CS:GO Ranking System Explained in 2023 - Hellcase Blog

The main goal of any 5v5 shooter is to achieve the highest rank, and CS:GO is no exception. That is possible only with the proper level of skill. Today we will look at the CS:GO ranking system, how it works, and how to rank up faster.

Despite the fact that ranks in CS:GO appeared a long time ago, players are still wondering: how does this system work? Probably no one except the developers knows the specific answer to this question. But we still found some information for you regarding the rank system and the player selection system in CS:GO. So, let’s go in order.

What Are the Ranks in CS:GO?

Rank in CS:GO is a parameter that determines the player’s skills based on his individual performance. It can be seen in the game menu in the upper left corner of the screen under your season rank. In ranked matches, you will play with people whose rank is approximately equal to yours.

Let’s look at the operation of this system in more detail.

How Does CS:GO Ranking Work?

First of all, to get your first CS:GO rank, you must go through the calibration process. In total, you will need to play ten calibration games. The developers imposed a limitation during the calibration period. A maximum of two wins per day, and you will be subject to a timeout lasting one in-game day. Loses do not count towards ten calibration matches. But if you lose, in the next match, the system will select for you less skilled players with a rank lower than in the previous match. This directly affects what rank you get after ten victories. The maximum rank you can get after calibration is Legendary Eagle. But as statistics show, on average, players receive slightly lower ranks. They range from Silver 3 to Master Guardian 1.

To make it easier for you to understand, let’s look at the hierarchical structure of ranks in CS:GO in more detail.

CS:GO Ranks in Order

In total, in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are eighteen separate ranks. The first six ranks, namely Silver I – Silver Elite Master , are received by players who only recently started playing CS:GO. If, after calibration, you received this particular rank, then you still have to learn a lot about the game, its mechanics, and its maps.

Gold Nova I – Gold Nova Master ranks players amounts the most of the game audience. That is about a third of all players. Players of this level already know two or three maps and their positions on them. But the level of aiming and recoil control is still quite weak.

Master Guardian 1 – Master Guardian Elite game community jokingly refers to players of these ranks as the strongest and most random in the game. Everybody knows that no pro player can make such moves and frags as players of these ranks.

Jokes aside, they’ve already learned the game pretty well. They know how to use grenades and are good at shooting with any type of weapon. Their reaction speed is also much higher than lower ranks players have. Most players in these ranks are stuck here for a long time. But this is only because they mistakenly believe they are the greatest players, and the problem lies in bad teammates, cheaters, and unlucky moments.

Distinguished Master Guardian – Global Elite is the highest rank in the game. Players of these ranks spent more than one-hour training and honing their skills. Only 17% of all players in the game were able to reach these ranks. And if we talk about Global Elite, then the players of this rank become only 1.04% of the entire audience of the game.

They are proficient with the main weapons in the game and play well on all maps. They understand the importance of the game economy and know how to calculate the economy of the enemy. They communicate well with themselves and understand the importance of a well-coordinated team game.

Under certain conditions, any of the ranks can play a match against or in the team of any other. This, as it may seem to you, is a bit imbalanced, but the matchmaking system has its nuances.

How CS:GO Matchmaking Works?

Valve is silent about the mechanics of matchmaking in CS:GO, fearing that someone will be able to cheat the system or will pay more attention to their rank than the success of the team. But in 2015, one of the company’s employees blabbed that CS:GO is based on an improved and modified version of the Glicko-2 system.

Glicko-2 is one of the improved variations of the Elo system. In it, the rank is determined by a range of numbers. The player’s rank thus becomes a range (e.g. 1000-2000) rather than just a number (e.g. 1500). This approach allows the system to very accurately determine that the player’s rank will be in this range. Glicko-2 also takes into account the “instability” of the player, that is, how significantly the rank can change over time. It goes down if the user plays infrequently and goes up if he plays often.

