A major part of the online experience in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is progressing through the game’s ranking system. This high-stakes, competitive environment gives players the chance to hone their skills, show off their improvements and find matches with players of a similar skill level within the CS:GO rank distribution.
Since the release date of Counter-Strike 2 is on the horizon, current CS:GO players may be wondering where they stand relative to the field as they prepare to jump into the next iteration of the Counter-Strike franchise. If you’re wondering what your rank means, keep reading for our overview of the CS:GO rank distribution in 2023, including a list of all ranks and the percentage of players that fall into each rank.
How the ranking system works
Before any player can find their place in the CS:GO rank distribution, they must first reach level 2 and win 10 competitive matches with a limit of two wins per day. After this five-day introductory period, the player’s results will be assessed and they will be assigned their first rank.
From there, each player’s in-game rating will constantly adjust. It primarily considers wins and losses but also accounts for performance metrics like kills, assists and deaths. If your rating improves enough, you will rank up. Naturally, you can also rank down if your rating gets worse.
The main purpose of the ranking system in competitive matchmaking is to gauge player’s relative skill and match them up against similarly-skilled players. As a result, players who solo queue will always join matches with opponents and teammates who are within five ranks of their current rank.
CS:GO rank distribution
There are 18 individual ranks in CS:GO split up among four broader tiers: Silver, Gold Nova, Master Guardian and Legendary. The average player falls around the middle of the Gold Nova tier, while the smallest portion of players occupies the top-rated Legendary tier. This tier accounts for less than 10% of all ranked CS:GO players.
Here’s an overview of the CS:GO rank distribution, including the approximate percentage of players that typically fall within each rank:
- Silver (32.5%)
- Silver 1 – 4.2%
- Silver 2 – 4.3%
- Silver 3 – 4.4%
- Silver 4 – 5.3%
- Silver Elite – 6.6%
- Silver Elite Master – 7.7%
- Gold Nova (34.4%)
- Gold Nova 1 – 8.6%
- Gold Nova 2 – 8.8%
- Gold Nova 3 – 8.9%
- Gold Nova Master – 8.1%
- Master Guardian (23.3%)
- Master Guardian 1 – 7.5%
- Master Guardian 2 – 6.5%
- Master Guardian Elite – 5.2%
- Distinguished Master Guardian – 4.1%
- Legendary (9.8%)
- Legendary Eagle – 3.2%
- Legendary Eagle Master – 3.2%
- Supreme Master First Class – 2.6%
- Global Elite – 0.8%
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