CS2 – Premier Season One Begins: A New Era of Competitive CS

Valve has officially launched Premier Season One in Counter-Strike 2, marking the first formal seasonal cycle for the game’s revamped competitive experience. This season not only sets the foundation for CS2's matchmaking going forward, but also reflects Valve’s commitment to building a sustainable ranked system within the game itself — no third-party platforms required.

Premier now serves as the default competitive mode, fully replacing the classic matchmaking system. It’s built around a mix of familiar elements from FACEIT and pro play, with a few twists unique to CS2.

What’s Included in Premier Season One?

• Map Pick/Ban System: Before each match, players engage in a full map veto process, giving everyone more control over the playing field and encouraging map pool versatility.

• MR12 Format: Matches follow the pro-standard 12-round halves format. This leads to quicker games, tighter economy management, and more emphasis on early-round performance.

• Premier Rating System: Each player earns a numerical rating (similar to Elo), which determines their placement on regional and global leaderboards. The leaderboard resets at the end of each season.

• Seasonal Format: Seasons are time-limited, with Valve expected to introduce updates, rewards, and potential map pool changes between each cycle. Season One runs from August through November 2024.

Why It Matters

This marks the first time Valve has treated matchmaking as a live, evolving competitive framework. With more transparency, data tracking, and public rankings, players of all levels now have an opportunity to climb, compare, and compete with a more structured system.

While still early in its lifecycle, Premier Season One has already drawn attention from streamers, pro players, and casuals alike. It bridges the gap between ranked and professional Counter-Strike, and lays the groundwork for future integrations with Valve-sponsored events or qualifiers.

What’s Next?

Valve is expected to monitor performance, gather feedback, and potentially introduce cosmetic rewards or ranking badges in future seasons. With Season One serving as a trial run for the format, the coming months will be crucial in determining how well Premier scales with the game’s competitive community.