Rainbow Six Siege is a dramatically popular game where the esports industry is concerned. In this article, we’re taking a look at the best R6 players in the pro scene.
The game was released in 2015 to a dramatically positive reception and has been soaring ever since – and these days, it’s growing at an alarming rate. It continues to surprise fans the world over with each year it remains at the top of the charts, and it still boasts millions of players worldwide.
It’s a complicated and diverse ecosystem that’s broken down into tiers on a global scale. There are thousands of Rainbow Six Siege players, but who amongst them can be considered the best? For some, it’s a subjective debate, but for others, it all comes down to KD, Ratings and trophies. We’ve considered all that when it comes to listing the best R6 players in the world.
Who is the best R6 player? Is Spoit the best R6 player? Let’s find out.
Top 10 Best Rainbow Six Siege Players in 2025
It takes a lot to be considered the best at something, and those who have made our list of the best R6 players are no exception to that rule. They’re either the most talented and dominant players in the game right now or have been in the past. Each of them has either won major championships or can win them soon – and probably will. Master tacticians, immense gunfighters, and they’re all at the top of their game right now.
We’ve tried to keep as much variety as possible, avoiding too many players from the same team – here’s a look at our top 10 players to look out for:
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- Gustavo “HerdsZ” Herdina
- Diego “Kheyze” Zanello
- Theo “LikEfac” Mariano
- Stéphane ‘Shaiiko’ Lebleu
- Ayden “dfuzr” Gabari
- Gabriel “volpz” Fernandes
- Gustavo “HerdsZ” Herdina
- Matthew “Hotancold” Stevens
- Karl “Alem4o” Zarth
- Gabriel “Maia” Maia
Let’s take a closer look at each player below.
10. Gabriel “Maia” Maia
Gabriel “Maia” Maia is emerged as a game changer for Team Liquid in 2024. Joining the squad after spending a long time in Tier 2, he made the most of his opportunity to compete in Tier 1 competition.
Winning multiple MVPs at Super Copa do Brasil, his individual efforts as an Entry fragger have helped Team Liquid be a bit competitive. Although it hasn’t been enough to help Liquid win an international tournament, notable performances such as finishing 2nd in the Brazil League Stage 2 2024 turned heads.
As a “new generation player” we’re curious to see how he helps Liquid transform in the 25-26 season.
9. Karl “Alem4o” Zarth
Karl “Alem4o” Zarth is the best player on G2 Esports and arguably one of the best to ever play. He is a former champion (2023), and with a bit of luck he can repeat this feat at least a few more times. The de-facto leader, he is renowned for both skill and in-game intelligence. Even by stats he is among the top 10 with an average rating of 1.14 across all his matches, on top of being the leader for G2 as a roster and the MVP in most of their matches.
Although the 2024-25 season wasn’t the best for G2 Esports, “Alem40” continues to be one of their most consistent talents who always shows up to big games.
8. Matthew “Hotancold” Stevens
Starting our list of the best R6S players is the 2024-25 ‘Most Improved Player’ according to Ubisoft – “Hotancold”.
Boasting an interesting career with multiple organizations, this curious talent has been competing since 2016 and is a veteran of the season. However, since 2020, “Hotancold” didn’t really come close to any silverware.
Then, after singing for beastcoast in 2024, this in-game leader won his first trophy in a long time by winning the NAL 2024 Stage 1 and BLAST R6 Major Manchester. More impressively, after beastcoast went through roster issues, he helped “Unwanted” place 4th at the Six Invitational 2025.
7. Gustavo “HerdsZ” Herdina
Gustavo “HerdsZ” Herdina needs no introduction as FURIA’s in-game leader with a diverse number of operators under his belt. Joining FURIA after winning the Six Invitational 2024 with the most MVP Wins, “HerdsZ” maintained his winning ways with this FURIA side.
Although they struggled against top teams such as FaZe and Team BDS, the team managed to place 3-4th at both EWC 2024 and more importantly, Six Invitational 2025.
Committing to this young Brazilian side, HerdsZ is instrumental in FURIA’s charge to be the next best team in all of Brazil.
6. Gabriel “volpz” Fernandes
In a season that included a second place finish at EWC and winning BLAST R6 Major Montreal 2024, their win was thanks to volpz and his exceptionally-valuable performance as awarded by BLAST.
His tenacity and consistency is what keeps w7m esports an eternal threat. Even though they may have bottled SI 2025, esports betting sites still rank “volpz” and his team as one of the best teams in the world.
5. Ayden “dfuzr” Gabari
Who doesn’t like a rookie?
