By far, the most popular game modes in Counter-Strike are the Competitive and Premier mode because they are the two primary ranked game modes in the game. Players strive to improve and track their progression by climbing up the ranks, seeing results when they get promoted to the next tier.
However, it is always nice to know how the elo ranking system works in the game so a clear plan can be made to rank up quickly and efficiently. In this article, we’ll tell you what you need to know about how does CS:GO elo work.
The Two Main Ranked Modes In The Game
In Counter-Strike, there are a handful of game modes players can choose from. However, the two most-played game modes have to be Competitive and Premier mode. These are the two ranked game modes where players can play in a serious environment and grind their way to the top of the rankings.
After every match played in these game modes, the ranks and elos of players will update. Players will gain or lose elo points depending on the game result and other metrics such as individual performance. Due to the changes in elo after every match, this article will mainly focus on how the Competitive and Premier mode elos work.
How Does Competitive Mode Rankings Work
The Competitive mode did see some changes, mainly map-based ranks, but it still works similarly to how it used to do in Global Offensive.
Characteristics Of Competitive Mode Ranks
The competitive mode in Counter-Strike 2 follows the same skill group ranking system as Global Offensive. This means the ranks of players are divided into 18 skill groups, and that the true elo of players is hidden.
The hidden elo makes it hard for players to track their progress to their next rank up or derank, making rank changes very surprising. Players have no clue as to how many more wins are required to rank up, so they can only rely on guesses and gut feeling.
All Competitive Mode Ranks
As briefly stated earlier, Competitive mode features a total of 18 skill group categories. All the Competitive mode ranks are.
- 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
Players who are new to the game will generally find themselves hovering around the Silver I to Silver Elite Master category. In this rank category, most players are still figuring out the game. You can easily climb past these ranks by having superior aiming skills, as game sense and proper utility are not required yet.
Intermediate players have a decent understanding of how the game works, and will begin to communicate with the team and use grenades to take map control and set up kills. These types of players can be found within the Gold Nova I to Gold Nova Master category. Make sure to have a microphone if you’ve made it to this group.
Experienced and advanced players reside in the Master Guardian I to Legendary Eagle category. Players in these ranks have started to become potent with their headshots and know how to control the spray patterns for various weapons. They begin using advanced techniques such as counter-strafing and pop flashes to create advantages in duels.
If you’re an expert in the game, you will likely be placed in the Legendary Eagle Master to The Global Elite category. These three ranks are where the upper echelon of players are. They have mastered most aspects of the game, using coordinated utility and taking map control whenever the opportunity arises. Most players are familiar with effective grenade lineups as well.
How Is Competitive Mode Elo Calculated
We have learned that players are divided into 18 skill groups. It is apparent that the more elo a player has, the higher their skill group tier will be. However, until today, the community is still unsure of how the Competitive mode elo rankings are calculated.
This is because every player has a “hidden elo” behind their skill groups. It is safe to say that there are elo thresholds for every rank, and exceeding it will rank you up, while falling below the minimum will rank you down. However, it is very difficult to track how many elo points were gained or lost after a match, and how many more points are required to advance to the next rank or get deranked.
It is obvious that the match result plays the largest role in determining elo gain or loss. By winning a match, you will gain elo, while losing a match will result in a loss of elo points. However, individual performances are speculated to also play a huge role in the movement of elo.
Consistently top-fragging in your team and having positive KDAs every game will definitely lead to massive increases in elo points, while being at the bottom of the scoreboard suggests you don’t belong in your rank, leading to massive drops in elo.
How To Rank Up Fast In Competitive Mode
Even though the Competitive mode has been out for decades, players still don’t know exactly how the elo movement works. However, we have compiled a list of things you can do to rank up quickly in Counter-Strike, proven by personal experience and community testimonies.
Maintain A Good KDA
One of the easiest ways to rank up quickly is to maintain good stats, meaning you want to have a positive KDA ratio in almost every game. By performing well and playing above average, you are pretty much telling the game that you deserve a much higher rank. If you are constantly at the top of your team, you can bet that you’ll receive more elo than normal every time you win a game.
Collect Round MVPs
Another secret to ranking up in Competitive mode is to farm as many round MVPs as possible. Every time a round is won, the player with the most impact will be rewarded with a round MVP, which will be displayed in the form of a star next to their name on the scoreboard. Getting round MVPs can be done by getting the most eliminations, but can also be achieved through planting the bomb and defusing it. Try getting as many plants and defuses as you possibly can – it is the most effortless way to collect round MVPs.
Keep Up Win Streaks
On top of maintaining a consistent KDA, you also want to have consistent win streaks. Getting greens on your page is the easiest way to whisper to the game that you’re not playing at the rank you’re supposed to be in – you should be much higher than that. Many players have shared that they would rank up twice after winning one game because they had a massive win streak going on.
