Are you looking to unlock competitive and premier modes in CS2? Here’s everything you need to know about the two main game modes of Counter-Strike 2.
Competitive can be unlocked after playing a few Casual or Deathmatch games, while Premier requires reaching level 10 and having Prime Status.
In this guide, I will explain how to unlock competitive and premier mode in Counter-Strike 2, and showcase how these two modes work and what’s the difference between them.
If you’re having issues accessing the game, check out our guide on how to fix the VAC verification issue in CS2.
How to Unlock Competitive Mode in CS2
To unlock Competitive mode in CS2, you only need to play other game modes (Casual & Deathmatch) until you level up and unlock it. You don’t need Prime Status to play Competitive in Counter-Strike 2.
Once unlocked, you’re free to queue up and after completing 10 placement games, you’ll get your rank.
How Competitive Mode Works
Competitive is fairly straightforward. You get your rank after 10 games and then win/lose MMR (matchmaking rating) whenever you win or lose a game.
Based on that, you will increase or decrease your rank. However, there is no way to clearly tell when you will rank up. On average, you can expect a rank up after 4-5 wins.
The major new addition in CS2 competitive mode is that your rank is exclusive to each map. Thus, you can have a different rank on Dust 2, and a completely different one on Mirage. This makes it easier to try and experiment with new maps.
In terms of ranks, the following are available from lowest to highest rank:
- Silver I
- Silver II
- Silver III
- Silver IV
- Silver Elite
- Silver Elite Master
- Gold Nova I
- Gold Nova II
- Gold Nova III
- Gold Nova Master
- Master Guardian I
- Master Guardian II
- Master Guardian Elite
- Distinguished Master Guardian
- Legendary Eagle
- Legendary Eagle Master
- Supreme Master First Class
- Global Elite
How far have you managed to reach on the ranking leaderboards? On which map?
How to Unlock Premier Mode in Counter Strike 2
To unlock Premier mode in CS2, you must have Prime Status and reach account level 10 or higher in the game.
Keep in mind that Prime Status is available on the Steam Store at the price of $14.99. However, if you had Prime Status on CS:GO, you will automatically have it on CS2 too. Also, this upgrade gives you access to the Weekly Care Package, which is a great way to get cases and random skins.
How Premier Mode Works
In Premier Mode, you will need to play 10 games before the game places you in a certain rating. Then, you will get matched with other players with similar ratings. Winning increases your rating while losing decreases it.
The main difference between Premier and Competitive is that Premier features a pick-and-ban system regarding maps, so you won’t always get the map you want as enemies may ban it.
In terms of ratings, you have the following ‘ranks’ in CS2:
- 0-4,999 – Grey (Silver – Silver Elite Master)
- 5,000-9,999 – Light Blue (Gold Nova I – Gold Nova Master)
- 10,000-14,999 – Blue (Master Guardian – Legendary Eagle)
- 15,000-19,999 – Purple (Legendary Eagle Master – Supreme Master First Class)
- 20,000-24,999 – Pink (Supreme Master First Class)
- 25,000-29,999 – Red (Global Elite)
- 30,000+ – Gold (Global Elite)
What’s the highest rating you’ve managed to achieve so far?
Wrapping up
In conclusion, to unlock competitive mode in CS2, play a few games of Casual or Deathmatch and you’ll get it. Thankfully, you don’t need to have Prime Status unlocked.
Instead, if you want to unlock Premier Mode, you’ll need to reach account level 10 and have player status unlocked.
Which game mode will you be grinding on? What rank or rating are you aiming for? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Before leaving, did you know you can still play CS:GO? Check out our guide on how to play CSGO after CS2.
He has a Master’s Degree in Philosophy, which allows him to always come up with a fresh approach to solving in-game puzzles and challenges, but also to create content that’s to the point, clean and easy to follow.
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