All ranks in CS2, explained: Premier, Competitive, Wingman, and more

Counter-Strike's rank system has evolved over the years. No longer are you defined by that Silver 4 comp. rank from back in CS:GO; from Profile Ranks to Premier and Wingman, there's a rank for everything these days in CS2!

We're breaking down each of the rank systems in CS2, how to earn ranks and what each one means. We'll also touch on third-party services and how their systems differ from those used in CS2.

Table of contents

Premier is CS2's main competitive matchmaking mode. In big regions like Europe and North America you'll find games very quickly with the skill level at its highest in the main game (without touching third-party clients like FACEIT).

You earn a Premier rating by winning 10 games during an active season. Once you register your 10th win, you'll get a rating somewhere between 1,000 and 20,000; the higher the rating, the better you are. From there, you'll earn rating for wins and lose rating for losses.

The amount of rating you win or lose depends on the skill level of your opponents. Is the average of the opponent's ratings higher or lower? Are you on a win or loss streak? Do you play with higher-skilled party members? All are factors that affect your plus/minus in Premier.

Here's a breakdown of the major rating blocks in CS2:

Every 5,000 rating (at 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, etc.) you'll reach a "Promotion Match." This marks the major rank jump and is earned if you win the Promotion Match.

Your rating will reset each season, meaning you'll need 10 wins in the new season to earn your rating back.

"Competitive" was the old main ranked mode back in CS:GO, and is still played casually today in CS2. Competitive uses the classic ranked system with each rank represented by a different symbol: from Silver 1 to Global Elite.

Players have Competitive ranks for each map in Competitive mode. Win two games on a map to earn a rank, with continued wins or losses adjusting that rank.

Here's a breakdown of each rank in the Competitive CS2 mode:

Wingman is CS2's two-versus-two mode. A shorter, faster paced match, pairs of two will battle to plant or defuse the bomb in smaller versions of Counter-Strike maps.

The Wingman mode has its own rank system matching the classic Competitive system but with a cooler symbol! Once you've won 10 Wingman games, you'll receive a rank. Further wins or losses will see that rank adjusted.

Alongside your Premier, Competitive, and Wingman ranks is your Account Rank. This simply tracks the level of your account. XP is earned by playing any official Valve game mode with bonus XP available at the beginning of a week for the first few games.

If you reach level 40, you'll be able to reset your rank back to level one. In the process, you'll earn that year's Service Medal, which can be upgraded based on how many times you reset your Profile Rank in that calendar year.

You need to be Rank 2 to enter competitive matchmaking modes. Once you earn your first Service Medal, you won't need to level up to Rank 2 to play Competitive again; it'll be open for you from then on.

FACEIT is a third-party service that utilizes its own servers and offers a more "premium" CS2 matchmaking experience. FACEIT matches work similar to CS2 Premier; you'll be able to veto maps during the pick and ban phase and will play the standard MR12 format.

There are some differences in FACEIT, however. A knife round decides which side each team starts on, and a more intrusive anti-cheat means you'll run into fewer hackers. It's expected that Counter-Strike players who take ranked play seriously also have a FACEIT account as most players move on from CS2 Premier.

Here's a breakdown of how FACEIT ranks work:

FACEIT Elo is earned like Premier rating. Once you reach 2,000 Elo (level 10), you'll earn Elo indefinitely for each win. Losses see you lose Elo, meaning you can drop down levels in FACEIT.

You'll need a FACEIT account to play with a premium service available at a monthly cost.

That's all for now! Stay tuned to esports.gg for more CS2 news and guides.