Next up on this list, we’re throwing a bone for an up-and-coming talent from the past season. As a flex for Cloud9 beastcoast, “dfuzr” was instrumental in helping beastcoast stun the community and defeat Team BDS in the Grand Final of the BLAST R6 Manchester 2024.
Just a few months earlier, “dfuzr” was still playing in Tier 2 and winning ELEMENT TWO. With such a quick climb to the top of the world, he earned the award for Rookie of the Year at the Six Invitational 2025. Now on M80, we’re curious to see how this young rookie takes his gameplay to the next level and maybe wins another tournament this season.
4. Stéphane “Shaiiko” Lebleu
Shaiiko is without a doubt one of the best R6 players in the world. He’s a remarkable player with a storied legacy in the game, and following a ban that almost derailed his entire career, he came back stronger than ever before. He boasts insane statistics – such as a headshot percentage of around 64% – and he has seen so much success since making a grand return to Rainbow Six esports.
In the space of just a few months, Shaiiko claimed the top spot at Gamers8, earning a $750,000 prize, and he also flew the BDS banner to win big at the European League 2022 Finals, the Six Jonkoping Major, and at Gamers8 in 2022. He’s one of the most dominant, tactical and talented players to take to the stage during Rainbow Six tournaments, and his in-game abilities are rivalled only by his skills as a content creator.
At the tail end of last season, “Shaiiko” powered Team BDS to two consecutive second place finishes, including at Six Invitational 2025. Winning a few MVPs of the day, Falcons has signed the superstar onto its new superteam.
3. Theo “LikEfac” Mariano
When Team BDS went shopping at the end of 2022 for a new piece to their international roster, they signed the likes of Theo “LikEfac” Mariano. Since joining, this in-game leader has been an absolute tank for Team BDS, running the likes of Mute and Nokk. Specifically, he’s won competitions such as Gamers8 2023, EWC 2024 and multiple regional tournaments.
In the 2024-25 season, “LikEfac” led Team BDS to two consecutive and bittersweet second-place finishes at BLAST R6 Major and Six Invitational 2025.
Crowned as the IGL of the Year at Six Invitational 2025, it seems Falcons came knocking with a bag full of money. Now heading the new Falcons roster, any team with “LikEfac” is dangerous.
2. Diego ‘Kheyze’ Zanello
At the top of the R6 ranks, Diego ‘Kheyze’ Zanello is classed as one of the best R6 players for good reason. At just 21 years of age, he stormed to success on the grandest stage of them all – the Six Invitational. He played a pivotal role in w7m Esports having a successful spree between 2023 and 2024, bringing home the top prizes from the BLAST R6 Major in Atlanta, then Copenhagen, and then from the Six Invitational in Brazil in February 2024.
He’s lauded in his home country as one of the top-most players in the space. During the Six Invitational 2024, he was named Tournament MVP (and EVP) but has won MVP and Player of the Year awards in Brazil. Then at SI 2025, he won the award for SiegeGG’s EVP, helping FURIA reach a top 3 finish and is clearly one of the deadliest players in the world.
1. Thiago “Handyy” Ferreira
Moreover, at Six Invitational 2025, Thiago “Handyy” Ferreira earned the following notable awards:
- Most MVP Wins
- MVP of the Season
- Tournament MVP
- SiegeGG MVP
- MVP of the Day x2
Bearing this in mind, we’re happy to crown him as our best Rainbow Six Siege player heading into this upcoming season as he looks to will keep FaZe Clan at the top of the esports.
Honorable Mentions
Pengu
Niclas ‘Pengu’ Mouritzen might be retired, but his Rainbow Six Siege legacy lives on. He’s a veteran of the Rainbow Six scene with a timeline stretching back to the foundations of the game itself. He’s one of the few players with more than one Six Invitational win in his pocket, having topped the tournament back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. He’s the winningest player in Rainbow Six history, having secured the top prizes at Six Major tournaments, in Pro League seasons, and at other events, such as DreamHack.
He might have stepped back to take on a role as a caster – or a content creator – but it’s a testament to his willingness to remain a key part of the ecosystem. He won countless MVP and EVP awards as a pro R6 player, and now he’s winning awards as a caster – almost no other competitor in the space can say they’ve done that. In his time as a pro competitor, Pengu has won almost $400,000 in prize money and racked up a collective following of more than 1.5 million people across Twitch and YouTube.
Without a doubt, Pengu was the all-round best Rainbow Six Siege player in the world… ever.
