Valve has adjusted the Premier Matchmaking Rating system with the latest update. Here’s what we know.
With Counter-Strike 2, Valve has stepped up their game and introduced a new way to grind. Alongside the regular competitive mode, there is now a Premier Queue, which uses a completely different rating system. Valve has been constantly adjusting the system since its launch, and players are curious as to how it actually works.
With the October 10, 2023 update, Valve has changed some of the fundamentals of the Rating System. The patch addresses some of the complaints and criticisms from the pro players as well as the casual player base.
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Premier Mode Rating Changes
The Mid-October Patch adjusts the rules for both Matchmaking and Premier. The primary change is that promotion or demotion games will now happen at every color boundary, i.e., every 5,000 rating. Moreover, games will now feature players with more minor rating differences but with longer queue times.
This came after lots of criticism, as players had to play promotion and demotion games every 1,000 points. This caused situations where you might reach 7,950 points but have to win 2 in a row to cross the 8,000 rating border. Now, the promotion and demotion games are capped at every color group (every 5,000 points)
The Hidden Change
*As of October 12th, Valve has acknowledged this as a bug and restored the lost ratings & removed the cap entirely.
Another change that was not mentioned in the patch notes is the rating hard cap. Current leaderboard topper chayziK did not gain any points after reaching 34,999 points after winning on stream. He also lost 3,000 rating points after winning a game after the patch dropped, bringing him down from 37,000 to 34,999.
Valve has yet to mention this change in any form. It may be a temporary solution to reduce queue times for high-rating players. It might also be Valve hard-capping the rating limit in Premier.
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