What is prime-status?

Simply put, prime status is the purchased, full version of the game, which gives you a special premium status. For example, if you play the competitive mode in the paid version, you will only be matched up with users who have purchased the game for money. Players without premium status will play each other in matchmaking respectively. 

This is primarily to weed out cheaters, smurfs and ruiners from the competitive mode, thereby increasing the quality of prime status matches. Previously, the CS:GO community has repeatedly complained about the quality of play in competitive mode, where there were many rogue players.

Mainly, prime status has been introduced by the developers to improve the quality of the main matchmaking game. And, as can be seen, they have succeeded in doing so. 

Prime-status history

In December 2018, Valve released a major update for KS:GO. The patch added a new game mode, Danger Zone, as well as the ability to play the shooter for free. The main sticking point of that update was that the game was split into two statuses – Non Prime and Prime, i.e. a free version and a paid version.

Players without Prime status retained the ability to get titles, cases and experience, but were forced to play their matchmaking, the quality of which in the early days after the release of the update left much to be desired. 

Changes in 2021

Previously, without prime status, users could obtain ranks, play ranked games, and reach level 21 to earn prime status for free. 

However, on June 4, the KC:GO developers released a patch in which they reworked the system for obtaining prime status. Now, without a prime, players will not be able to earn experience, take part in competitive modes, receive titles and cases for victories. 

In addition, Valve has retained the previously obtained free player statuses for level 21 achievements. For other players who did not receive the paid version, special unranked modes became available, in which it is not possible to gain ranks and game drops. The quality of play of these modes decreased even more because of the large number of cheaters, smurfs and ruiners. 

In practice, however, everything is not as terrible as it may seem at first glance, but you should not hope for a strict team game.

How to get prime-status in 2022?

At the moment, there is only one easy way to get Prime in CS:GO – by buying it. This is the only, legal way to get the premium version. You can save extra money if you buy prime status from alternative marketplaces. 

But beware, because getting the full version may lead you to cheating websites. Only use reputable shops.

There is also the option of getting prime status for free, but it is not easy. Nevertheless, the free variation is also worth talking about, especially for newcomers to the game. On the one hand, with level 21 you can get this status at your disposal, but how much it will kill the desire of newcomers to play. Every player starts their journey with a competitive mode, but without prime this is now incredibly difficult to do. As previously mentioned, you’ll have to spend as much as 7 weeks to gain status. And that’s with three levels per week, which is also a time consuming process. It’s worth giving up the free status, it’s an incredibly difficult and complicated process.

Faceit

The Faceit competitive platform also features matchmaking, ranking and even a kind of prime status. The main difference between the free version of Faceit and CS:GO without prime status is that the quality of matches on the platform is much higher. Moreover, the free version does not limit you much in actions and features, and even allows you to earn a rating. 

A bonus is the tickrate 128 on all platform servers and the ability to play extra rounds if the score is tied. There’s also a league system, in-game tournaments and more. And yes, this is the platform where real professional players grow up.

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With almost 50 million people owning the game on Steam, let’s dive in deeper into how this 5v5 FPS became the greatest creation of the gaming universe. 

1. Extremely Friendly 

Amongst the games at the highest levels, CS:GO is the most welcoming game. It is easy to learn and understand. More importantly, the specs required to play this game smoothly are rather low compared to other games. Most casual gamers don’t have a high-end PC and CS:GO welcomes them with open arms.

It was very cheap in its yesteryears, being sold at just $15. But in 2018, Valve went a step further and made it free to play. 

For newcomers, the professional streams are very easy to understand and follow, as opposed to complex games like Dota 2. 

All these factors combine to make the game very welcoming.

2. The Community 

CS:GO has an ever-growing community. Many of the most popular gaming YouTubers and Twitch streamers have at some point flirted with CS:GO or are full-time CS:GO content creators.
CS:GO offers intense competitive play, but also relaxing modes like Surfing and Climbing Maps. Exploring beautiful community-made maps is another relaxing pastime.

CS:GO is easy to learn but difficult to master, which makes it a perfect option for YouTubers to post content like CS:GO guides, tips, and tricks. 

This constant exposure helps CS:GO reach out to new gamers quickly and increase the player base efficiently.

3. The Skins

Though the game is extremely competitive and engaging in itself, aesthetic options like skins and stickers took the game to a new level in 2013. The Arms Deal Update reversed the dwindling community and opened new channels like trading in the game. 

I cannot stress enough how the introduction of skins changed the ever-so-serious landscape of the CS scene and made it dynamic and exciting. The cosmetic beauty of decorating your favourite weapons, and getting amazing frags with them, kept inviting newer and newer players.

The gambling and betting scene is also very lively. CS:GO match predictions is the most sought-out method for earning quick money. On the other hand, CS:GO offers a more complex skin-trading avenue for serious people. 

CS:GO is the complete package and the energetic community keeps it going.

Alt-Text: Lovely CS:GO Skins

4. The Events

The high quality of the tournaments all around the year in CS:GO makes the game thrive in the competitive scene. The Major tournaments are not funded like the TI in Dota 2, but the quality remains at the top. CS:GO analytics is absolutely top-notch in the pro scene. The casters give the play a different dimension, and CS:GO is second to none in these departments. 

Eleague, ESEA, FACEIT, PGL, BLAST, etc. are some of the top-notch organizers that feed CS:GO a lot of resources, and help make tournaments of the highest standards.

