Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has become a leading video game title among gamers due to its competitive aspect. Players enjoy improving at the game and tracking their progress by climbing up the ranks and defeating other players.
In CS:GO, the Competitive mode is the game mode that allows players to compete against each other and get better. It is the primary ranked mode in the game, and is the most popular game mode, in addition to Premier Mode. If you’re looking to test your skills in Competitive mode, here is exactly how you can play it.
Understanding Competitive Mode In CS:GO
As briefly stated earlier, Competitive mode is pretty much the only ranked mode in CS:GO. This means players will gain or lose elo points depending on their performance and the outcome of the match. It is a serious environment where every player tries their best to win the game.
In Competitive mode, players are assigned to various skill groups depending on their skills and capabilities. They will then find a game using the matchmaking system, which will place players in similar skill groups in the same match for the best experience.
Players can improve their rating by ranking up to the next skill group. Conversely, players can also derank and fall into a lower skill group if their performance is not satisfactory.
CS:GO Competitive Mode Rules
Here are some basic rules about Competitive Matches:
- Competitive mode features 5 vs. 5 gameplay, with five players on each team.
- The game mode features the MR12 format. This means there is a maximum of 12 rounds per half, and the first team to win 13 rounds will win the entire match.
- Team collision is enabled, meaning players can body block each other. This also allows players to pull off coordinated boosts to gain advantages.
- Team damage is also enabled, meaning players can inflict damage to teammates, though the damage is reduced. Players can also kill teammates, though they will be kicked from the match if they kill three.
- You cannot leave the game in the middle of a Competitive match. If you are disconnected for too long, you will “abandon” the match and receive punishments in the form of Competitive cooldowns.
CS:GO Competitive Ranks
The main highlight of the Competitive mode is its ranking system. There are a total of 18 skill groups in the Competitive mode, which can be seen as:
- Silver I
- Silver II
- Silver III
- Silver IV
- Silver Elite
- Silver Elite Master
- Gold Nova
- Gold Nova II
- Gold Nova III
- Gold Nova Master
- Master Guardian
- Master Guardian II
- Master Guardian Elite
- Distinguished Master Guardian
- Legendary Eagle
- Legendary Eagle Master
- Supreme Master First Class
- The Global Elite
Players who are new to the game will likely place themselves in the Silver tier, maybe in Gold Nova as well. Intermediate players will generally find themselves around Gold Nova Master to the Master Guardian ranks.
Experienced players will range between Distinguished Master Guardian to Legendary Eagle Master. Meanwhile, the best players in the game can be found in Supreme Master First Class, or the highest rank in the game, The Global Elite.
The skill groups in CS:GO will help you track your progress and see if you are improving as a player. Remember that you can always rank up and derank, so make sure you are putting up consistent performances.
How To Unlock Competitive In CS:GO
Since Competitive mode is a ranked mode where everyone wants to win and do their best, Valve has prevented new players from immediately queueing for Competitive matches. This makes sense as nobody wants new players who have no clue of what they’re doing to play in ranked modes.
As a result, new players must fulfill certain requirements to unlock the Competitive mode and queue for games. Fortunately, the process is relatively easy, though it will require a financial investment.
Get Private Rank 2
The first step to unlocking Competitive mode is to get some reps in. Valve wants new players to have a decent understanding of the game before they jump into ranked, which is why the first requirement is to reach Private Rank 2.
Aside from your skill groups, every player will have a CS:GO experience rank. Experience ranks can be increased by simply playing the game and completing matches. See, after every match you finish, you will receive experience points and level up when you have accumulated enough.
The required experience rank to unlock Competitive mode is Private Rank 2, or simply, Level 2. That being said, all you need to do to reach Private Rank 2 is to play unranked game modes and make sure you stay until the end without leaving.
You can play any unranked game mode, from Deathmatch, Casual, or Arms Race. We recommend Deathmatch if you want to familiarize yourself with movement and shooting, or you can also play Casual as it is the closest game mode to Competitive mode.
Generally, ranking up to Private Rank 2 won’t be too difficult – it shouldn’t take you more than 15 hours of gameplay, which can be done in 2 to 3 days depending on how much you play. Also, you can receive more experience points by performing well in games, so try your best and get as many kills as possible while you’re playing!
Purchase The Prime Status
The next requirement is to have the Prime Statu under your Counter-Strike account. The Prime Status is pretty much a premium status for your CS:GO account. Unfortunately, you must pay $14.99 for a Prime Status.
The Prime Status can be purchased directly through the in-game client. It is a one-time purchase, meaning you will have the Prime Status for your entire lifetime after purchasing it the first time.
It does suck that you have to spend real money to play Competitive mode in CS:GO. However, it isn’t too bad if we consider that CS:GO used to be a paid game on Steam which cost $14.99. Valve has pretty much swapped over the price tag from the game itself to the Prime Status.
Overall, these requirements shouldn’t trouble you that much except for the Prime Status, which will cost you real money. However, these barriers are required, not only for new players, but also because a lot of people are cheating with hacked clients, or smurfing for easy wins. For the reasons stated, we think these criterias are justified.
How To Play CS:GO Competitive [Step-By-Step Guide]
Let’s assume you’ve completed the two steps listed above, and you now have access to play Competitive Mode. Here is a step-by-step guide to playing CS:GO’s ranked mode.
- Launch Counter-Strike and head over to your main menu.
- Next, click on the “PLAY” button at the top of your screen.
- Go to the “Matchmaking” section.
- Select “Competitive” mode.
- Tick all the maps you want to play, and untick all the maps you don’t want to play.
- Click the “GO” button at the corner of your screen.
And that’s pretty much it! You will be placed into the Competitive mode queue. Once a match has been found, a pop-up will appear on your screen, in which all you have to do is press the “Accept” button that shows up.
Getting Your First Competitive Rank
As mentioned earlier, the game will do its best to put you in a match against other players of similar skill level. When you are playing Competitive mode for the first time, Valve will have a difficult time assessing your rank and where you belong.
As a result, every player will start with the “Uncalibrated” rank, meaning you do not have a rank yet. You must play a certain number of matches before your rank will appear. Think of these games as “placement matches” that help the game identify where you should be.
During these calibration matches, make sure to do your best. Performing well can help you skip through the early ranks and place you in higher ones since the game thinks you’re really good.
Also remember that the quality of matches during your calibration period might vary, since the game will try putting you in many different ranks to see if you can hold up. So, if you underperform during your calibration matches, don’t worry as you can always rank up in the future if you deserve to!