Prime Status In CS2 And It’s Advantages For Players

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Almost any free-to-play online game these days has some sort of premium paid tier attached to it. This can be something like a battle pass or seasonal pass that gives the player certain perks or cosmetic items.

CS2 as well as CS:GO has a similar tier known as Prime Status. Prime Status players have access to various matchmaking benefits as well as extra rewards that can drop after games. Below, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Prime Status in Counter-Strike so you can decide if it’s worth your hard-earned money.

What Is Prime Status In CS2?

Prime Status is essentially a premium tier that players in CS:GO and CS2 can purchase outside of the normal free-to-play version of the game.

The current free version still includes almost all elements of the full game, so Prime Status doesn’t impact the main features. Instead, it adds bonus rewards and access to extended features with arguably the most important among them being access to Competitive Matchmaking.

How Much is CS2 Prime?

Currently, Prime Status costs $14.99 and is a one-time purchase. However, those who bought the game before it went fully free already have Prime Status if they are using the same account.

So if you are considering Prime Status, start by checking if you already have it.

How to Check If I Have Prime Status

To verify if you have Prime Status, navigate to the Play menu and look at the top-left corner of the matchmaking screen. The green icon indicates that Prime Status is active on your account.

Once purchased, it’s instantly activated and you can start enjoying all the benefits immediately after purchase.

How To Get Prime Status in CS2

Prime Status is only available for purchase in-game or in the Steam Marketplace. It can’t be purchased via other vendors or on other sites.

Go to the CS2 game page in the Store
Select the “Buy Prime Status Upgrade” option
Proceed to your cart and complete the purchase using your preferred payment method
Launch CS2 to activate Prime Status.

You pay a one-time fee of $14.99 and your account will automatically be updated to Prime Status. You will then start receiving weekly rewards, XP, service medals, and access to ranked play.

Your competitive skill group may take a few games after buying Prime Status as the system calculates your score and decides your placement based on your gameplay.

Is Prime Status Worth It?

The big question with Prime Status is whether or not it’s worth it. For many players, it 100% is and we’ll discuss why below.

Matchmaking

This is likely the biggest reason to have Prime Status: it gives you access to Premier mode and the opportunity to gain your Counter-Strike Rating.

Premier mode is new to CS2. Not only is it available exclusively to Prime Status players, it also re-creates the competitive environment of CS2 esports—in terms of choosing maps to play on. Banning locations before matches gives team-synergy vibes from the very beginning and makes Premier mode quite special.

CS Rating is a new, Elo-based ranking system, a great addition to classic CS2 Ranks from Competitive mode. It gives a clear understanding of how many points you need to reach a new rating and how many points you get or lose in specific matches. Non-Prime accounts cannot play this type of ranked game. So if you’re serious about climbing up the rating ladder and testing your skills, you’ll need a Prime account. We have a dedicated article about the CS2 ranks and rating system, so check it out for more details.

Being matched with other Prime accounts also drastically reduces the number of cheaters you encounter.

Finally, if you want to play with friends who prefer Premier mode, you have to have Prime Status as well. If you don’t have it and party up with accounts that do, everyone will be seen by the matchmaking system as non-Prime, and you will not be able to compete for CS Rating.

Better Rewards

The second main reason, and possibly the most important for some players, is that Prime Status gives you access to a better pool of rewards as well as rewards that aren’t even available to non-Prime accounts.

For example, Prime accounts get weekly weapon cases and graffiti drops. These drops come from a special pool of items and some can be valuable enough to sell and pay for the cost of the Prime Status itself.

Outside of Prime drops, there are other ways to get free items. You can learn how to get free skins in CS2 in our tutorial. There are free skins available both with Prime Status and without. So it’s perfect for all players looking to grab as many skins as they can.

Competitive Skill Groups

Another benefit of Prime accounts is that they can earn XP and service medals, while non-Prime accounts can’t. Prime accounts also get access to competitive skill groups.

Competitive skill groups are like a ranking system that goes from Silver 1 all the way up to The Global Elite. Your skill group is determined via an Elo-type system and is displayed in-game. Your skill group is different from your profile rank and is only available to Prime Status accounts.

Even if you aren’t that serious about climbing the skill groups, it still helps to match you with similar players and can result in more fun and competitive matches.

Is CS2 Prime Permanent?

Yes. Prime Status is permanent in CS2 and once purchased or if you had bought the game before it went fully free to play. There is currently no way to remove Prime status from your account.

However, cheating or other in-game infractions can cause your account to be banned, and you will lose access to Prime benefits. This doesn’t include cheat codes used in private matches or against bots. Players are still free to use those in custom games.

Prime Status is not a monthly or seasonal pass like many other games. Instead, you buy it once and can enjoy the benefits from that point on without having to re-purchase it at any time.

More Information About Prime Status

Overall, Prime Status is a very good value if you play regularly. For a small one-time fee, you get many benefits that far exceed the original price.

Also, compared to other games that generally force you to pay every season or several times a year for similar features, Prime Status is a very consumer-friendly option when most games are doing the opposite.

Even if you don’t play Premier mode for CS Rating, the extra case drops will usually pay for the price of Prime over time with the items you receive. Some players even sell these drops or use them for trading up. Whether you keep these drops or sell them, it generally is worth it.

If you want to show better results in the game take a look at our guide on how to play CS2. It will help you to focus on the main things.

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