Counter-Strike 2 News
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive update for 8 June 2021
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive update for 8 June 2021
CS:GO update means new players will now need to pay for ranked
An important change has come to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that affects what kind of content new players who dip into it for free can access. As of some new adjustments to the FPS game's free version - as opposed to CS:GO played with its purchasable Prime Status - new players will now have to fork out for a bunch of features they previously had access to, including ranked play.
While noting "it's as important as ever that anyone in the world can pick up and play the game for free", in a dev post announcing the changes, Valve says that, unfortunately over time access to features like drops, ranks, skill groups, and a free path to Prime matchmaking have "become an incentive for bad actors to hurt the experience of both new and existing players". So, the studio's made some changes to the goods on offer for those newbies not signed up to Prime.
Going forward, new players who haven't bought the status upgrade won't get XP, ranks, drops, or skill groups, as these will be reserved specifically for Prime players. The good news, though, is that newcomers can still hop into all of the game's modes, community servers, and community maps.
RELATED LINKS:
This CS:GO map takes the fight to GTA's Grove Street
Chunky CS:GO patch brings Ancient, Grind, Mocha, Cache map changes
A CS:GO modder has taken Cobblestone back to its roots
New players have to pay to play ranked CS:GO now
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has introduced a paywall for its Prime upgrade, in an attempt to cut the number of cheaters players encounter, especially in ranked mode. CS:GO has been free-to-play for over three years, and while this has helped maintain a healthy playerbase, it also allowed cheaters and hackers to freely access every portion of the game.
However, Valve has reversed this decision and removed a free path to Prime status from the game. The developer explains its decision in a blog post, citing that "[Prime] benefits have become an incentive for bad actors to hurt the experience of both new and existing players."
This means that free-to-play Counter-Strike players can no longer receive XP, ranks, drops, or Skill Groups. However, every game mode is still available, as are community servers and workshop maps. Valve has simply put ranked mode behind a paywall in order to discourage cheaters. As it stood, players who were banned for cheating could simply make a new account and progress enough to achieve Prime status, before cheating in high-level CS:GO ranked lobbies and ruining everyone's experience again.
RELATED LINKS:
The best CS:GO skins
CS:GO patch notes: what's new in the latest update?
Kasper Hvidt on dev1ce's Astralis departure: "No team depends on just one person"