install size | — | 65 GB |
| Steam Deck | Untested | unsupported |
| Released | 1998 | 2015 |
| Developer | Red Storm Entertainment | Ubisoft Toronto |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six vs Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Tom Clancy's Rainbow SixFPS gameTom Clancy's Rainbow Six SiegeFPS strategy gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Tom Clancy's Rainbow SixNo descriptive tagsTom Clancy's Rainbow Six SiegeFPS, PvP, TacticalThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six ✓Metacritic 85Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six SiegeMetacritic 79Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six—Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege1,546,025 reviews · 6 add-ons · 65 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Tom Clancy's Rainbow SixUnknownTom Clancy's Rainbow Six SiegeFreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Metacritic 85)
Where they differ
FPSPvPMultiplayerTacticale-sportsShooter
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | Nvidia GTX 1650 4GB / AMD RX 5500XT 4GB / Intel ARC A380 6GB |
| Minimum CPU | — | AMD Ryzen 3 3100 / Intel i3-8100 |
| Minimum RAM | — | 8 GB |
| Install size | — | 65 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six · Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and 1 for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege in scope?
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six lists little scope data. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege has drawn 1,546,025 Steam reviews, ships 6 add-ons and installs in 65 GB.
Is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six or Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six or Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six or Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege?
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six has the higher Metacritic, 85 to 79. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.