Rainbow Six Siege Vulkan - How to Activate

Using the launcher you purchased Siege from, manually launch the game from your library to activate the Vulkan client.

This goes for both the Uplay and Steam versions of the game: you need to go to your library and select Play. Assuming you are using the correct launcher (this will be the one your Rainbow Six Siege license was purchased with), an option should appear asking you to choose the version of Siege you want to launch. The first option is the right shaped DirectX 11 seat, and Vulkan is what it says on the tin.

If you use your desktop icon to launch the game, you will need to pin a new one for the Vulkan client. Currently there is no way to change APIs in Rainbow Six Siege, so if you click on the icon and go straight into the game, you are running the DX11 client. If you're not sure there's an easy way to check: go into graphics settings and see if Adaptive Render Scaling is an option. If so, then well done: you are in the Vulkan client.

This option alone makes it easier for gamers to achieve their desired refresh rate, as it allows the game to lower the internal render resolution to maintain the refresh rate you set. That's not all - thanks to better memory management and other under-the-hood tweaks that Vulkan is making to the game, most gamers will see an overall improvement in performance, especially those with aging CPUs.

Personally, I went from a somewhat rocky 122 fps at 1440p with my 1080 ti and 8700K to a solid average of 155. Of course, that's not my monitor's refresh rate of 165, but the setting of my limit at 144 led to buttery smooth play at high refresh rates. I imagine those with less powerful platforms will see a more substantial performance improvement, so if you haven't tried the new Vulkan client yet, I recommend you give it a try.

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