Rainbow Six Siege Stretched Resolution Guide: Best Res and Setup

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Rainbow Six Siege is one of the more stretched-res-friendly competitive shooters because it lets you set aspect ratio and resolution in-game and through its config file, on top of GPU scaling. Stretched res widens operator models and can help peeks feel cleaner. This guide covers the best values and the in-game, config, and GPU methods so the stretch actually fills your screen.

Rainbow Six Siege Stretched Resolution Guide: Best Res and Setup

Stretched res is a preference, not a cheat — these are display settings BattlEye is fine with. Test against native and keep what feels better.

Best stretched resolutions for Rainbow Six Siege

Base resolutionStretched toAspectFeel
1280 x 9601920 x 10804:3Widest models, lightest load
1440 x 10801920 x 10804:3Wide models, sharper
1728 x 10801920 x 108016:10Subtle stretch

1440 x 1080 is the balanced 4:3 favorite, while 1280 x 960 goes further for the widest possible operators and the fewest pixels.

Step 1 – Create the custom resolution

NVIDIA

  1. Open NVIDIA Control Panel → Change resolution → Customize → Create Custom Resolution.
  2. Enter 1440 x 1080 (or 1280 x 960) at your refresh rate, test, and save.

AMD

  1. Open AMD Software → Settings → Display → Custom Resolutions → Create.
  2. Add your chosen base at your refresh rate and save.

Step 2 – Force full-screen GPU scaling (the key step)

Without this, Siege shows pillarbox black bars instead of a stretched image.

NVIDIA

  1. NVIDIA Control Panel → Adjust desktop size and position.
  2. Scaling mode: Full-screen, Perform scaling on: GPU.
  3. Tick Override the scaling mode set by games and programs and Apply.

AMD

  1. AMD Software → Display → GPU Scaling: On, Scaling Mode: Full Panel.

Step 3 – Apply it in Rainbow Six Siege (the in-game method)

Siege gives you direct control, which most shooters do not:

  1. Launch Siege → Options → Display.
  2. Set Display Mode to Fullscreen (not Borderless).
  3. Set Resolution to your custom res (e.g. 1440 x 1080).
  4. Optionally set the in-game Aspect Ratio to a 4:3 value so the game itself targets the stretch.
  5. Use Render Scaling to fine-tune FPS independently — it adjusts the internal render target without changing the display resolution.

Editing GameSettings.ini directly

If a value will not stick from the menu, edit the config: in Documents\My Games\Rainbow Six - Siege\<your id>\GameSettings.ini, set the ResolutionWidth, ResolutionHeight, and aspect-ratio entries to your stretched values, then save and set the file to read-only if you want to lock it.

If you still get black bars

  • Display Mode is Borderless or Windowed — set it to Fullscreen.
  • The in-game Aspect Ratio does not match your custom resolution.
  • NVIDIA scaling is on Aspect ratio, or the Override box is unticked.
  • AMD GPU Scaling is off, or Scaling Mode is not Full Panel.
  • A stale value in GameSettings.ini or your monitor’s OSD scaling is overriding the GPU.

Stretched res and Siege performance

1440 x 1080 renders fewer pixels than native, and the separate Render Scaling slider lets you trade sharpness for extra frames on top. Keep latency low by tuning the rest of your settings: see Best Rainbow Six Siege Settings for FPS and Visibility.

The best Rainbow Six Siege stretched resolution is 1440 x 1080 for most players or 1280 x 960 for the widest operators. Because Siege exposes aspect ratio and resolution in-game and in GameSettings.ini, you have more control than usual — pair it with full-screen GPU scaling and the stretch will fill your panel cleanly.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get stretched resolution in Rainbow Six Siege?

Siege is unusually flexible: you can set a custom aspect ratio and resolution inside the game's video settings or its GameSettings.ini, and you can also force the stretch at the GPU level. The cleanest result is to create a 4:3 resolution like 1440x1080 in NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Software, enable full-screen GPU scaling, then select that resolution in Siege with Display Mode set to Fullscreen. You can also lower the in-game Render Scaling separately to gain FPS.

Does stretched resolution increase FPS in Rainbow Six Siege?

It can, and Siege also gives you a separate Render Scaling slider that affects FPS independently of the display resolution. Dropping the display resolution to 1440x1080 renders fewer pixels than native 1920x1080, while lowering Render Scaling below 100% reduces the internal render target for an additional gain. Combining a modest stretch with render scaling is a common Siege approach.

Is stretched resolution bannable in Rainbow Six Siege?

No. Changing aspect ratio, resolution, or GameSettings.ini display values, and using GPU scaling, are all legitimate display options that BattlEye does not flag. These are settings the game itself exposes. You are not modifying protected files or injecting into the process.

What stretched resolution do Rainbow Six Siege players use?

1440x1080 (4:3) is the common stretched pick for the widest operator models, with 1280x960 used by players who want maximum stretch and the lightest pixel load. Some prefer a milder 1728x1080 (16:10). Because Siege exposes aspect ratio in-game, you can also pick a 4:3 ratio and let the game handle it, then verify the stretch with GPU scaling.

Why is Rainbow Six Siege showing black bars instead of stretching?

Black bars mean the image is not being stretched to the panel. Set Display Mode to Fullscreen rather than Borderless, and confirm the aspect ratio chosen in-game matches your custom resolution. On NVIDIA set scaling to Full-screen on GPU with Override ticked; on AMD enable GPU Scaling with Full Panel. Check that your GameSettings.ini resolution lines and your monitor OSD scaling are not overriding it.