Elemzje
Bryan ‘Elemzje’ Tebessi is a French player, a legend of Rainbow Six esports, and one of the best competitors in the business. His legacy stretches back to 2015, with his record stating that he became a Rainbow Six Siege pro player just one week after the game was even released. Since then, he has been working hard on honing his skills in and out of the game, and he has become one of the highest-earning competitors of all time – in Rainbow Six esports, at least.
With half a million dollars in earnings, Elemzje has flown the banner of some immense organisations in esports. Despite never winning any major awards, Elemzje has lifted some of the most prestigious trophies in the game, and in the last year alone, he has won:
- Gamers8 2023 ($750,000)
- European League 2022 Finals ($50,000)
- Six Jonkoping Major ($200,000)
- Gamers8 2022 ($400,000)
He’s yet to win the Six Invitational, which is considered the top tournament in the scene, but he has had T4 finishes, so it could only be a matter of time.
Julio
Julio ‘Julio’ Giacomelli is one of the most gifted Rainbow Six Siege players, and since early 2023, he has taken a step back from competing and is now in a coaching role. That hasn’t slowed down his in-game abilities, though – he’s still a demon. In his time, Julio became best known for his Six Invitational appearances – he has played more matches in the Six Invitational circuit than any other Rainbow Six competitor in the world. To date, he’s earned $486,000 through Rainbow Six Siege.
With a win at the Six Invitational in 2021 and second-place finishes at both the Six Invitational 2023 and 2020, Julio has what it takes to be considered one of the best R6 players ever. Some of his biggest losses were secured by mere single-digit points, which means he was a hair away from becoming classed as the best Rainbow Six Siege player of all time.
Kantoraketti
Juhani ‘Kantoraketti’ Toivonen boasts a remarkable record – he’s the youngest player in Rainbow Six esports history to win a prestigious Major. He’s one of the most talented Rainbow Six Siege players in the world, and that’s a fact that is put forward without any shadow of a doubt. He’s one of the highest-earning players in the business, and at just twenty-five years of age, he has a bright future ahead of him.
Since 2017, Kantoraketti has played for ENCE, G2, and Rogue, and he’s won events while flying all those banners. Most recently, he claimed a huge win at the Six Berlin Major, beating FaZe Clan while playing with Rogue. Back in 2019, Kantoraketti established his legacy as one of the best Rainbow Six Siege players on Earth by pulling off a massive win at the Six Invitational, beating Team Empire 3 – 0 in the Grand Finals.
If you’re any kind of a fan of Rainbow Six betting, you’ll know his name and you’ll be aware of his capabilities.
Achieved
Matthew ‘Achieved’ Solomon is one of the sharpest North American competitors in the Rainbow Six esports space. He’s a super-talented player with some serious accolades to his name, including MVP and EVP awards, a Player of the Year award, and placement on Team of the Week lists. Sadly, his career came to an end in July 2023 when he announced his retirement at just twenty-five years of age, following a prestigious cycle lasting six years.
He’s racked up almost $400,000 in his time and lifted some of the most important trophies in the business. In 2022, he claimed the top spot at the Six Invitational with TSM and the year before that, he finished in 4th place – and the year before that, 3rd place. He has won Six Major tournaments, Pro Leagues, and has shown the world that he’s a lasting talent with a powerful legacy. On Twitch, Achieved boasts more than 100,000 followers, and now that he’s retired from actively competing, it’s assumed that’s what he’ll pursue.
Fabian
Fabian ‘Fabian’ Hallsten is a legendary superstar competitor who has hung up the keyboard and mouse to assume the role of coach for G2 Esports. He proved to be an effective coach in February 2023 when the organisation coasted to victory at the Six Invitational, of course.
During his seven-year career, Fabian has flown the banners of some of the best Rainbow Six Siege teams in the business. He’s a lethal tactician with plenty of accolades under his belt, including two Six Invitational wins back-to-back – just like Pengu – and a string of victories that span DreamHack, Six Majors, and the Pro League. He has racked up around $350,000 in winnings as a competitor, and he’s still connected to the very heart of the business as a coach and creator.
On Twitch, he boasts an impressive 100,000 followers.
Do You Agree With Our List?
That’s our complete list of the best R6 players in the world – do you agree with our ranking? There are thousands of players out there and only a few could make the cut, but we’re sure that these players truly represent the best of the best in the business right now. Of course, there are more championship victories to be secured and more matches to dominate, so rest assured that this list will change in the future as the scene ebbs and flows.
Let us know in the comments if another player should make an appearance on this list.
