CS:GO Ranks and How Does CS:GO Ranking Work
One of the biggest problems in previous Counter-Strike versions is finding teammates and opponents with the same level of play — the CS:GO ranking system was designed to address this issue. It allows players to make their matches handier, more prolonged, extremely exciting, and the fight between teams becomes an intense struggle. In this article, you’ll find out all the information about ranks in CS:GO and the ranking system, how to get the first rank and the latest CS:GO rank distribution.
What Are the Ranks in CS:GO?
Almost every online game has a ranking system that allows you to distinguish an experienced player from a beginner. Depending on your skills, the rank and title of the player may change. It’s a performance indicator that is responsible for all your gaming abilities while playing. Your CS:GO rank is displayed right under your username in the game.
CS:GO ranking system has lots of practical uses, but still, it is also full of emotions and will give players an additional reason to rejoice at their in-game progress.
How to Get Your First Rank in CS:GO?
Now that you know about the ranks and ranking system, you probably want to earn your first rank. So, how do you do it?
CS:GO rank is an indicator of your skill in the game, and you can’t get it without doing anything. You have to win 10 competitive matches to earn your first rank. You will able to play just 2 matches per day. This will help to determine the level of your skills. After 10 wins, you will be assigned to one of 18 ranks depending on your matches’ performance. From this point on, you will have an unlimited number of matches at your disposal.
The only thing you should never forget is that you can play just with players who have five ranks higher or lower than yours, excluding a premade team of five.
After that, you are officially ranked and can start your journey up the ladder in CS:GO.
How Does CSGO Ranking Work
Overall CS:GO ranking system depends on wins and losses in competitive matches directly. If the matches are won, the rating increases, and you get a higher rank. If they are lost, then the rating goes down accordingly, and there is a chance to downgrade the current rank. If you want to know how to improve your CS:GO rank, visit our extensive guide with powerful tips on how to rank up in CS:GO.
How your rank is determined can be complicated and many people incorrectly believe that ranks are based on an ELO-type system used by many other FPS games.
But CS:GO actually uses a modified Glicko-2 system. Both systems were originally developed to determine skill in games such as chess or Go, but they have been modified to work with online shooters and other games.
Although there are complex mathematical differences between ELO and Glicko-2 systems, the key takeaway is that the Glicko-2 system used in CS:GO prioritizes team play and success over individual play when determining rank.
In real-game terms, this means being the top fragger on a bad team or carrying a bad team affects your rank less than being on a winning, balanced team. This applies even if your personal stats are lower in those games.
Valve states that the CS:GO algorithm evaluates a player’s skill pool based on their round influence and whether their team wins the round.
Of course, to prevent people from “gaming” the ranking system, the numerical values of this system are hidden. But through experimentation and observations, most players believe the system puts a high value on team-oriented play.
In practical terms, this means getting together a balanced 5 stack team that communicates well will help you rise through the ranks faster than being the best player on a team of noobs.
CS:GO Ranks
CS:GO has 18 ranks. To reach the highest rank, you must go through a difficult path, but nothing is impossible on the way to your goal. Here is the list with all CSGO ranks in order:
| Image | Rank | Short Name | Percentage of Players |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Silver I | S1 | 3.9% |
|
Silver II | S2 | 4.2% |
|
Silver III | S3 | 4.4% |
|
Silver IV | S4 | 5.2% |
|
Silver Elite | SE | 6.4% |
|
Silver Elite Master | SEM | 7.8% |
|
Gold Nova I | GN1 | 8.8% |
|
Gold Nova II | GN2 | 8.8% |
|
Gold Nova III | GN3 | 9.1% |
|
Gold Nova Master | GNM | 8.1% |
|
Master Guardian I | MG1 | 7.6% |
|
Master Guardian II | MG2 | 6.6% |
|
Master Guardian Elite | MGE | 5.2% |
|
Distinguished Master Guardian | DMG | 4.2% |
|
Legendary Eagle | LE | 3.3% |
|
Legendary Eagle Master | LEM | 3.2% |
|
Supreme Master First Class | SMFC | 2.6% |
|
Global Elite | GE | 0.75% |
CS:GO Ranks Distribution
As you know, the road to Global Elite is challenging, but between Silver and Global Elite there are many different csgo ranks. On the following infographics, you can see the average CS:GO ranks distribution in 2023. Indicators are constantly changing, so we will update the data as often as we have such information.
