Counter-Strike 2 players have once again raised concerns about the state of Premier matchmaking at higher ratings. Content creator Ozny sparked a large discussion after arguing that the best way to enjoy CS2 is to stop playing Premier once reaching roughly 22,000–25,000 rating and switch to FACEIT instead. Many players supported his view, pointing primarily to cheating and inconsistent matchmaking at the top of the ladder.
Ozny recommends leaving Premier after reaching 22–25k
Ozny said he has followed essentially the same approach since CS2 was released. According to him, players should reach around 22,000–25,000 rating and then move to FACEIT rather than continue grinding Valve’s matchmaking system.
The ONLY way to enjoy Counter Strike is to have the mentality that once you reach a certain rating, you just can’t play Premier.
He added that he enjoys Counter-Strike as much as he did several years ago because he avoids grinding Premier at those ratings.
In a follow-up, Ozny said the situation has become even worse this season. He claimed that last season he stopped playing Premier at around 26,000–27,000 rating, while this time he quit at approximately 23,000 before returning to FACEIT.
Players complain about cheaters at high Premier ratings
The post quickly triggered responses from players describing similar experiences. Several said that 22,000–25,000 rating effectively feels like an unofficial ceiling for legitimate Premier play because matches become increasingly affected by suspected cheaters.
Titan Holo summarized the frustration particularly bluntly:
anything above 25k is cheater heaven
Others shared similar stories. Hartshock said he was sitting at 21,800 rating and planned to reach 22,000 before immediately returning to FACEIT, while D3Wi said his goal was to reach 25,000 and 25 wins before abandoning Premier for the rest of the season.
Some players claimed they had already followed exactly that strategy. Thomas said he reached 25,000 to obtain the red medal and then moved to FACEIT, while another user said he only occasionally plays Premier now to avoid losing his rank.
Premier rewards keep some players grinding
Not everyone can simply abandon the mode after reaching a high rating. One player pointed out that those trying to maximize their seasonal badge need 125 wins, making leaving Premier early much less appealing.
Ozny responded that the additional badge progress was not worth the frustration for him.
25 wins is enough just to have it.
Other players also highlighted additional issues beyond cheating. Some complained about the large skill differences between players around 25,000 rating, while others mentioned server quality, ping and the difficulty of playing Premier solo.
FACEIT remains the preferred alternative for many players
The discussion showed that FACEIT continues to be viewed by many high-rated players as the more competitive alternative to Premier. Several commenters said they enjoy their FACEIT matches significantly more, while others argued that Premier is mainly useful for reaching a desired seasonal rating or medal before moving elsewhere.
At the same time, players acknowledged that FACEIT has its own problems, including toxicity and occasional cheating. Still, the recurring complaints around Premier suggest that confidence in Valve’s matchmaking remains low among part of the high-rating CS2 community.
For many of the players responding to Ozny, the current routine is simple: reach the desired Premier rating, secure the seasonal reward and switch back to FACEIT rather than continue climbing Valve’s ladder.
