Counter-Strike 2 is all about competition. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players could compete in the in-game ranking system, and the new version of the game is no other. It has been revamped, however. CS2 has completely new ranks in Premier Mode, while Valve has also changed its approach to Competitive Mode. Let's have a look at what CS2 has to offer when it comes to in-game competition.

CS2 Ranking system

Surprisingly, Counter-Strike 2 has two separate ranking systems. The first is the Competitive Mode, where players compete for the ranks that were introduced to the game in the Global Offensive era (starting with Silver 1 and going up to Global Elite), but there is a twist. In CS2's Competitive Mode, you will have a separate rank for each map. The second ranking system is the Premier Mode. In this case, there are no Silver 1, Gold Nova or Master Guardian ranks. Instead, it uses an ELO-style system, so each player has their own ranking number and gains or loses points depending on the outcome of the match.

CS2 Premier Mode explained

Counter-Strike 2's Premier Mode is the pinnacle of in-game competition. Each match starts with a pick and ban phase, where players decide on which map they will compete. Participating players vote for and against maps from the active map pool until only one is left, and the game begins.

And here is something else new. In CS:GO, matches were played in the MR15 (Max Rounds 15) mode, where a team had to win a total of 16 rounds to win the game. Now things are different. Valve has decided to use the MR12 (Max Rounds 12) mode in Counter-Strike 2. This should result in shorter and more dynamic matches. If your Premier Mode match is tied at 12-12, it will go into an overtime. The first team to reach 16 points wins.

To be ranked in Premier Mode, you must first win 10 ranked matches. Based on results and performance, you will receive a rating between 0 and 30,000+, with the higher the number, the better the ranking. CS2 features several different leaderboards that allow players to view and compare their CS2 ratings with friends and other players from around the world.

CS2 Premier Mode ranks

To differentiate the CS2 Premier Mode ranks, the game uses colours. It starts with grey for players with 0 - 4,999 points and goes up to gold for players with 30,000+ points. Here's a full list:

0 - 4,999 - Grey

5,000 - 9,999 - Light Blue

10,000 - 14,999 - Blue

15,000 - 19,999 - Purple

20,000 - 24,999 - Pink

25,000 - 29,999 - Red

30,000+ - Gold

Your CS2 Premier Mode rating changes after each match. You will be rewarded with a certain number of points for a win, and you will also lose points for a loss. Also, new is that from the start of the match you will know exactly how many points you can win or lose depending on the outcome.

Compared to the CS:GO ranking system, CS2 Premier Mode is much clearer for players. Now everyone knows if they have a chance to climb the ladder, whereas in the Global Offensive era you never knew.

CS2 Competitive Mode

We have already mentioned that Counter-Strike 2 has two separate ranking systems. Since we've already covered the Premier Mode, let's focus on the Competitive Mode, which is undoubtedly less prestigious.

It is safe to say that CS2 Competitive Mode is similar to CS:GO's ranking system. At the very beginning you can choose which maps you want to compete on, so there is no pick and ban phase as there is in Premier Mode.

Also, Competitive Mode does not use Grey to Gold and number to rank players. It uses the same ranks you already know from the CS:GO ranking system. However, the ranks in CS2 Competitive Mode are map specific, so you will have a separate rank for each map. For example, you might be a Global Elite player on Mirage, a Master Guardian Elite on Vertigo, and an unranked player on Anubis.

Counter-Strike 2 offers many different ways to compete without third parties. The ranking system is sure to evolve in the future, so keep an eye out for CS2 updates to keep up to date.