The fastest way to unlock Premier in CS2

Ivan Frigato Published October 28, 2024

Any player who wants to get serious in CS2 should look into how to unlock Premier mode and get on the leaderboard.

CS2 is one of the most popular multiplayer first-person shooter games currently available. While it’s free-to-play, there’s another mode that lets serious players avoid some of the issues with bots, cheating, and more. Valve introduced Premier to CS2 back in August 2023 and took the game to the next level.

Here’s what Premier is in CS2 and how to unlock it.

How to unlock Premier in CS2

To unlock Premier, CS2 players have to buy Prime and play ten unranked games.

Players who want to unlock the Premier mode in CS2 should be prepared to drop a little cash and spend some time grinding. First, players have to pay for Prime status on Steam, an add-on that costs $14.99. Also with Prime comes access to ranked matches, weekly care packages with Prime-exclusive items, and Counter-Strike ratings.

Those looking to go all the way up to Premier then need to win ten games in regular CS2 or play enough matches to hit level ten. After that, they can access the special ranking and rating systems which help make Premier so popular.

Is unlocking Premier in CS2 worth it? For players who want access to exclusive items and matches against and with more serious competition, the answer is likely to be yes. Those who want to continue improving their skills should check out bot training or the settings of pro CS2 players.

What is Premier mode?

In CS2, Premier mode is a more competitive matchmaking system for ranked play.

Premier mode boasts a number of features over the free-to-play version of CS2. For starters, players can only match with others who have access to Premier, reducing the possibility of cheaters. Other major elements of the mode include the following.

• Players can pick-ban maps and strategically choose which maps to veto
• Shorter games with a maximum of 12 rounds for each side
• Access to exclusive weapons cases and contents

Alongside the initial patch, Valve also added in a dynamic matchmaking system that changes in real time with wins and losses. Ratings run from zero to 30,000 and up, or from gray newer players to yellow global elites.