What Field of View (FOV) Should I Use in Rainbow Six? (2023)

Every gamer has undoubtedly stumbled across the FOV setting in a game, especially if you play a lot of FPS shooters like Rainbow Six (+Siege +Extraction). I have dealt with this issue a lot in my gaming career and tried many different variations. In this post, I’ll share my experiences with you.

In Rainbow Six, each player must find the best compromise for himself. The one perfect Field of View (FOV) value for video games does not exist. The larger the value, the more you see the surroundings. The smaller the value, the better and larger you see the central field of view on the monitor.

Let’s delve a little deeper into the topic because the FOV can determine whether you see an opponent first or not.

Note: This article was written in English. Translations into other languages may not provide the same linguistic quality. We apologize for grammatical and semantic errors.

What Is the Field of View (FOV) and Why Does It Matter for Rainbow Six?

At any given time, my Field of View (FOV) is the area that I can observe with my naked eyes or by using a device. In other words, Field of View refers to whatever I can see in front of me. If an object in Rainbow Six is closer to me, I need a larger angle to see it entirely than if I am far away from it while observing the same thing.

For example, if I need to see an object of 51 cm located at a distance of 26 cm from my eye, I need a FOV of 90°, whereas if I need to see the same object from 60 cm away, my FOV has to be 46°.

The field of view is subjective in that it differs for each type of creature. Likewise, it varies from one device to another.

For example, the combined Field of View of both human eyes is 200 to 220°, whereas that of regular binoculars is 120°. That is, if I play a video game with my naked eyes, I would have an advantage over someone using binoculars because I could gather more information about my surroundings than they could.

Field of View is significant in first-person shooter games because it determines which opponents I can see and thus interact with. The more I can see at a given point in time, the better it allows me to make more informed decisions about the situation.

As a result, having a larger Field of View generally equates to better performance in the game for me.

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What Is the Impact of a High or Low FOV in Rainbow Six?

In Rainbow Six, the outcome of a session is wholly dependent on how well I can target my enemies. This can drastically affect my gameplay. In addition, another factor that I believe is important is how quickly I can identify enemies that are close to me.

A wide field of view enables me to see more of my surroundings, making everything I see appear smaller.

When the FOV is increased in a video game, the overall screen size remains the same, but more information is displayed in the same area. To accommodate this additional level of detail, the video game automatically shrinks the sizes of all objects.

Unfortunately, this zooming out makes aiming at the enemies difficult.

When I reduce the FOV, I see fewer objects around me, but the overall scene becomes clearer.

However, with this tradeoff, I have the impression that I am missing out on important information that, if made available, would enable me to play better.

With a FOV of 60° in a first-person shooter game, I won’t be able to see nearby enemies who can easily shoot me. This is a common issue encountered by gamers who use this setting. Your distance from the screen can also influence the FOV that is best for you.

For example, if I am playing a shooting game on PC, I can benefit from higher FOV values because I am located closer to the display and can see even small objects. However, when I play the same title on a game console, I may miss some essential details due to the larger distance from the screen if I choose the same FOV value.

What Is the Best FOV for Rainbow Six?

Honestly, there is no clear answer to this question, mainly because the field of view also depends on personal preferences. Most people, including myself, prefer to play Rainbow Six at higher FOV because it allows us to gather more information and see any approaching enemies from a greater distance.

However, still, some people believe that the FOV value of 90° is the best for first-person shooter games as this setting offers the best of both worlds, i.e., it not only allows us to see at greater distances but also gives us the ability to confront enemies located in close vicinity easily.

I played competitive PUBG with 90° FOV for a long time, but also with even higher values again and again because there is no perfect FOV value. Battle Royale games have maps with huge areas, so peripheral vision is also important. Shooters like CSGO tend to focus on targets that appear directly in front of you. The FOV can be set much lower here.

You always have to find a compromise.

The maximum value in Rainbow Six is 90°.

fov setting rainbow six siege
You can adjust the FOV value in the options of Rainbow Six Siege

I know many esports players who also use a 90° field of view. If these gamers survive in this cut-throat competition, they must be the finest, which suggests that 90° might be the best compromise for FPS games.

90° FOV is a good way to obtain not only all of the information that the game has to offer in a scene, but also to be fully aware of your surroundings.

Further to that, many gamers do not follow the predefined standards and instead tweak the settings to find the most comfortable number for them. For example, I’ve seen gamers pick random numbers like 93°, 96°, or 99° based on their choices.

However, please keep in mind that a higher FOV value will cost you FPS depending on the game. So if you don’t have a high-end system, a lower FOV value might be better to generate some additional FPS.

You can read more about the importance of FPS in gaming here:

However, it is worth noting that the same FOV value will not work properly in different FPS games. As a result, a gamer who is comfortable with one setting on a title may not want to keep it on another.

Where Can I Find a Good FOV Calculator for Rainbow Six?

To find the correct FOV value for me, I naturally searched for a FOV calculator on the internet. When I searched for the best FOV calculator for Rainbow Six, I realized that the internet is brimming with FOV calculators. I think this is mainly because finding out the best field of view is more important these days than ever before, making it a hot topic.

Although all of these FOV calculators provide some information to gamers, the result always seems to depend upon gamers’ personal preferences and their particular needs. After looking at a few of these calculators, I found that they all take different factors into account and end up presenting the user with a number that is not always comprehensible.

These factors vary from one calculator to another, but some common attributes include the monitor’s aspect ratio, diagonal length, and the player’s distance from the monitor.

I came across a plethora of such FOV calculators, but the one presented by Sensitivity Converter is by far the best. The main reason behind it is that it considers additional factors, including the screen’s diagonal & vertical resolution, diagonal FOV, vertical FOV, and horizontal FOV, to come up with the best option for gamers. But even the FOV Calculator presented by Sensitivity Converter didn’t give me really satisfying results, but at least a clue.

In the end, there is no getting around trying out different values.

FOV values don’t matter as much anywhere else as they do for shooter games because the correct FOV can make or break the whole experience for players of such gaming titles. And because no converter currently exists that caters particularly to the needs of such gamers, or at least I couldn’t find one, I still believe that the slot for the best FOV converter is still awaiting its rightful owner.

By the way, if you are new to Rainbow Six and come from another game, you can use our Sensitivity Converter to transfer your mouse sensitivity. If you play other shooters besides Rainbow Six, you can use the tool to synchronize your sensitivities so that the aiming always feels the same.

Final Thoughts on the FOV Setting for Rainbow Six

For a real FPS shooter player, the FOV value is an essential setting, and unfortunately, there is no one answer to which FOV value you should set in Rainbow Six.

Even FOV calculators can usually only give you a rough idea of what value might suit you. It depends on the person and also on the game.

As a basic rule, however, the FOV in Rainbow Six should be as high as possible (to see as much of your surroundings as possible) and as low as necessary (the player models should still be large enough for you to see them quickly and to be able to aim at them without problems).

Don’t worry. With time you will find your FOV value. And I can reassure you I know many pro-gamers who constantly fiddle around with their FOV value and change it by 1-2 points. This knowledge and my own experience show me that it’s really about finding an approximate value for yourself. This value is always slightly adjusted depending on the day and feeling anyway.

If you have a question about the post or pro gaming in general, write to us: contact@raiseyourskillz.com

Masakari – moep, moep and out!

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