Ranked gameplay has been the pinnacle of the Counter Strike franchise, ever since day one. The action-packed gameplay of CS 1.6 made it an instant classic among competitive gamers, and the franchise quickly grew to become an e-sport classic. The classic competitive mode has been a staple in the Counter-Strike franchise, featuring ranks ranging from Silver to Global Elite, and offering dedicated players the opportunity to progress and improve.
The highly skill-based FPS gameplay makes for a great competitive game, which is why the ranked mode is why most gamers keep returning to this classic online FPS. Here’s everything you need to know about CS2 ranks.
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What Are CS2 Ranks?
In short, your CS2 rank is the in-game reflection of your skill. It’s more than just a visual upgrade to your profile, though, as each time you play competitive modes, you will be placed against players of the same skill level, based on your CS2 rank.
While previously the game featured only a single CSGO rank, CS2 has complicated things a bit by adding two separate CS2 game modes, each with its own ranks as part of the broader ranking systems:
Competitive Mode
The competitive mode is more similar to the traditional CSGO ranked mode, and it even features the same ranking system. The competitive mode is designed to challenge and improve a counter strike player by providing a structured environment to hone their skills. At the moment, all the competitive ranks featured in the game include:
- 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
- Global Elite
As you can see, these ranks are effectively the same as in CS:GO, and they function in a similar manner. There’s, however, a single important difference: in the new competitive mode you have a single rank for each of the active duty maps. Yes, this means that you can have radically different ranks, with Silver on one map and Supreme Master First Class on another. Competitive mode will always match you based on your rank for the individual map, making it a great choice if you want to practice your favorite CS2 map in a competitive environment.
Premier Mode
Premier mode features its own separate rank, as well as a completely different counter strike rating system. Unlike a more general rank in a competitive mode, in CS2 premier mode you receive an individual cs rating, with a color based on how many ELO points you currently hold. The colors correspond to the following values:
- 0 – 4,999 → Grey
- 5,000 – 9,999 → Light Blue
- 10,000 – 14,999 → Dark Blue
- 15,000 – 19,999 → Purple
- 20,000 – 24,999 → Pink
- 25,000 – 29,999 → Red
- 30,000+ → Gold
Like in all other CS2 ranked modes, ELO represents the individual skill level of each player. You receive ELO points when you win, and lose them for each premier mode match where you failed to secure the victory, though each value change will also take your personal performance into consideration.
How to Get Your First Rank in CS2
As you might have noticed, you won’t have a rank when you first start up the game. In order to get your first rank in either of the ranked mode you’ll first need to complete ten placement matches. Reflecting on your previous game can help improve your performance in these placement matches.
During the placement matches you will be placed against other unranked players, as well as players near your level towards the end of the placement matches. Also, while you’ll likely be placed against other players who are new to the game, you also have a chance to play with CSGO smurfs, which can make these matches more difficult than many ranked games.
Can You Lose Your CS2 Rank?
Yes, if you don’t play for at least two weeks, you will lose your CS2 rank and become unranked. As you can imagine, this means that you will have to complete ten placement matches once again to get your rank bank. This applies to both of the game modes, meaning you might have to complete your set of placement matches twice. Also, keep in mind that after you lose your rank, the next one you get after placement matches won’t be radically different from the last rank you had.
How to Improve Your CS2 Rank?
The obvious answer is to win more, but if you want to learn how to rank up faster in CS2, consider some of these tips:
Follow the Professional Scene
There’s a reason why the pros are so good at the game, and one of the reasons behind this is that they always rely on the most optimized strategies and gameplay choices. While you might learn some important plays and skills, the most important takeaway you can get from professional tournaments is the current meta. Pro-player CS streams on Twitch are also a great source of knowledge on this subject.
Play Practice Matchmaking Games
Jumping straight into ranked CS gameplay is not the smartest idea, and you can practice safely without risking your rank in the practice mode. Make sure you play as many unranked CS matches as you can in order to practice and improve your gameplay.
Optimize Your CS Settings
Although your skill is the most important part of ranking up, optimized game settings certainly make this task easier as well. If you want to know which of them to use, check out our guide for the best CS settings in the game.
In Conclusion
As you can see, ranked CS2 is a serious business. If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out the rest of our website, where you can even sell Steam items for real money!
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