Since we’ve launched the new Skill Group emblems in CS:GO’s competitive mode, we’ve seen lots of questions asked about how they work and what they mean. So we collected those questions and answered them here.

Q. What is a Skill Group?

A. Like an Elo rating in Chess, the CS:GO competitive Skill Groups predict how well players will perform when playing against other players. Two equally skilled teams should, on average, win an equal number of matches when competing against each other.

Q. What are all of the Skill Groups?

A.



Q. I’m not a very good player. Should I still use competitive matchmaking?

A. Absolutely. Competitive matchmaking will match you with other players of similar skill, which is more likely to result in a fun match than jumping into a random game.

Q. Where are Skill Groups displayed?

A. Skill Groups are displayed in the main menu, in party lobbies, and in the match scoreboard. (Once the Skill Group has settled.)

Q. Where can I see my own Skill Group?

A. Once your Skill Group has settled and you have won 10 competitive matches, your Skill Group will be displayed on the main menu.



Q. When are Skill Group emblems shown in the party lobby?

A. Any player with a settled Skill Group will display it in lobbies to other players.

Q. When are Skill Group emblems shown in the scoreboard?

A. Players with settled Skill Groups will display their emblem to their friends at all times. At the end of the match, after the last rematch, any player with a settled Skill Group will display it to everyone else.



Q. Should I avoid partying with lower skilled friends because they will hurt my rating?

A. No. Firstly, the matchmaking system will take your lower-skilled friend into consideration when finding a match. And second, the system makes a prediction about how well each team member will perform in a match. So losing a match with a lower skilled player on your team is not likely to significantly impact your Skill Group. If you always play your best then your Skill Group will provide you with well matched teammates and opponents.

Q. How can you predict my skill in only winning 10 games?

A. When you play your first game, we have no idea what your skill is. As you play more games, we use those wins and losses to make predictions about what Skill Group we think you should be in. The more games you play, the more confident the system is in predicting who the other players are that you should be playing against. Winning 10 games gives us enough data to confidently place you in a Skill Group where we think you’ll be matched up with others matching your skill level.

Q. Why do I see a range of Skill Groups in the end-of-match scoreboard? Shouldn’t everyone in a match have the same Skill Group?

A. Most matches have a small range of Skill Groups represented. If you see a larger range of Skill Groups then it is likely that those players came into the match as a party.