Do Not Abandon Matches
Abandoning matches in Competitive mode is a big no-no. You’ll learn later that Premier matches have fixed elo gains and losses, so abandoning them is not as bad as it is in Competitive mode. You could go 0 – 20 in a game and lose 0 – 13, but abandoning a match will probably decrease more elo than that. Before queuing for a Competitive match, make sure your internet is stable and you don’t have anywhere to be for the next 40 minutes.
How Do Premier Mode Rankings Work
The newest game mode introduced in Counter-Strike 2 is the Premier mode, which has become the most popular mode in the game by far.
Characteristics Of Premier Mode Ranks
Many players complained that the Competitive mode was not a reliable ranking system, as there were limitations such as hidden elo and nowhere to go after reaching The Global Elite. That is why Valve created the Premier mode which has a more refined ranking system.
Unlike the Competitive mode ranking system, Premier mode elo is much easier to visualize as they literally come in the form of numbers. You can see the numerical value of your Premier rank, meaning you can transparently see how many points you gain and lose after every game, as well as how many more points you’ll need to advance to the next tier.
Premier mode elo is divided into color categories, which are separated by 5,000 ratings each. To advance to the next color tier, you need to rack up enough elo points by winning matches. It’s a very simple system to understand.
All Premier Mode Ranks
As mentioned earlier, your Premier mode rating is visualized by numerical values. The Premier elo categories are divided into.
| Color Tier | Premier Rating |
| Gray | 0 – 4,999 |
| Light Blue | 5,000 – 9,999 |
| Dark Blue | 10,000 – 14,999 |
| Purple | 15,000 – 19,999 |
| Pink | 20,000 – 24,999 |
| Red | 25,000 – 30,000 |
| Yellow | 30,000+ |
For those unaware, these colors are actually based on the rarity of weapon skins. You have Consumer Grade, which is the lowest tier, all the way up to Exceedingly Rare, which is the category for knives and gloves.
Anyways, you can easily tell when you’re due for your next rank up or derank, as you only need to cross the threshold for the respective ranks above, which are always separated by 5,000 rating points.
Competitive Mode Elo vs. Premier Mode Elo Compared
For the Competitive mode section, we went on to discuss what to expect in the different skill groups of the ranking system. To paint you a picture of how Competitive mode ranks match with the Premier mode ranks, let’s compare the two.
| CS2 Premier Rating | Competitive Skill Group |
| Silver I – Silver Elite Master | 1,000 – 7,500 |
| Gold Nova I – Gold Nova Master | 7,501 – 11,800 |
| Master Guardian I – Master Guardian Elite | 11,800 – 15,000 |
| Distinguished Master Guardian – Legendary Eagle Master | 15,001 – 18,400 |
| Supreme Master First Class | 18,401 – 20,000 |
| The Global Elite | 20,000 + |
This table should give you a good idea of where you will reside based on your Competitive mode rank if you ever decide to start grinding Premier mode. Once you’re in the 20,000 range, you can still go up all the way to 30,000 or more. By that time, you can find yourself on the leaderboard system against the best players in your region.
How Is Premier Mode Elo Calculated
Fortunately, the elo calculations for the Premier mode are super easy to follow. Before every match begins, the game will clearly tell you how many elo points you will gain or lose depending on the match outcome. This information is completely visible to you at the start of matches.
The numbers shown on your screen are fixed, meaning individual performance will not have any impact on how many points you will gain or lose after the match. You could go 0 – 15, somehow win the match, and still get the rating points promised.
So, when playing in Premier mode, you should put less focus on farming bomb plants and rushing in to get easy kills that might throw rounds away. Focus on being a good teammate and think about how you can bring maximum value to the team to get the victory. You don’t need to play like s1mple to rank up faster – just win as many games as possible.
How To Rank Up Fast In Premier Mode
Though the gains and losses for every match is made transparent, people are still not too sure of how to maximize elo gained when playing the Premier mode. This makes sense as the system is still relatively new. However, here are some trends we’ve seen from personal experience.
Maintain Win Streaks
Similar to Competitive mode, maintaining win streaks is the easiest way to rapidly rank up in Premier mode. Normally, players will expect to receive around 100 to 200 rating points for every win. However, players with massive win streaks have reportedly been offered 300 to 700 rating points per game. So, make sure to try your best if you are seeing green on your match page.
Win Your Matches Against Higher-Rated Opponents
Though it is unconfirmed, many community members have reported that they started getting more Premier rating per win after winning against higher-average opponents. This could imply that beating better opponents will tell the game that you deserve a higher Premier rating, making the game reward you with more potential elo for your next matches.
Queue As A 5 Stack
As mentioned previously, you don’t have to worry about individual performance and KDA when playing in the Premier mode. Try gathering friends you have chemistry with and queue together. 5 stacks can queue into 5 solo queue players, and in these situations, the premade squad will have a communication advantage over their enemies.