Table of Contents
Counter-Strike Global Offensive or CS:GO, one of the most popular competitive games, was released way back in 2012, and since then its popularity has pretty much gone only upwards, so much so that today, Counter Strike is one of the most popular video games in the world as well as the biggest competitive eSports title. As such, a huge part of the Counter-Strike community has been its matchmaking system which assigns each and every player a certain rank.
While CSGO ranks were pretty straightforward, the release of Counter-Strike 2 has made things more complex, as now players have two entire separate ranks: Premier and Competitive. Valve just released premier season 2 this week, which means that it’s the best time to go over all the different CS2 and CSGO ranks in the game!
Today we will be taking a close look at the ranking system of the game, as well as different CS2 and CS:GO modes and ranks for each of them. So without further ado, here is everything you need to know about CS2 and CSGO ranks.
If you enjoyed this guide, make sure you check out the rest of our website, where you can sell CSGO skins for the best prices, always!
CS2 and CSGO Ranking System Explained
Before we get further into detail with any CS2 and CSGO ranks, it is important to clearly distinguish the differences between the two different ranked game modes available. As we already mentioned, each of the ranked game modes available in CS2 has its own separate rank, including a separate rank for the wingman mode, which is determined by competitive matches.
Premier mode is more akin to the ranked mode in the previous game. Instead of a concrete rank, each player receives their own separate ELO number based on their performance in ranked matchmaking games, with different colors for various rank values. Because of this, premier mode is generally considered to be the better reflection of a player’s individual skill. The colors and their corresponding premier rating ranges are:
- Gray: 4,999 and below;
- Light Blue: 5,000 – 9,999;
- Blue: 10,000 – 14,999;
- Purple: 15,000 – 19,999;
- Pink: 20,000 – 24,999;
- Red: 25,000 – 29,999;
- Gold: 30,000 and above;
Competitive matchmaking in CS2 is designed to ensure fairness and excitement by pairing players of similar skill levels.
Competitive mode uses the old CSGO ranks as a skill measure, however, it adds a significant twist. When playing competitive mode, players receive a separate rank for each active duty map. This means that you might have Silver for Train, while at the same time being Gold Nova Master for Dust 2. The competitive mode in CS2 uses the standard CSGO ranks as a skill measure:
- Silver I
- Silver II
- Silver III
- Silver IV
- Silver Elite
- Silver Elite Master
- Gold Nova I
- Gold Nova II
- Gold Nova III
- Gold Nova Master
- Master Guardian I
- Master Guardian II
- Master Guardian Elite
- Distinguished Master Guardian
- Legendary Eagle
- Legendary Eagle Master
- Supreme Master First Class
- The Global Elite
What Affects ELO in CSGO Competitive Matchmaking?
There are several different factors that calculate and determine how many ELO points your account will receive or lose depending on the outcome of each match, which ultimately affects your position in the rank system. The number of points you gain or lose will be different after each match. There are a few factors that help make the result more accurate. This includes:
- The current rank of your teammates
- The current rank of the opponents
- Your current rank
- Region of the players
- Your score at the end of the match (K/D/A)
- Number of won and lost rounds
You can see that it’s not only important to win in CSGO but to always do your best and perform better than you did in the previous match. Making sure to get more kills, win more rounds, not get reported, and not die a lot will significantly improve your rank and help you gain even more ELO points after each match. Also, make sure you check out our guide on how to get better at CS!
How to Get Your First Rank in CSGO?
In order to receive your first rank as a Counter-Strike player, you need to complete ten placement matches. In these matches, you will be placed up against different players of varying skill levels, though loosely matching yours. Keep in mind, however, that you will play with players who can be both slightly worse, but also slightly better than you. Sadly, the unranked placement matches also attract a number of CS smurfs, which can negatively impact your final rank standing.
You have to complete placement matches in CS every time you want to participate in ranked matchmaking without a rank of your own. This means that if you don’t play for a longer period of time and lose your CS rank, you will have to complete the ten placement matches again.
How to Rank Up to Global Elite in CS:GO?
After receiving your ranking in CS:GO, the next logical step in your progression would be asking how to rank up in CS:GO so here is what you need to know. In every game that offers ranked matchmaking, there are different things that affect your rank and the way to rank up, however, these things are never really revealed to the players.
Engaging in casual game modes like deathmatch and casual games can help players build the necessary skills before transitioning to ranked matchmaking.
Luckily, most of the time, and CS:GO is not an exception, the only way to rank up is to win matches. It is that simple. Sadly, there is no official information on how many games you need to win to rank up, and while speculation differs from one source to another, many agree that you gain a rank after you win around ten matches.
Instead of playing even more games to slowly progress, you can try and play your best within the first 10 games. Winning all of them and making sure to have great stats, a lot of won rounds, and great team communication will ensure that you reach a rank as high as Legendary Eagle Master. It’s not possible to get any higher than LEM from the first 10 games in CS2 or CSGO.
Summary
As you can see, CS2 shook things up a bit, but at the end of the cay ranked CS is still the same old game, where you can compete with others for the glory of having the highest rank in the game.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure you check out the rest of our blog, as well as the rest of our site where you can sell CS skins for best prices!