This may be why low-ranked players queue with Global Elites

Fariha Bhatti Published 30/12/2021

Have you ever matched up with players way outside of your league? There might be an explanation for why low-ranked players queue with Global Elites and other more highly-ranked players.

Nine years after CSGO’s release, players are still not satisfied with the game’s matchmaking. The system often matches lower ranks with players way out of their skills range, leading to an unfair game. Many have made their peace by blaming CSGO’s broken matchmaking, but some players still complain about this recurring issue.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ranked games might be a bit unbalanced, but they’re not entirely broken.

Why do high ELO players match with low-ranked players?

CSGO’s “broken” system may occasionally contribute to imbalanced matchmaking, but it’s not entirely to blame. You might be queuing up with Global Elites due to unorthodox playtime.

There are not many explanations about CSGO’s imbalanced MM, but playtime makes the most sense. If you’re queuing in the middle of the night within your own region servers, you might end up with players who are way outside of your ELO. For example, there’d be few online players if you’re playing at 3 AM. Valve will queue you with whoever is available to find you a game at unusual hours, regardless of ranks. It ultimately depends on your luck if players within your ELO are also online and looking for games to play.

This disparity increases based on region. European players rarely encounter cases of imbalanced queue due to an extensive player base. European players don’t have many servers, so they’re all squeezed into Vienna, Luxembourg, and Stockholm. This allows them to find similar ranks within the smooth ping range. If you’re playing from Russia, the United States, or Brazil, you should rarely find yourself up against insanely high or low-ranked players. These three regions are among the highest player bases in CSGO, which allows for balanced ranked play even at late hours.

Conversely, the Dubai and Mumbai servers are the worst to play past midnight. India and the Middle East have a small player base that might not be as active once the clock strikes 12 or later. If you’re queuing within 150 ping, you might find yourself struggling against LEM or SMFCs even while playing as a Silver or Gold Nova player.

So next time you want to queue past midnight, consider the ping and server issues. If you desperately want to play a game of CSGO, try queuing in other servers instead. You’ll experience a higher ping, but at least you won’t be up against Global Elites ready to pop your head off every time you peek.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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