CS:GO Profile Ranks Explained: What Are They, How Do They Work, Benefits, and More
- Profile Ranks were introduced to CS:GO in 2015 along with Operation Bloodhound and is a virtual representation of a player's status in the game.
- There are a total of 40 profile ranks in CS:GO which resets after a player earns all of them, receiving a 'Service Medal' instead.
- Increasing the profile ranks helps CS:GO players unlock both 'Competitive' and 'Prime Account' matchmaking.
The profile ranks were introduced to CS:GO alongside Operation Bloodhound, which was the sixth Counter-Strike operation, on 26 May 2015. Profile Ranks are free in-game cosmetic items that reflect a player’s status and encourages them to play on official Valve servers. The profile ranks upgrade as players invest more time playing CS:GO, earning experience (XP), with a goal of reaching as high a profile rank as possible. Players can earn XP to improve their profile ranks in various ways, and it is important to do so because they have their own significance and importance. In total, 40 profile ranks currently exist in the game which keeps resetting every time the player earns all of them.
For all those players who are either new to CS:GO or never bothered to learn the importance of profile ranks, let’s take a detailed look at what they really are, how exactly do they work, and their significance in Counter-Strike.
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What are Profile Ranks in CS:GO?
Profile Ranks as explained above are nothing but a virtual representation of a player’s status, which can be improved by earning XP. It encourages players to continue playing on the official Valve servers, rewarding them with XP for various things like playing a match, reviewing overwatch cases, and other regular objectives.
There are a total of 40 profile ranks in CS:GO, every time a player manages to achieve all 40 of them a ‘Service Medal’ gets added to their inventory. Every time a player receives a ‘Service Medal’ their profile rank automatically resets.
A player can earn multiple ‘Service Medals’ in a year, but they reset on an annual basis. However, these medals can be displayed on a player’s CS:GO profile as they appear in their inventory after the year ends. These medals are a direct representation of how much time a player has dedicated to CS:GO and to maintain the excitement around them, Valve designs a unique ‘Service Medal’ every year.
Profile Ranks | XP Required | XP Accumulated |
| Recruit Rank 1 | 5,000 XP | 0 XP |
| Private Rank 2 | 5,000 XP | 5,000 XP |
| Private Rank 3 | 5,000 XP | 10,000 XP |
| Private Rank 4 | 5,000 XP | 15,000 XP |
| Corporal Rank 5 | 5,000 XP | 20,000 XP |
| Corporal Rank 6 | 5,000 XP | 25,000 XP |
| Corporal Rank 7 | 5,000 XP | 30,000 XP |
| Corporal Rank 8 | 5,000 XP | 35,000 XP |
| Sergeant Rank 9 | 5,000 XP | 40,000 XP |
| Sergeant Rank 10 | 5,000 XP | 45,000 XP |
| Sergeant Rank 11 | 5,000 XP | 50,000 XP |
| Sergeant Rank 12 | 5,000 XP | 55,000 XP |
| Master Sergeant Rank 13 | 5,000 XP | 60,000 XP |
| Master Sergeant Rank 14 | 5,000 XP | 65,000 XP |
| Master Sergeant Rank 15 | 5,000 XP | 70,000 XP |
| Master Sergeant Rank 16 | 5,000 XP | 75,000 XP |
| Sergeant Major Rank 17 | 5,000 XP | 80,000 XP |
| Sergeant Major Rank 18 | 5,000 XP | 85,000 XP |
| Sergeant Major Rank 19 | 5,000 XP | 90,000 XP |
| Sergeant Major Rank 20 | 5,000 XP | 95,000 XP |
| Lieutenant Rank 21 | 5,000 XP | 100,000 XP |
| Lieutenant Rank 22 | 5,000 XP | 105,000 XP |
| Lieutenant Rank 23 | 5,000 XP | 110,000 XP |
| Lieutenant Rank 24 | 5,000 XP | 115,000 XP |
| Captain Rank 25 | 5,000 XP | 120,000 XP |
| Captain Rank 26 | 5,000 XP | 125,000 XP |
| Captain Rank 27 | 5,000 XP | 130,000 XP |
| Captain Rank 28 | 5,000 XP | 135,000 XP |
| Major Rank 29 | 5,000 XP | 140,000 XP |
| Major Rank 30 | 5,000 XP | 145,000 XP |
| Major Rank 31 | 5,000 XP | 150,000 XP |
| Major Rank 32 | 5,000 XP | 155,000 XP |
| Colonel Rank 33 | 5,000 XP | 160,000 XP |
| Colonel Rank 34 | 5,000 XP | 165,000 XP |
| Colonel Rank 35 | 5,000 XP | 170,000 XP |
| Brigadier General Rank 36 | 5,000 XP | 175,000 XP |
| Major General Rank 37 | 5,000 XP | 180,000 XP |
| Lieutenant General Rank 38 | 5,000 XP | 185,000 XP |
| General Rank 39 | 5,000 XP | 190,000 XP |
| Global General Rank 40 | N/A | 195,000 XP |
How do CS:GO Profile Ranks works?
There is nothing too complicated about how profile ranks in CS:GO work. Players can upgrade their profile ranks by earning XP, which they receive by simply playing Counter-Strike on official Valve servers, reviewing overwatch cases, or completing missions within an operation.
Different ways to earn XP in CS:GO
The act of playing CS:GO awards the players with varying XP, with every game mode having its own set of XP multiplier. The amount of points that a player can earn in a match is directly proportional to their performance in it, with the maximum amount of earnable XP being 1000 for casual game mode. The XP earned from competitive matchmaking is calculated a bit differently, only considering the rounds that a player wins during the match.
Similarly, every time a player correctly confirms a suspected cheater via overwatch, they are rewarded with a set 195 XP. The players can claim this in their next match as it is automatically added to there total XP earned.
Yes, it is a tough and long grind to upgrade your profile rank but then no player actively tries to grind this. It is sort of a like an additional passive income for those who play CS:GO, something that they can flaunt and shows how dedicated they really are to the game. But still, to make things easier and attract players back to the game a weekly XP boost system has been implemented by Valve.
But with great power comes great responsibility, so to prevent players from grinding too hard and wasting all their time to improve the profile ranks, Valve has also put in place a ‘XP Penalty System’, which works as follows:
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Benefits of Profile Ranks in CS:GO
Though Profile Ranks in CS:GO are mostly a virtual representation of a player’s grind, they are quite important as well. Valve has put in place a rule which allows players to participate in competitive matchmaking only after they achieve a profile rank of ‘Private Rank 2’.
This is not a really big task as it only takes 5000 XP to upgrade the profile rank from the starting ‘Recruit Rank 1’ to ‘Private Rank 2’. The rank can be achieved by playing a few casual CS:GO matches and utilizing the weekly bonus properly.
But the most important feature is that a profile rank of ‘Lieutenant Rank 21’ or higher is required to be eligible for ‘Prime Account Matchmaking’. This is certainly no piece of cake and for someone who plays only for around an hour everyday, reaching this feat may take anywhere around 8-10 weeks.
However, achieving ‘Prime Account’ status is quite important in CS:GO as it enables players to partake in better matchmaking, with low amount of cheaters, and better teammates. Improving their overall gameplay experience for free, as the only requirement for the players is to achieve a higher CS:GO profile rank that requires some amount of initial grind.