There are many points in CS:GO that players must comply with to become successful. One of these points is the understanding of CS:GO trade up contracts.
CS:GO Levels
CS:GO levels or profile ranks are the player’s status that show how much time the player has spent in the game. Each player sees a profile rank in the main menu above the rank in CS:GO, however, not everyone pays attention to it. Experience (XP) is awarded at the end of a match, so if a player leaves a match before it ends, they will lose all accumulated experience.
There are 40 profile ranks in total. Upon reaching rank 40, the player can reset the rank to 1 and get a special Service Medal. Every year you have a chance to win new updated medals and complete your collection.
This system does not give you any superiority over other players, however you need to have Private Rank 2 to be eligible for competitive matchmaking. The first ranks are quite difficult to earn because beginners still do not have enough experience and gaming skills in order to earn the required amount of XP. However, this can be realised if you spend enough time playing the game and figure out its mechanics.
Below you can see the CS:GO levels in order:
| Image | Rank | XP required | Total XP |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Recruit Rank 1 | 5,000 XP | 0 XP |
|
Private Rank 2 | 5,000 XP | 5,000 XP |
|
Private Rank 3 | 5,000 XP | 10,000 XP |
|
Private Rank 4 | 5,000 XP | 15,000 XP |
|
Corporal Rank 5 | 5,000 XP | 20,000 XP |
|
Corporal Rank 6 | 5,000 XP | 25,000 XP |
|
Corporal Rank 7 | 5,000 XP | 30,000 XP |
|
Corporal Rank 8 | 5,000 XP | 35,000 XP |
|
Sergeant Rank 9 | 5,000 XP | 40,000 XP |
|
Sergeant Rank 10 | 5,000 XP | 45,000 XP |
|
Sergeant Rank 11 | 5,000 XP | 50,000 XP |
|
Sergeant Rank 12 | 5,000 XP | 55,000 XP |
|
Master Sergeant Rank 13 | 5,000 XP | 60,000 XP |
|
Master Sergeant Rank 14 | 5,000 XP | 65,000 XP |
|
Master Sergeant Rank 15 | 5,000 XP | 70,000 XP |
|
Master Sergeant Rank 16 | 5,000 XP | 75,000 XP |
|
Sergeant Major Rank 17 | 5,000 XP | 80,000 XP |
|
Sergeant Major Rank 18 | 5,000 XP | 85,000 XP |
|
Sergeant Major Rank 19 | 5,000 XP | 90,000 XP |
|
Sergeant Major Rank 20 | 5,000 XP | 95,000 XP |
|
Lieutenant Rank 21 | 5,000 XP | 100,000 XP |
|
Lieutenant Rank 22 | 5,000 XP | 105,000 XP |
|
Lieutenant Rank 23 | 5,000 XP | 110,000 XP |
|
Lieutenant Rank 24 | 5,000 XP | 115,000 XP |
|
Captain Rank 25 | 5,000 XP | 120,000 XP |
|
Captain Rank 26 | 5,000 XP | 125,000 XP |
|
Captain Rank 27 | 5,000 XP | 130,000 XP |
|
Captain Rank 28 | 5,000 XP | 135,000 XP |
|
Major Rank 29 | 5,000 XP | 140,000 XP |
|
Major Rank 30 | 5,000 XP | 145,000 XP |
|
Major Rank 31 | 5,000 XP | 150,000 XP |
|
Major Rank 32 | 5,000 XP | 155,000 XP |
|
Colonel Rank 33 | 5,000 XP | 160,000 XP |
|
Colonel Rank 34 | 5,000 XP | 165,000 XP |
|
Colonel Rank 35 | 5,000 XP | 170,000 XP |
|
Brigadier General Rank 36 | 5,000 XP | 175,000 XP |
|
Major General Rank 37 | 5,000 XP | 180,000 XP |
|
Lieutenant General Rank 38 | 5,000 XP | 185,000 XP |
|
General Rank 39 | 5,000 XP | 190,000 XP |
|
Global General Rank 40 | N/A | 195,000 XP |
Playing Ranked in CS:GO
If you’re new to playing ranked, it’s important to understand that it can be both exhilarating and extremely frustrating at times. There are highly skilled players that you will face and sometimes things that are out of your control will have an impact on your rating. For example, when you play with randoms and your team loses.
Because of this, it’s important not to get discouraged and stay positive, even after a bad team performance.
So go out there and enjoy the competition, but don’t let the normal ups and downs of ranked play discourage you or interfere with your love for the game.
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