How to reach Global Elite in CS:GO: Tips for climbing ranked

Climb the ladder.
Image via Valve

The Global Elite rank in competitive CS:GO is the light at the end of the ranked tunnel. Global Elite players epitomize the top one percent of CS:GO players in their respective regions and represent the best of the best.

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It’s no easy task to go all the way from the lowly Silver ranks up to Global Elite. But for the dedicated CS:GO competitive player, it’s possible. And with the introduction of short match durations in competitive mode, players no longer have to climb ranks solely via matches that could go as long as 30 rounds.

Here are some basics and tips for playing CS:GO’s ranked competitive mode.

How ranked works in CS:GO

If you’re a first-time player, or if you’re playing on a new account, then you have to win 10 competitive matches to get your first skill rating. During this time, you will only be able to play two matches per day, so if you’re trying to rank up quickly, this early part will be the slowest part of the process.

If you have a skill group already and you take an extensive break, you’ll need to win a match when you come back to have your rank redisplayed. The same goes for when Valve recalibrates its ranking system.

For players looking to queue for competitive with friends, keep in mind that you can only queue with teammates who are within five ranks of you, unless you’re queueing with a full stack of five.

CS:GO also features separate ranked competitive modes and skill groups for its Wingman mode (the two-vs-two mode) and its Danger Zone mode (the battle royale).

How to reach Global Elite

In CS:GO’s competitive mode, players are assigned a skill group based on their skill rating. A player’s skill rating is determined by how well they perform in matches, both as an individual and as part of a team. Overall, players will generally improve their rating with wins and lose rating with losses.

Here are some basic tips for ranking up and playing competitive in CS:GO:

  • Warm up with modes like deathmatch or Arms Race. Arms Race is a useful mode for getting some basic familiarity with all weapons, and deathmatch is perfect for getting warmed up with your primary weapon.
  • Communicate effectively. Use your mic, use pings, and use text chat in a clear, respectful way. To supplement this, learn some of the basic callouts for each of the maps in the active duty pool.
  • Learn the economy. Unlike VALORANT where you can see how much money you’ll have next round, CS:GO’s buy menu doesn’t have that feature. Take the time to learn how loss/win round bonuses work.
  • If you’re really serious about reaching Global Elite, you will definitely have to learn some of the common smoke grenade line-ups.

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Author
Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.