Are Prime CSGO players getting matched with non-Prime cheaters?

Prime Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players are reporting non-Prime cheaters in their matches. How could this happen?

Several posters on CSGO social media have reported playing against cheaters in Prime matchmaking. This is nothing new, but now some are claiming that the opposing team included non-Prime players. Prime is meant to act as a paid safeguard against cheating, but has Valve suddenly changed the rules?

Several social media posters have claimed that Prime accounts are now able to match against non-Prime accounts in Valve matchmaking. Initial theories claimed that Prime matchmaking has been changed to allow Prime teams to match against non-Prime teams. However, this would go against the whole point of the premium matchmaking system. Most players don’t notice or mind when cheaters are on their team. The enemy team is what they’re concerned about. 

Even if an account is Prime, there’s no way to guarantee that there won’t be a cheater on the enemy team. It can only deter cheaters by creating actual consequences for a VAC ban. The Prime status upgrade costs $15 per account. This is on top of whatever the cheater spent on their preferred program and sometimes the account they use it on. 

Can Prime accounts play against non-Prime accounts?

For solo queue, Prime CSGO accounts are automatically matched up against other Prime players. There is no option to queue for non-Prime matchmaking. 

The most likely explanation for this phenomenon is that Prime accounts are partying up with non-Prime accounts and then matchmaking. In such cases, the Prime account will have its premium status dropped in the queue. This can cause Prime accounts to go up against non-Prime players. This seems like a harsh penalty, but it’s probably for the best. Otherwise cheaters would party up with their Prime friends and ruin matches for more premium players.