CS:GO Skill Groups: all 18 names and how the system changed from 2012

Valve introduced Skill Groups to CS:GO on Oct. 25, 2012, as emblems in the game’s competitive mode. The competitive ladder runs through 18 groups, from Silver I to The Global Elite. Wingman received its own Skill Group in 2017, and Danger Zone received Skill Groups in 2019.

Key dates

• Competitive matchmaking overhaul: Oct. 1, 2012
• Skill Groups introduced: Oct. 25, 2012
• Skill Groups FAQ published: Oct. 30, 2012
• Prime beta eligibility changed: June 15, 2016
• Wingman Skill Group announced: Nov. 13, 2017
• Danger Zone launches, CS:GO free to play: Dec. 6, 2018
• Danger Zone Skill Groups added: July 22, 2019

Before Skill Groups: the matchmaking overhaul

On Oct. 1, 2012, Valve released an update that included two maps, de_vertigo and ar_monastery, and an overhaul of matchmaking for the Classic Competitive mode. Valve published a Matchmaking FAQ with the update.

Oct. 25, 2012: Skill Groups arrive

The Oct. 25 update brought Skill Groups and GOTV. Valve wrote that the matchmaking system had been fine-tuned over the previous weeks with data from thousands of Classic Competitive matches, and that Skill Groups were the way to share that data with players.

A player’s Skill Group stayed hidden until they had won at least 10 competitive matches. After that, it appeared as an icon on the main menu. Friends’ Skill Groups were visible when joining a party in the Play With Friends menu, and other players’ Skill Groups showed at the end of a match.

The same update added a Vote to Concede option for a team that loses a player. If the team does not concede by majority vote, the match continues.

How Valve explained Skill Groups

Valve published a Competitive Skill Groups FAQ on Oct. 30, 2012, after players asked how the emblems worked and what they meant. It compared the system to chess:

“Like an Elo rating in Chess, the CS:GO competitive Skill Groups predict how well players will perform when playing against other players.”

The FAQ added a few details:

• Skill Groups are displayed in the main menu, in party lobbies and on the match scoreboard, once the Skill Group has settled.
• Your own Skill Group appears on the main menu after it has settled and you have won 10 competitive matches.
• Any player with a settled Skill Group shows it in party lobbies.
• On the scoreboard, players with settled Skill Groups show their emblem to friends at all times. After the last rematch, they show it to everyone.
• Valve wrote that 10 wins give it enough data to place a player confidently.
• Valve said a loss with a lower-skilled friend in your party is not likely to significantly affect your Skill Group, because the system predicts how well each team member will perform.
• Most matches show a small range of Skill Groups. A larger range likely means some players arrived as a party.

All 18 competitive Skill Groups

Valve’s description of the Competitive mode says the Skill Groups begin with Silver I and progress up to The Global Elite. The English text file of Counter-Strike 2 lists these 18 names:

June 15, 2016: XP ranks and Prime

Valve’s June 15, 2016 update mentioned Recruit, Private and Lieutenant ranks.

The update changed the eligibility rules in the Prime Account Matchmaking beta. To qualify for an upgrade to Prime Status, a player still needed a qualifying phone number but now also had to reach Lieutenant Rank 21. New players got an XP boost through the Recruit and Private ranks. They gained access to competitive matchmaking sooner, at Private Rank 2.

Valve’s Trust Factor page recalls how Prime developed. At first it matched players who linked CS:GO with a unique phone number. Later it also required in-game experience: players needed to reach rank 21. Under Trust Factor, players enter matchmaking by default using that factor rather than Prime status in the short term, and Prime players can still restrict their pool to other Prime players.

In the page’s FAQ, Valve wrote that the range of players on a server varies “like skill groups” with the time of day, region and the maps queued.

Nov. 13, 2017: a Wingman Skill Group

Wingman was the most popular Operation Hydra event, Valve wrote on Nov. 13, 2017, and it stayed available after the operation ended. Players could now pick individual Wingman maps. They also received a Wingman Skill Group, used exclusively when matchmaking in Wingman.

Valve’s description of the mode says players earn a Skill Group exclusive to Wingman and play the Competitive Bomb Defusal ruleset in 2v2 matches.

Dec. 6, 2018 and July 22, 2019: Danger Zone

Danger Zone launched on Dec. 6, 2018, the day CS:GO became free to play. Valve upgraded all existing CS:GO players to Prime Status that day.

Danger Zone got its own Skill Groups on July 22, 2019. Valve wrote that the Skill Group shows in the main menu and, as a spectator, after the match. It added:

“Your skill group is a mark of your recent performance, and players of all skill groups can participate in matches together.”

The English text file of CS2 lists 15 Danger Zone Skill Groups:

What came next

For the rank systems in CS2, see the guides to CS2 ranks and CS2 Premier and CS Rating.