CS2 ratings explained: Premier ranks & CS rating in Counter-Strike 2
ValveIn Counter-Strike 2, the ranking system has had a complete overhaul, with a new CS rating used in Premier mode to determine your skill level and matchmaking. Here’s how the rating system works in CS2.
In CS:GO, matchmaking had ranks ranging from Silver to Global Elite. But, it was never clear how close you were to ranking up or down, often a source of frustration for players.
These ranks still exist in CS2, but they will not be used in Premier Mode, and in regular competitive, they will be per-map. Meaning, you may have a different rank for Mirage and Nuke, for example, depending on your wins, losses, and performances on those maps.
But the real highlight of CS2’s new ranked system is Premier. Premier instead now uses ‘CS Rating’, a visible elo number, which is adjusted based strictly on wins and losses.
Here is how CS rating works in Counter-Strike 2, with the game now available for everyone to play.
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CS Rating explained
First, you will need to win 10 games to receive your placement rating. Ratings begin at 0, and go all the way to over 40,000, based on the highest-ranked player currently. Each 5000 elo is represented by a different color, and we’ve added rough CS:GO rank estimates too.
- 0-4,999 – Grey (Silver – Gold Nova)
- 5,000-9,999 – Light Blue (Gold Nova – MG)
- 10,000-14,999 – Blue (MG – LE)
- 15,000-19,999 – Purple (LEM – Supreme)
- 20,000-24,999 – Pink (Supreme – Global)
- 25,000-29,999 – Red (Global)
- 30,000+ – Yellow (Global)
In this way, you can think of the color of your rating as your ‘rank’. This system is likely modeled on FACEIT, the third-party service used by many CS:GO players, which features a number rating system and levels similar to the new CS rating.
You can also think of these ranks compared to the existing matchmaking ranks. For example, the yellow category is like Global Elite, and the grey category is like Silver.
You may recognize this color system as it is also used on skin rarities, with Red ‘Covert’ skins better than Blue ‘Mil-Spec’ skins.
How to improve CS Rating in CS2
To get a higher rating, and ‘rank up’ in CS2’s Premier Mode, you simply need to win games. Once you have a rating, your performance, like kills, deaths, etc. are not important. You will see at the start of a match exactly how many rating points you will earn or lose, depending on the outcome of the match.
However, these are not always the same. It appears, based on matches in the beta, that going on a loss streak will compound the elo loss too. So you may start off losing 100 or so points for a loss, but after your third loss in a row, you may lose over 400 points for a single loss.
Valve / DexertoOn the other hand, if you find yourself on a win streak, your winning bonus will become larger. All of this is designed to get you to the most appropriate rank for your skill level faster.
In an October 10 update, Valve made some significant changes to the rating system:
- Relegation and Promotion matches will only occur at color boundaries, i.e. every 5000 CS Rating points.
- Increased possible CS Rating win/loss amounts to move players faster after calibration.
When you reach a round figure at every 5,000 points, you will have a promoton/relegation match. Say you reached 15,000: If you lose this game, you will fall back into the 14,000s, and if you win, you will move up/remain in the 15,000s.
It’s unclear if the amount of elo you will gain or lose is impacted by the elo of the enemies or your teammates.
How Premier mode matches work
Pick & Ban maps
Premier mode in CS2 is different from regular competitive matches. First, you cannot choose the map or maps you want to play. Instead, a pick/ban phase is used.
The first team must ban two maps, then the other team gets to ban three maps. From the two maps left over, the first team gets the choice of which to play. This means you will need to be prepared to play maps you are less familiar with (we’re looking at you, Mirage 24/7 players).
In regular Competitive, you can still choose which maps you want to play, so you can practice getting better at the maps there, if you want to be prepared for Premier.
ValveMR12 and Overtime
MR12 simply stands for Max Rounds 12. This is the max rounds that can be played in a half. So, the first half might finish with scores such as 8-4, 9-3, or 12-0. After switching sides, the first team to reach 13 rounds will win.
If both teams reach 12 rounds, then Overtime will commence. In Overtime, the first team to reach 16 rounds will win, with three round halves. If the match goes 15-15, it ends as a draw.
Matches can be surrendered if one player leaves your team, and it only requires one player to vote for the surrender.
CS2 leaderboards
To see how you stack up against your friends and players around the world, Counter-Strike 2 has leaderboards.
Leaderboards show rating, wins, and win percentage, as well as what % of players you rank among.
Leaderboards are starting to populate in Counter-Strike 2! See who's the best on your friends list, in your region, and around the World. In North America, you'll see clear differences in skill between players like @JosiahCSGO and aging gamers like @fl0mtv. pic.twitter.com/Ge4O49lrEk
— CS2 (@CounterStrike) September 1, 2023
You can filter by friends, the world’s top 1000, or specific regions: Africa, Asia, Australia, China, Europe, North America, South America. Your leaderboard region is simply determined by where you play most of your matches.
If you are among the very top ranks in your region, you will also be required to select a name for the leaderboard, and submit it for approval. Also, once created, your name cannot be changed for the ongoing season – so pick wisely!
Season One is currently underway, and it is not yet known how long exactly it will last.
Note that you must have Prime Status to be eligible for the leaderboards.
Check out more CS2 guides, including the best settings and more:
Best CS2 settings | CS2 Commands you need to know | How to jump throw in CS2 | Can you play left hand in Counter-Strike 2? | All smoke changes in Counter-Strike 2 | Can you play Counter-Strike 2 on Linux or macOS? | Can banned CS:GO players play Counter-Strike 2? | What will happen to my CSGO skins? | Will Counter-Strike 2 come to Steam Deck?