Premier vs Competitive CS2

Long gone the days of finding a playable server in your location to have some highly questionable CS experience. Fortunately for the younger playerbase, it is extremely easy to find the game, everything is right at their fingertips. With the introduction of Premier mode in CS2, players now have two main competitive options. Let's explore the key differences between Premier and Competitive modes.

What is Premier in CS2?

While both Premier and Competitive game modes employ the rank system with pretty much the same map pool, the key difference between the two is that Premier is closer to what you may have seen at professional tournaments with the pick/ban system. In Premier mode, players take turns banning maps from the map pool, with the remaining map ending up the one they play on. Compared to Competitive mode, in Premier mode you earn ELO points, either moving you up or down on the rank leaderboard. 

What is Competitive in CS2?

Competitive mode is the traditional classic CS:GO system that allows players to choose whichever maps from the active map pool. Also, the ranking system is entirely different from Premier, whereas players end up in 18 ranks split into 6 tiers: silver, gold nova, guardian, eagle, supreme and global elite.  

CS2 Premier vs Competitive - What’s the Difference 

As we mentioned before, the difference between the two is the pick/ban system in Premier, similar to what you might see at the pro scene events. Also, the ranking system is completely different, where Premier employs an ELO ladder, making the ranking race more competitive (no pun intended). If you’re a fan of the old school ranking system with a more chill map selection, then the Competitive mode might be a better choice.

How to Unlock and Play Premier CS2?

In order to unlock Premier, you have to acquire the Prime status. If you have it already, then just head to the main menu screen, press play then go to Premier, and you’re good to go. You can read more about Prime status on our website. Essentially, by acquiring the Prime status for CS2, you unlock Premier and weekly rewards, including skins, cases and graffiti. The Prime status used to be achievable for free by leveling up your account In the days of CS:GO, but now it is only available via purchase from Steam.

How to Play Competitive CS2?

The Competitive mode is less restrictive compared to Premier, as you can enjoy it without having to spend $15 for Prime. In order to access Competitive in CS2, just launch the game, press Play and Competitive, select the maps you would like to play and that’s it. However, you should probably know that there’s a rampant cheater problem within the CS2 community right now, so be prepared to face a couple of spinbotting a-holes if your account is Non-Prime.