Although Glicko-2 is an open system, obvious limitations prevent it from being applied to CS:GO. Glicko was designed for one-on-one fights. There are many factors involved in a five-on-five team game, and the impact of one player on a match is difficult to assess. Of course, one player can get a multi-kill in a round, but what if he only managed to do this because a friend covered his back or threw a flash grenade in time? Valve is in no hurry to tell what exactly is taken into account when choosing a rank. But still, based on the available information, we can find out the following:

• The rank is influenced by a huge number of factors, and all of the results are recorded by the system. The key one is winning the match.
• The system is designed in such a way that the longer you are on your rating, the more difficult it will be for you to get out of it. The system will be sure that it has correctly selected your rating.
• A long pause will reduce the accuracy of determining your rank and most likely will lead to a decrease in it.

But what to do if you can’t improve your rank in any way? You can speed it up with one of our tips.

Tips to Rank Up Faster in CS:GO

The first and probably most obvious is training. And now we are not talking about a warm-up before the match but about systematic developments. We advise you to start training with a simple run, jumps, and strafes on the map, for example, on Nuke, try to climb on “Silo” as quickly as possible. A competent movement and knowledge of timings will perfectly help you both with early aggression and in clutches.

The second is, of course, shooting practice. Shooting on standing bots, at close range, at long range, and shooting at moving targets. Shoot from different types of weapons. It’s also worth practicing shooting with an AWP and a Deagle, even if you don’t play with sniper rifles. Thus, you will become a universal player who can play any role as needed. We recommend you use the map from the Workshop for this, namely “Yprac Bots Trainer”. By the way, ten minutes on a DM server will not be superfluous.

And the third, of course, grenade practice. Knowledge of grenades is a must if you want to play at a higher level. Start with smokes on your favorite map. You don’t have to memorize all the smokes in one session. Learn at least two or three and try to use them in your games. So they are easier to remember and at the same time, you can see for yourself the result of your training.

For more in-depth insights on improving your CS:GO gameplay and ranking up fast, you can check out this guide .

Everything mentioned above was about your individual skill, but there is also a team. If you have friends who play CS:GO, invite them to play with you. Good communication and interaction will greatly increase your chances of winning, and in the good company of a friend, losses will be less tangible. Also, do not forget about your behavior. Anger and quarrels will not help you in getting a good rank. And what rank can be considered a good result in CS:GO?

What Is A Good CS:GO Rank?

It is worth starting with the fact that there is no bad or good rank. Your rank is a measure of your skill and game experience. There are ranks where beginners play, and there are ranks for experienced players. That creates a balance in the game.

If we go to the essence of the question, then ranks from Distinguished Master Guardian to Global Elite are considered “good”. Players of these ranks are much more skilled than others. But most of the players in CS:GO are between GN I (Gold Nova I) – GNM (Gold Nova Master). So if your rank is MG (Master Guardian I), then you have already achieved great success.

But do not get hung up on getting some kind of title. Valve’s ranking system, although quite accurate, due to its hidden mechanics and lack of progress visibility, many players prefer other gaming platforms, such as FACEIT.

Getting there will not be easy, but it’s worth a shot. Everyone has ever started from scratch, even pro players. And now they win tournaments and have the highest ranks in the game.

What Ranks Do Professional CS:GO Players Typically Achieve

Since a lot of pro players migrated to CS:GO from CS 1.6, they already had a solid experience in the game. The difference was only in the “Source” engine. Almost all pro players have the highest rank – Global Elite. But this does not mean that all Global Elites play like pro players. They don’t play RMM regularly, only on streams for viewers or fun.

For example, the captain of the Cloud9 team, Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov , decided to play matchmaking on one of his streams to get the title. He won on the Dust 2 map finishing the match with 36 frags and ending up with only Supreme Master First Class.

Former Natus Vincere player Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov can also serve as an example of a fast-track in his career. In just two years, he has risen from the usual Distinguished Master Guardian to the best team in the CIS region.

Wrapping It Up

Ranked matchmaking is where every beginner should start. Here you will be most comfortable learning the game. Don’t chase after the highest rank in matchmaking. If you feel that you are marking time, try to change something in your attitude and approach to the game. Register on FACEIT, compare where you are more comfortable playing, and go ahead! Perhaps in the future, you will become the new s1mple. Also, do not forget to read our other articles that will undoubtedly be useful to you!

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