CS2 hype has broken CS:GO ranked games—and players are actually loving it

An influx of out-of-practice CS:GO players have stirred quite the commotion as matchmaking games have become inundated with old gamers returning to the fold.

CS:GO players were left questioning if “rank lost all meaning” in a Reddit thread on April 16 as gamers continue to return to their once prestigious competitive tiers to prepare for Counter-Strike 2. The influx has filled higher-tiered matches with teammates who once earned those ranks but are now a little rusty and struggling to keep up.

While many in the community feared it may negatively affect the waning days of Global Offensive, the overall response was actually quite positive—a large portion of fans are welcoming the old veterans back with open arms, despite all the high-ranked losses.

The unexpected consensus was simple: players believe CS:GO gamers should embrace this “old school” matchmaking feeling. In particular, fans rallied behind the suggestion that gamers should play “CS ’cause you want to, and you enjoy playing,” rather than be too worried about what ranks you grinding at in these last days.

While earning that rating might provide a brief feeling of satisfaction, players still found the opportunity to have “so much fun” in CS:GO, despite older players making their returns.

There were some too that said the LEM-to-Global experience has actually been like this for some time and that nothing has really changed.

Either way, players agreed that the resurgence of more variance in lobbies has created exciting and challenging matches that keep players on their toes—a mix-up the community seems to be very much on board for.

It’s certainly no surprise that veteran gamers from the days of old would surface across CS lobbies again as CS2 creeps closer. The hype has actually pumped CS:GO’s numbers quite a bit, with the player base climbing almost every month. That has been helped, of course, with players logging in to try and get beta access.

Overall, this resurgence seems like a good thing too—by the time CS2 rolls around these players will have polished their skillset and be a fighting force once again.