CS:GO ranks: How do they work? (2023)

In 2023, CS:GO continues to break new concurrent player records despite being a game that came out more than ten years ago. The game’s simplicity and ease of understanding the basic mechanics make it an easy pick-up for new FPS players. For new players looking to play the game, understanding CS:GO ranks is important to have a seamless experience of Valve’s FPS title.

But one of the biggest concerns for a new player is being matched up against much better opponents or even teammates. Ideally, you want to play with and against teammates of a similar level. CS:GO has ranks that divide its playerbase depending on their skill. The game tries its best to match players based on their skill level. However, if you are teaming up with a friend in a party, it helps to know if their rank is near yours. If their rank is significantly higher or lower than yours, it will skew the average rank higher or lower. 

You need to play ten competitive matches in CS:GO to get your first rank. However, in the very beginning, you can only play two matches a day. 

Sometimes your rank might have expired due to not playing for a long time. In such cases as well, you need to recalibrate your rank by playing ten matches. 

The game determines your rank based on your Win-Loss ratio, your individual performance as well as the opponents’ ranks in your matches. 

Much like any other competitive game, CS:GO also has ranks to distinguish its experienced players from new players. The ranks depend on your individual skill level and that of your opponents. 

There are 18 ranks in CS:GO ranging from Silver 1 to Global Elite. Your CS:GO rank is usually displayed under your name in-game. 

The majority of CS:GO players fall somewhere in the middle with fewer players at Silver 1 and Global Elite. So if you are somewhere in that range, fret not.

Silver 1 is the lowest rank in the game. However, not all new players belong to this rank. Similarly, at the highest levels, there are very few people that actually reach Global Elite. 

The Gold Nova ranks are the most common in the game. The highest number of CS:GO players belong in this rank and their numbers taper off towards the top and to the bottom. The games in the Gold Nova range usually rely heavily on the players' aim and firepower. Players can win based on individual performance as there's little to no trades to their deaths.

Most players aim to get into the MG1 - DMG range. Here's where individual heroics might actually hurt your team more than you getting that one kill. Players move around in packs and the opponent can usually trade his teammates death. The more skilled players are usually above DMG and this is where you get really strategic games.

Here's where players need to have a better understanding of their positioning, their firepower and more. Most pro players are Global Elite, but as players reach the highest in matchmaking they'll shift to third-party services such as FaceIT.

Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest CS:GO news and updates.