5. Esports Growth

Esports in itself has grown a lot. For such new gamers, a simple game like CS:GO is the first point of contact. Apart from that, a lot of celebrities play CS:GO too.

Neymar Jr and his friends from football, the rapper Logic, kickboxer Mark Hunt and many more are celebrities who play CS:GO. Neymar in particular plays casually, but is absurdly good at the esport, frequently playing with many top-tier professionals. 

This combines fan bases and helps both parties grow in popularity.

6. External Competition 

One of the most important factors of CS:GO being popular is something unintuitive. Games like VALORANT, Six Siege, PUBG, Call Of Duty, etc. threaten to take away the CS:GO player base.

In the past few years, PUBG and VALORANT have extensively threatened CS:GO, and to keep up with these “modern” games, Valve has done a lot. After years of neglect and having Dota 2 as its golden child, Valve put in a lot of effort to keep CS:GO alive.

Adding game modes like Battle Royale in CS:GO, making constant updates to keep up with VALORANT, fixing bugs, and working on the matchmaking cheating problems, etc. are some of the many efforts Valve has put into CS:GO. This improves the game and hence attracts a lot of players to a game that has been constantly deemed the “dying one”. 

(IEM | Helena Kristiansson)

CS:GO is a game with a lot of tournaments and a lot of interesting updates. Keeping up with these esports news and CS:GO news is difficult, but rewarding. Recent times have been easier for betters, as NaVi currently dominates the world. They created history in 2021 by winning the Major without losing a single map. They have no plans of stopping, as they plan to create an era.

There are more games like Rainbow Six Siege that threaten CS:GO, only to lose in the long run. The simplistic yet intense competitiveness that CS:GO offers remains largely unmatched. Cycles of adrenaline rushes, coupled with multiple short breaks, without needless complexity make Counter-Strike one of the most addictive and best games ever. 

Dynasties may build and fall, but CS:GO will forever remain the game that refuses to die. 

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So what exactly makes CS:GO more iconic than CS 1.6?

1. The Esports Fanatic 

The most basic reason why CS:GO is more popular than CS 1.6 is simply because esports is a much more serious thing in recent times than it was 10-15 years ago. The Internet was not as vast either back in the day. Hardware was not as advanced, either. 

Esports has undeniably grown ten-folds in the past few years, and the rise of the youngest Counter-Strike child is majorly owed to that fact.

2. The Grand Tournaments

The biggest CS:GO tournaments today have eye-watering prizes. Its attractiveness creates a serious competition, and esports continues to become a serious career choice. 

CS:GO today is not just a game where you can chill out. It’s a dream for many youngsters. 

CS 1.6 tournaments were not nearly as huge and popular, with the meagre few occurring far and between. Even the Counter-Strike community themselves were not as concerned and passionate about the tournaments. 

But today, a huge part of the community is stuck together by the rumbles from the professional scene. Almost everyone you meet will be in a different clan of support and love for a team at the highest level.

3. The Aesthetics 

No matter how much we say that it’s the gameplay that matters more than the looks, that line of thought is wrong. First impressions matter. Beauty matters. 

Compared to the modern day, CS 1.6’s beauty was almost nonexistent. The lack of advancement in game developing can take the blame. The limitations of the engine it ran on too was a significant part of why the game is how it is. 

Contrast that with Source or more acutely, CS:GO. CS:GO maps today are a sight to behold. 

The overall details that go into a map are game-changing. But one of the main reasons why CS:GO and older versions of CS are worlds apart are the skins and stickers.

CS:GO wasn’t liked much in its beta and early versions, but the introduction of skins, stickers and new knives completely flipped the graphs. 

People started grinding the game to win skins and the popularity shot up. I need not explain how important skins are for modern CS:GO, but one of the more underground reason needs to be touched on.

Alt-Text: Old CS 1.6 Inferno 

Alt-Text: CS:GO Inferno

4. The Trading World

With skins came prices. Numbers that were negotiable. Money that would change hands.

This avenue of the CS:GO universe puts the game in a different dimension than any other game to date, CS 1.6 included. 

A huge part of the community started genuine trading. Holding skins and selling them before huge CS:GO events. Buying new CS:GO teams stickers or CS:GO player stickers and then selling them at a higher rate afterwards by predicting how the events will transpire. Buying a bulk of new and cheap skins in hope that their prices will soon shoot up.
A myriad of market tactics got introduced into CS:GO and the landscape of this “video game” is unimaginably large. 

Too far a horizon for a newcomer to admire. 

Alt-Text: A beautiful AK skin against a beautiful Office background

The veterans of this game gladly recall playing the classic Counter-Strike on slow, ancient machines. The true essence of CS 1.6 was mostly about relaxing and having fun with your friends, and the competitiveness of the game was for a very narrow slice of the player base. CS:GO is inherently competitive because of the change in mindsets these days. 

I am not old, yet I boot up CS 1.6, CZ and Source way more than I do CS:GO. The community of these older games exist and it is a pleasure to interact with them and play with them stress free. 

In the end, CS:GO is undoubtedly the “better” game. Better physics, smoother gameplay, modern visuals, and of course, the intense competition. CS:GO is more iconic in the modern day, but the innate legacy of the ancestral love of 1.6 will pulsate through the veins of every CS player, Global Offensive or not.

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In the Global Offensive, Valve has added so-called “operations” – game events that take place at regular intervals that allow players to receive medals and exclusive skins for weapons. Skins, as in Dota 2 and Team Fortress, players are free to create themselves, as well as sell and buy them on the marketplace. Besides creating skins, players can create their own maps.

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