CS2 ranking system: how Premier CS Rating works, what placements do, and why your number moves
Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2026 6:00 am
CS2 ranking system: how Premier CS Rating works, what placements do, and why your number moves
Counter-Strike 2 runs two separate ranking systems at the same time, and they work differently enough that it is worth knowing which one you are looking at. Competitive mode still uses the old rank badges, one per map. Premier mode replaces badges with a single number called CS Rating. This guide covers what each system does, how your rating moves, and the queue rules that come with it.
The two systems side by side
Competitive mode lets you pick which maps to queue for. Your rank is tracked separately on every map, so a player who only queues Mirage can be Global Elite there and Silver IV on Nuke. The idea is that one-tricking a single map does not force you to face top players on maps you barely play. The 18 ranks run from Silver I up to Global Elite, same names as CS:GO.
Premier mode is built around a pick and ban phase, like professional matches. You can end up on any map in the active pool, which is why there is only one rating instead of a per-map rank. After you win ten placement matches, the game assigns you a number, typically somewhere between 0 and 35000+, and that number goes up or down after every match you play.[1]
What moves your rating
Your rating changes after each match. Wins push it up, losses pull it down. The size of the swing depends on factors like the rating of the opponents you faced and, presumably, your personal performance in the match.[1] Beating a team rated well above yours is worth more than beating one rated below you.
Queue rules you will run into
Premier has a few restrictions that catch new players off guard:
Valve has never published an official mapping between CS:GO ranks and CS2 ratings. Third-party tracking sites have filled the gap with sampled data. Scope.gg shared a conversion table based on 435,000 sampled matches, which ProSettings republished:[1]
[table]
[tr][th]Old rank[/th][th]CS Rating range[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Silver 1[/td][td]1000 to 2445[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Gold Nova 1[/td][td]4911 to 5367[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Gold Nova 4[/td][td]7054 to 7951[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Master Guardian 1[/td][td]7951 to 8862[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Legendary Eagle[/td][td]11248 to 12242[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Supreme Master First Class[/td][td]13750 to 15461[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Global Elite[/td][td]15461 to 30000+[/td][/tr]
[/table]
Treat these as approximations. The sample skews toward more serious players who use tracking sites, so the distribution trends higher than the general population.[1]
Frequently asked questions
How many placement matches do I need?
You need ten wins before you get a rating. Losses still affect your rating during placements, but they do not count toward the ten wins required.[1]
Can I queue Premier with friends?
Yes, as many as you like, but your ratings cannot be too far apart, and unranked players cannot join a party that already has rated members.[1]
Why did I only gain 12 points for a win?
The swing depends on the opponent rating and your performance. Close games against evenly rated opponents produce small changes.[1]
Is my rating visible to other players?
Yes. Your CS Rating is a public number that others can compare against their own, their region, and the world leaderboard.[1]
Sources
[1] CS2 Ranks and CS2 Ratings Explained - ProSettings.net
Counter-Strike 2 runs two separate ranking systems at the same time, and they work differently enough that it is worth knowing which one you are looking at. Competitive mode still uses the old rank badges, one per map. Premier mode replaces badges with a single number called CS Rating. This guide covers what each system does, how your rating moves, and the queue rules that come with it.
The two systems side by side
Competitive mode lets you pick which maps to queue for. Your rank is tracked separately on every map, so a player who only queues Mirage can be Global Elite there and Silver IV on Nuke. The idea is that one-tricking a single map does not force you to face top players on maps you barely play. The 18 ranks run from Silver I up to Global Elite, same names as CS:GO.
Premier mode is built around a pick and ban phase, like professional matches. You can end up on any map in the active pool, which is why there is only one rating instead of a per-map rank. After you win ten placement matches, the game assigns you a number, typically somewhere between 0 and 35000+, and that number goes up or down after every match you play.[1]
What moves your rating
Your rating changes after each match. Wins push it up, losses pull it down. The size of the swing depends on factors like the rating of the opponents you faced and, presumably, your personal performance in the match.[1] Beating a team rated well above yours is worth more than beating one rated below you.
Queue rules you will run into
Premier has a few restrictions that catch new players off guard:
- The ratings of players queuing together cannot be too far apart. The exact gap limit has changed over time, so do not assume a wide range of friends can always stack.[1]
- Players who have never received a rating cannot queue with players who already have one. Players with a decayed or invisible rank are exempt from this rule.[1]
- You can queue with as many people as you like now. At launch, four-stacks were blocked entirely, and that restriction was later removed.[1]
- If you queue with four people, the random fifth player matched with your group cannot be kicked. Valve added this because four-stacks had too much voting power in CS:GO.[1]
Valve has never published an official mapping between CS:GO ranks and CS2 ratings. Third-party tracking sites have filled the gap with sampled data. Scope.gg shared a conversion table based on 435,000 sampled matches, which ProSettings republished:[1]
[table]
[tr][th]Old rank[/th][th]CS Rating range[/th][/tr]
[tr][td]Silver 1[/td][td]1000 to 2445[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Gold Nova 1[/td][td]4911 to 5367[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Gold Nova 4[/td][td]7054 to 7951[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Master Guardian 1[/td][td]7951 to 8862[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Legendary Eagle[/td][td]11248 to 12242[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Supreme Master First Class[/td][td]13750 to 15461[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Global Elite[/td][td]15461 to 30000+[/td][/tr]
[/table]
Treat these as approximations. The sample skews toward more serious players who use tracking sites, so the distribution trends higher than the general population.[1]
Frequently asked questions
How many placement matches do I need?
You need ten wins before you get a rating. Losses still affect your rating during placements, but they do not count toward the ten wins required.[1]
Can I queue Premier with friends?
Yes, as many as you like, but your ratings cannot be too far apart, and unranked players cannot join a party that already has rated members.[1]
Why did I only gain 12 points for a win?
The swing depends on the opponent rating and your performance. Close games against evenly rated opponents produce small changes.[1]
Is my rating visible to other players?
Yes. Your CS Rating is a public number that others can compare against their own, their region, and the world leaderboard.[1]
Sources
[1] CS2 Ranks and CS2 Ratings Explained - ProSettings.net