If you have a taste of the competitive scene of CS:GO, you know how the games would drag on forever with little rewards in the end. On top of that, the matches and the competitive style of play never match the level of skill or difficulty. In CS2, Valve has tried to solve a lot of these issues with the Premier rank mode. The Premier rank mode can be compared to the Counter-Strike FACEIT servers and matches. So, what exactly is the new Premier mode in Counter-Strike 2?
CS2 is trying to increase retention on in-game servers and give players ground on the competitive scene through this new smooth and hard tactics-based game mode. So without wasting any more time, adjust your CS2 performance settings and find out all about Counter-Strike 2 Premier mode in this article.
Unlock Premier Mode: How to Get a Placement Rating in CS2?
Before we explain what is premier rank mode, we have to understand how to unlock this mode in Counter-Strike 2. Unlike competitive skill groups, the premier can be unlocked in a different way. To unlock Premier in CS2, there are a few rules you have to follow.
- Getting Prime Status: Counter-Strike 2 is a free-to-play game. However, you can buy a $14.99 subscription called Prime Status. If you want to play in the Premier mode, you must get the prime status. You get a lot of additional weekly rewards in prime status along with the Premier mode.
- Reach Level 10: You are eligible for Premier once you purchase the Prime Status upgrade. Now, play any game modes in the game to gain experience points. You need to reach level 10 to unlock Premier mode in Counter-Strike 2. When you hover your mouse over the Premier mode, it will show you the progress.
What is the Premier Rank Mode in Counter-Strike 2?
Premier mode (active duty pick-ban) is the core competitive mode in CS2. It is designed to be the solidified version of the ranked mode in Counter-Strike 2. The Premier mode features a map pick-ban similar to a draft mode or captains mode in Dota 2 along with an MR12 mode.
Along with it, the forfeit ground is fair and there is a Premier CS2 leaderboard. The Premier rank system will also not be map-specific, and that’s a boon. You will receive a rank after 10 matches played. If you do good you can end up in the leaderboards. This special ranked mode will shape how CS2 approaches the esports in future.
CS2 Premier Mode Game Length (MR12)
Not copying any other FPS game round style, MR12 means max rounds 12. This has finally arrived as the core style of CS2 after almost decades of longer format of rank or competitive matches. In this system, you will no longer play more than 12 rounds in the first half.
As a brief example, the score can be 6-6,9-3, or 12-0 in the first half but never more than 12. A standard CS2 Premier game will end when one team reaches 13 round wins.
CS2 Premier Round Length and Overtime
CS2 Premier round length is the same as the previous competitive round length, which is 1 minute 55 seconds per round. However, there are some changes to the buy phase where you cannot move. Now, you get an additional 5 seconds, which totals the buy time of 20 seconds combined.
There are two types of timeouts in Counter-Strike 2 Premier rank mode — tech timeout and tactical timeout. If a player disconnects, the game will automatically be paused for 2 minutes. However, this technical timeout will not trigger more than once for each team. Each team can use 4 timeouts that are 30 seconds each in duration during Premier games in Counter-Strike 2.
If there is a situation where both teams end up with 12 rounds each, the overtime will trigger. The overtime in CS2 Premier mode is quite interesting. You get 3 rounds on each side of the map with a starting cash of 10,000 for equipment. Whoever wins the first 4 rounds in the game during overtime wins the game overall. If both teams end up winning 3 rounds each, the game will result in a draw.
CS2 Premier Maps: Explained
The key element of the Premier mode is the active duty map ban-pick phase in Counter-Strike 2. Yes, you heard us right. You will no longer be able to queue Mirage and Inferno all day. The available maps for the drafting in the Premier mode in Counter-Strike 2 are:
- Ancient
- Anubis
- Inferno
- Mirage
- Nuke
- Overpass
- Vertigo
The maps will be queued at the same time in Premier mode. Once you get a game, the ban-pick phase will start. The first team starts with two map bans. Then, the second team will ban three maps. The first team gets the chance to pick the map to play from the remaining two maps. This pattern will be followed in every game in the Premier mode in CS2.
You will still be able to queue your favorite map in the normal competitive mode. In the normal competitive mode, you will get map-based skill ranks. So, make sure you master the maps you like before getting into the Premier section to advance your gameplay.
Counter-Strike 2 Premier Ranks and Ratings
In CS2 Premier mode, you first need to play 10 matches to receive a Premier mode rank. With every win or loss, you update your Premier mode rank rating in Counter-Strike 2. These ratings are not your competitive skill group and will be called the CS rating in Counter-Strike 2. Each rating group is defined by different colors. The rating starts from 0 elo and can go beyond 35000 elo. That said, let’s have a look at the color groups of CS ratings:
- Grey: 0-4999
- Light Blue: 5000-9999
- Blue: 10,000-14,999
- Purple: 15,000-19,999
- Pink: 20,000-24,999
- Red: 25,000-29,999
- Gold: 30,000-35,000+
These color groups will help you identify your rank-up or down games easily. Make sure you keep an eye on the max rank threshold. Keep in mind you get a higher rating if you win against a higher total rating opponent. Keep an eye on top of your HUD when a match is starting to understand how many points you will win or lose from the particular game in CS2 Premier mode.
Counter-Strike 2 Leaderboards
Counter-Strike 2 comes with the leaderboard with the Premier mode. To get on the leaderboard, you must have a Prime status and have the highest rating among the top 1,000 players. The leaderboards are regional and global. You can check both from the leaderboards in-game. You can also compare your CS ratings to your friends in the friend’s leaderboards in CS2.
The Premier mode will unlock the possibility for the new esports ecosystem for Counter-Strike 2 going forward. As many players used to play on third-party servers for tournament-level experience in CS:GO, they now have a new home in-game to advance their rank, skill, and competitive prowess.
If you have any questions regarding the CS2 premier mode, rank, ratings, or other Counter-Strike-related topics, make sure you comment those down below. Before you go, make sure to check out the best CS2 console commands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CS2 ranked free?
Yes, the Counter-Strike 2 competitive rank mode is free. You can queue up competitive mode any time you want. If you want to advance your gameplay and compete with the toughest opponents, then you will need to get the Prime status to play the CS2 Premier mode.
What are CS2 premier ranks to CS: GO ranks?
Unfortunately the CS: GO rank or skill groups are available for competitive rank only. These skills are map-specific. However, if we compare the skill group with the new Premier color groups then we can identify the equivalent ranks.
- Grey (Silver – Gold Nova)
- Light Blue (Gold Nova – MG)
- Blue (MG – LE)
- Purple (LEM – Supreme)
- Pink (Supreme – Global)
- Red (Global)
- Gold (Global)
