Rainbow Six Siege Operator tier list 2023: Best attackers and defenders tier list

It’s Year 8 Season 3 of Rainbow Six Siege, which means the ongoing meta has undergone massive changes with Ubisoft’s latest major update. But for right now, who are the best operators in Ubisoft’s tactical FPS?

Rainbow Six Siege is now in its eighth year, with well over 60 operators for players to choose from. As a result, it can be quite difficult to keep up with the best options on both attack and defense. Y8S3 also marks the debut of the second South Korean operator in the game, Ram.

Apart from the new attacker, Operation Heavy Mettle also brought a huge amount of balancing adjustments, Frost rework, Grim Buff part 2, and a lot more. On the other hand, plenty of the game’s characters like Melusi and Sledge were slowed considerably while others like Dokkaebi and Zero, bucked the trend and received speed buffs in previous patches.

Those changes have naturally translated to our tier list, which is detailed below. The top three Attackers and Defenders are detailed in no particular order, before a full tier list for each.

Rainbow Six Siege Operator tier list: Attackers

Best Attackers in Rainbow Six Siege

Nomad

Nomad has long been Siege’s best anti-roaming operator, a title that remains true thanks to her Airjab repulsion grenades. They’re the ideal utility for covering attackers’ backs once they’ve breached and are closing in on the bomb sites. There’s nothing worse as a Caveira or Vigil than being catapulted onto your back and awaiting elimination.

Her weapons – a choice of the AK-74M or ARX200 – are solid and complement her balanced play style well. She’s an obvious choice for every attacking team. 

Zero 

Zero is another well-balanced and versatile attacker. One of the few offensive operators to have the option of an SMG (the MP7), his Argus cameras offer intel and threat to defenders. There’s also the option of the SC3000K, which is one of the very best ARs in Siege. 

He was one of the very few operators to be hit with a speed buff in Solar Raid, making him even more difficult to keep tabs on as a defender. His speed and utility enable him to dip in, set up a cam, and dip out. 

Thatcher

The only real downside of Thatcher is how frequently he’s banned. It certainly reflects his strength, with his EMP grenades easily the most useful and versatile gadget. They continue to fry anything electrical within range and are nigh on impossible to counter. 

While his speed has been nerfed, his solid loadout options (most notably the L85A2) pair with his arguably overpowered gadget to make him probably the best attacker available.

Good luck getting him through the pre-match ban phase though.

Rainbow Six Siege Operator tier list: Defenders

Best Defenders in Rainbow Six Siege

Jäger

Jäger is the one operator hit with nerfs that just don’t seem to affect his viability in-game. His Active Defence Systems are as reliable as ever and, despite no 2.5x scope still rankling veterans of Siege, the 416-C Carbine remains a standout defender weapon (even if its magazine is not as big as it once was). So long as he has that in his arsenal, the spawn-peek legend will live on.

Mira

Mira’s only downside is how difficult she is to play. The Spaniard is tough to master but, once you’ve sussed her mirrors and got on top of the Vector. 45’s recoil, there’s not really a more difficult opponent for attackers.

Her Black Mirrors provide an insight into attacking teams’ strategies, while a Nitro Cell and shotgun secondary mean she can also be used for counter-attacking plays and soft breaching. She’s one-speed, so Mira players will need to tailor their playstyles to sticking by the bomb.

Aruni

Aruni rounds off our S-Tier defenders. Her equipment may be middling and easy enough for a sensible attacker to navigate without too many problems, but her weapons and versatility are the reasons she stands out.

The P10 RONI remains one of the best SMGs in Siege, and her punching ability is unique and handy in a host of scenarios. In short, in terms of sheer defensive strength, Aruni’s a very strong option.

Tier	Operator
S	Jäger, Mira, Aruni
A	Azami, Bandit, Echo, Fenrir, Kaid, Kapkan, Mozzie, Mute, Smoke, Wamai, Valkyrie
B	Alibi, Castle, Ela, Lesion, Maestro, Melusi, Pulse, Solis, Thorn, Thunderbird, Vigil, Warden
C	Doc, Frost, Goyo, Oryx, Tachanka, Caveira
D	Clash, Rook

That rounds off our best operator tier list! Be sure to check back in soon because, as the Rainbow Six Siege meta changes, so will this list.

For more about the game, be sure to check our other Rainbow Six Siege content:

Rainbow Six Siege ranks explained | Is Rainbow Six Siege worth playing in 2023? | Rainbow Six Siege cross-progression support | Rainbow Six Siege on PC and mobile difference | Difference between Rainbow Six Siege Vulkan versus normal | How to get Renown fast in Rainbow Six Siege