CS: GO Ranking System- Everything you need to know about competitive matchmaking

CS: GO is one of those competitive and tactical first-person shooters which are not easy to adapt to, especially when you’re just starting out.

The matchmaking, especially in the ranked system, can feel quite overwhelming for newer players as it contains a lot of new information that they need to be processed all at once.

Ranking up in Valve’s shooter will definitely require a lot of time and dedication on the player's part. Earning new stripes in competitive games is also not as easy as it is in other shooters like Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch.

For a shooter, CS: GO has one of the highest skill ceilings in the genre and is incredibly fun to watch. Ever since it went free-to-play, it has witnessed at least one million players visiting the servers during peak hours.

Having said that, CS: GO’s popularity did drop in recent months due to the release of Valorant and partly because of the ever-growing hacking issue. However, the game is still able to draw in new players every week, who will likely need a little help when it comes to the ranking system.

In our guide, we will go over some of the necessary things that you need to know about CS: GO competitive mode and how to rank up more effectively.

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All the CS: GO ranks

All the CS: GO ranks

Before we dive any deeper into the guide, let’s first take a look at all the CS: GO rank tiers in order:

• 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

Whereas Iron is the lowest tier in Valorant, Silver marks the lowest in CS: GO, with the Global Elite being the highest point a player can reach.

The average player base will be around Gold Nova II and Gold Nova III, with Master Guardian being the largest skill jump in the ladder.

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When can you start playing ranked games?

As a new player (or a returning player with a new account), you will not be able to access the ranked matchmaking in CS: GO.

You will first have to reach level two by playing some standard game modes like Deathmatch, Demolition, Arms Race and Casual. Each game (win or lose) will allow you to gain some XP, and once you reach level two through this method, you will finally be able to access ranked matches.

However, before you are placed in a rank tier, you will first have to go through some provisional games, which will pair you up with players who boast a broad mix of skill levels. This kind of matchmaking during the provisional games will help CS: GO determine your skill level and provide you with a tier accordingly.

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Each Rank Tier and their importance

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Each tier rank in CS: GO is pretty unique and says something about the players who occupy a spot.

As we have mentioned, Gold Nova is the most populated tier out of all the ranks, but to even get to Gold Nova, you will need to have a bit of skill and a few wins up your sleeves. It’s not exactly the easiest tier to get to but it’s also not that difficult.

However, it is in getting out of Gold Nova where the real grind starts. Newer players will probably get placed in Silver, and to reach Gold Nova from there, you will need to have developed a bit of game sense and a good knowledge of utility usages like smoke grenades and molotovs.

Gun recoil patterns is also another thing that you will need to learn. Only when you’re able to perfect your bullet spray and crosshair placement will you be able to grow from Gold Nova to Master Guardian.

Gold Nova players generally have good aim but not much game sense and tend to only play for themselves. They often rage a lot and generally take the temper out on their teammates over voice comms.

Master Guardian is perhaps the biggest skill leap in the rank tiers. Here, not only will you need to have a firm grasp of the different map callouts, but you will also be required to have a very clear line of communication with the team. You might even have to learn to play as a support and use your utility properly for your entry fraggers.

Super Master and the tiers above are the elite echelons where professional players and streamers reside. They are phenomenal players who have taken their gameplay to a whole new skill level.

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Effectively Ranking up in CS: GO

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Unlike in Valorant, where your in-game stats and hidden MMR are important in helping you rank up or down a ladder, the MVP status in CS: GO will hardly help you achieve much in terms of your climb.

Wins matter in CS: GO ranked matchmaking more than anything else. This means that if you aren’t winning your games, you will quickly plummet in ranks no matter how high your MMR is.

The ranking system in CS: GO is based on a chess-like ranking system that employs the use of ELO and Glicko-20. However, in chess, you will at least be the master of your own results and will not have to bank on a teammate for anything.

This is one of the reasons why the chess-type ranking system does not work in 5v5 shooters. It is because of this reason that wins and losses have such a high impact on a player’s ranking, irrespective of how well they played.

However, there is one reward that the system provides to those players who are capable of winning games against opponents who are more skilled than them and boast a higher MMR. If you beat players who sit at a higher ranking than you, then you will get much more LP for your win than you would with opponents who are at a lower MMR level.

Therefore, to effectively rank up in CS: GO, you will have to win games. To win games, you will need to get much better with not just your aiming and individual macro, but also with communicating with the rest of your squad.

CS: GO is not a solo game. Unlike in League of Legends or in Dota2 where you can 1v5 if you’re fed enough on a carry, this is definitely not the case in team-based tactical shooters.

Do keep in mind that even though the act of grinding games out might feel like a very good idea at first, you should not to do it even if you’re on a winning streak. This is because for each game you play in a row, the total number of points gained or lost will decrease significantly.

This is one of the biggest criticisms that Valve has faced for their CS: GO ranked system but we don’t think that it will be going away anytime soon.