A Comprehensive Guide to Competitive CS2

CS2’s new matchmaking system is wildly different from CS:GO’s system, and although the new competitive play system has been active in the game for over a year, it is still extremely confusing to new players. For this reason, we have created this comprehensive guide to competitive CS2 and CS2 matchmaking.

This guide will dive into the two main matchmaking systems offered by CS2: premier mode and competitive mode. These two modes present different forms of matchmaking and ranks, but they both unite under the classic 5v5 Counter-Strike gameplay.

How does Premier Mode Work in CS2?

CS2’s Premier mode was by far the largest change to competitive gameplay in CS2. While CS:GO had a Premier option, it was almost never played, and match wait times were often 10+ minutes when queuing Premier. However, with the goal of bringing competitive play closer to professional play, CS2 brought us a streamlined Premier mode that completely revamped how we think about CS2 matchmaking and ranks.

Premier mode operates on a pick/ban system similar to that used in professional play, but while pro teams get to “pick” maps, premier players are limited to banning them until one remains. The ban system works in this order:

Team One bans two maps

Team Two bans three maps

Team One bans one map

Team Two selects the Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist side to start on

With this system, all players have a say in which maps are played(every player votes for maps to ban, and the most voted maps are banned). This allows gameplay to be on an (ideally) more level playing field.

Premier Mode Ranking System

Premier Mode’s ranking system operates on an ELO system called CS Rating. CS rating ranges from 1,000 to 35,000 and represents a player’s skill. Players gain and lose CS rating depending on the outcome of their matches. The amount players will win and lose is determined prior to the start of the game and displayed to the player at the start of the game and during the halftime period when the teams switch sides.

After winning ten games of premier mode, players will receive their first CS Rating. The rating will automatically be set quite low, and it is up to the player to continue to grind until their progress starts to slow and they eventually reach a rating that roughly matches their current skill level.

The CS Rating gain and loss numbers depend on win and loss streaks; the more games you win in a row, the more ELO you will earn per win, and the more games you lose in a row, the more ELO you will lose per loss. When one number is greater, the other is lower. For example, on a 4-game win streak, you may gain a 400 CS rating for a win and lose just 110 for a loss.

The CS Rating system allows much more precise rankings, but these ranks are also separated into color groups to make them slightly more simple. Below are the color groups and their corresponding CS Rating ranges.

CS Rating Ranges

• 1000-4999 Rating: Grey
• 5000-9999 Rating: Light Blue
• 10000-14999 Rating: Blue
• 15000-19999 Rating: Purple
• 20000-24999 Rating: Pink
• 25000-29999 Rating: Red
• 30000-35000 Rating: Yellow

CS rating is aimed to be a more accurate representation of a player’s individual skill level, but it isn’t necessarily accurate. Players who are “boosted,” cheat, or smurf will have CS ratings significantly different from the rank they would have if they played legitimately.

How Does Competitive Mode Work in CS2?

CS2’s competitive mode is almost identical to that of CS:GO, but since most CS2 players play Premier now, new players may require an explanation of competitive mode before they can dive into their first competitive match. Competitive mode allows players to play on a particular map rather than being forced to ban maps and rely on randomly matched teammates to agree with their ban choices. Players select which maps they want to play and then jump into a game. If they select just one map, they will always be put into a game on that map, but the more maps they select, the easier it is to find a game. After winning two games on a map, they are automatically given a rank for that specific map.

Competitive Mode Ranks

Competitive mode ranks are split into skill groups. Each of the skill groups has a rank progression, though some just have one rank assigned to them. The higher the skill groups are, the fewer ranks are assigned to it.

Silver

• Silver 1
• Silver 2
• Silver 3
• Silver 4
• Silver Elite
• Silver Elite Master

Gold Nova

• Gold Nova 1
• Gold Nova 2
• Gold Nova 3
• Gold Nova Master

Master Guardian

• Master Guardian 1
• Master Guardian 2
• Master Guardian Elite
• Distinguished Master Guardian

Legendary Eagle

• Legendary Eagle
• Legendary Eagle Master

Supreme Master First Class

The Global Elite

The Global Elite is the highest rank achievable in Counter-Strike. Achieving the rank has been a dream of tens of millions of CS players, and just a select few ever achieve such a prestigious rank.

Which CS2 Competitive Mode is Right For Me?

This completely depends on who you are as a player and how much experience you have with the game. If you aren’t comfortable on all maps in the competitive pool, we suggest playing competitive mode until you are familiar with each map because in Premier, every map is fair game, and the last thing you want is to be thrown into a map you have never played on when your precious CS rating is on the line. Once you are familiar with all maps, the decision of which mode you play is completely up to you and depends on which ranking system you prefer. Plus, you can always play a mix of the two; you are never confined to one mode.