With the release of CS2, Valve has made massive changes to the ranking system in Counter-Strike. Most players complained that the system in CS:GO was not good enough, so the developers have come up with a completely new system for CS2.
In this article, we’ll go over how the ranking system in Counter-Strike: 2 works, and what has changed from Global Offensive.
How Does CS2 Ranking Work?
Like CS:GO and other competitive video games, Counter-Strike: 2 provides players with a ranking system which places players into specific skill groups that reflect their in-game skill and capability.
Players need an accurate representation of their ranks, so they can be matched against others of similar skill level. Nobody wants to play in an unmatched game, where enemy players are either too good or too bad to make the game entertaining.
The CS:GO ranking system had numerous flaws, and the community was unhappy with how it worked. There were many mismatches, and players were either not ranking up properly, or ranking up too fast, causing an inaccurate representation of their ranks.
As a result, Valve has tweaked the previous Competitive Mode CS:GO rank system, and also added a new Premier Mode, which has an entirely new structure.
Hence, there are now two ranking systems within Counter-Strike: 2.
- Competitive Matchmaking
- Premier Matchmaking
We’ll go over the two systems and tell you everything you need to know about them.
CS2 Competitive Mode Ranking System
The Competitive Mode in CS2 is based on the primary Counter Strike ranking system in Global Offensive and still uses the same name. First, let’s go over all CS:GO ranks in order.
What Are The CS:GO Ranks
- Silver I
- Silver II
- Silver III
- Silver IV
- Silver Elite
- Silver Elite Master
- Gold Nova I
- Gold Nova II
- Gold Nova III
- Gold Nova IV
- Master Guardian I
- Master Guardian II
- Master Guardian Elite
- Distinguished Master Guardian
- Legendary Eagle
- Legendary Eagle Master
- Supreme Master First Class
- The Global Elite
The 18 CS:GO competitive ranks remain untouched, and The Global Elite is the highest rank in CS:GO and CS2.
However, there are two significant changes in the new version of the ranking system.
First To 13 Rounds Instead Of 16
Previously, CS:GO used the MR15 format, which stands for “Max Rounds 15.” This format means there is a maximum of 15 rounds per half, and a team will win after getting 16 rounds.
However, Valve has changed the format to MR12, meaning the first team to reach 13 rounds will win the game.
This means Counter-Strike: 2 matches will end faster, allowing players to fit in more matches into their gaming sessions. A lot of players have complained that CS:GO matches take too long, making it less enjoyable, so this is how Valve has tackled the issue.
With less room for error, there is more randomness in a Competitive match, which could make games more intense. However, the economic system remains untouched, encouraging players to save less and try for every round.
Generally, most professional players are not happy with the change, but it does give regular players a more enjoyable experience.
Individual Ranks For Every Map
In the old system, a player would have a single Competitive rank, regardless of what maps they played. This system is relatively flawed, as players would only queue their best maps to increase their chances of winning, and avoid playing other maps.
But in CS2, players will now have map-specific ranks. This means you can be a Global Elite on Dust II, and a Silver Elite on Overpass. This change encourages players to grow their knowledge and increase their map pools. Players looking to learn a new map will be matched against lower-skilled opponents that can help them understand the environment without being stomped.
Additionally, it was an ongoing issue that high-ranked players could not play with their lower-ranked friends because there would be a mismatch in skill, and they would be reported for smurfing if they played on another account.
Now, these high-ranked players can mess around with their friends on maps like Office, where they would not care about what their rank on the map is.
Overall, the community is enjoying the new update to CS2’s Competitive Mode, as it gives players more flexibility than the previous system did.
CS2 Premier Mode Ranking System
Though the new Competitive Mode has been well-received, the new way to play ranked in CS2 is using the brand new Premier Mode.
There are three main features that distinguish Premier Mode from Competitive Mode:
- Instead of playing for a specific skill group, players are directly shown their matchmaking rating in numerical display. Players can see how much elo they have, and how much they will win or lose before the beginning of the game.
- Since a player’s rank can easily be measured by its numerical value, a new leaderboard system has been implemented. Players can track their ranking on a regional level, and also globally.
- Teams will go into a veto process to decide which map will be played, meaning players will ban maps until one is left. Players are forced to learn at least three to four maps, as you cannot ban them all!
It is also important to note that CS2 is entirely following the new MR12 format. So, Premier Mode is also the first team to win 13 rounds.
However, in case of a 12-12 draw, players will be sent to an MR3 Overtime mode, which is first to 4 rounds. Teams will start with $10,000 and play three rounds, then swap sides to play up to another three if required.
How Does CS2 Rank Work?
As mentioned earlier, Premier Mode rankings are easier to track, as your rank will completely be visible. You will be able to easily track when your next rank up is.
The elo points to be won or lost in a game is revealed to players before the match starts. The gain/loss amount is fixed and cannot be influenced by performance or round factors. However, consistent performances can help increase how many points you can earn in the next game.
The Premier Mode ranks are divided into seven colors. Here are all the Counter Strike ranks in order:
| Rank Color | Premier Mode Elo |
| Gray Rank | 0 – 4,999 |
| Light Blue Rank | 5,000 – 9,999 |
| Blue Rank | 10,000 – 14,999 |
| Purple Rank | 15,000 – 19,999 |
| Pink Rank | 20,000 – 24,999 |
| Red Rank | 25,000 – 30,000 |
| Gold Rank | 30,000 and above |
Before ranking up or deranking to a different rank color, players will be placed in a promotion or relegation status, so they must win or lose an extra game to go to a higher or lower rank color.
How To Climb Premier Mode Rank?
From personal experience, going on winning or losing streaks are the fastest way to climb or drop elo in Premier Mode. Normally, players gain or lose around 100 elo points per match.
However, after winning three games in a row, you will notice that you can gain more than 300 elo points per match, sometimes up to 800 or more! You can earn so many points from winning, and will only lose around 100 points for losing.
Still, the same story can be said for losing streaks. You can lose up to 400 points per game, and only win a meager 100. So, ensure you are playing your best to maximize winning streaks and minimize losing streaks.
Individual indicators, such as KDA or Round MVPs do not matter too much, since the elo gained or lost remains constant. All that matters is if your team wins or loses at the end of the match.
Competitive And Premier Rank Equivalent
If you’re just getting into CS2 Premier Mode and want to figure out how your Competitive CS:GO rank fares, here is a comparison of Competitive and Premier Mode ranks.
| Competitive Skill Group | Premier Mode Equivalent |
| Silver I | 0 – 2,400 |
| Silver II | 2,400 – 3,200 |
| Silver III | 3,200 – 3,800 |
| Silver IV | 3,800 – 4,400 |
| Silver Elite | 4,400 – 5,000 |
| Silver Elite Master | 5,000 – 6,200 |
| Gold Nova I | 6,200 – 7,100 |
| Gold Nova II | 7,100 – 8,000 |
| Gold Nova III | 8,000 – 8,900 |
| Gold Nova Master | 9,100 – 10,000 |
| Master Guardian I | 10,000 – 11,000 |
| Master Guardian II | 11,000 – 12,200 |
| Master Guardian Elite | 12,200 – 13,500 |
| Distinguished Master Guardian | 13,500 – 15,000 |
| Legendary Eagle | 15,000 – 16,500 |
| Legendary Eagle Master | 16,500 – 18,000 |
| Supreme Master First Class | 18,000 – 20,000 |
| The Global Elite | 20,000+ |
Note that the CS2 Premier Mode has not been released for more than a year, so this comparison is subject to change. Additionally, Premier Mode has been advertised to have seasonal resets, so there could be even more changes to the data provided.