Matchmaking (experimental)

Players click Find match, wait in a queue, accept, and play a CS2 match on a free server. Nobody has to set anything up per match. Matchmaking is experimental: it is off by default and only admins can use it until you open it to players.

Matchmaking is new in 3.1 betas. Try it with friends before you open it to everyone.

What you need

The CS2 module, with the Active Duty map pool (Maps). Matches are played on a random map from it.
At least one Ready Up server the platform can start, for example on a machine linked with CS2 Server Manager. Tournament matches always get a free server first.
Ten players searching at the same time.

Turn it on

Switch the feature on

Settings → Experimental → Matchmaking. Admins now see Play in the top bar.

Open it to players

Under the same switch, turn on Open to players. Every signed-in player now sees Play. Turn on Leaderboard visible to everyone if visitors who are not signed in should see the leaderboard.

How a match is found

A player picks Find match, alone or as a party. A party leader shares the invite link; up to 5 players, always on the same team.
A bar at the bottom of every page shows the search and how long it has run.
When ten players fit together, everyone gets Match found with a sound and has 20 seconds to accept.
When all ten accept, the match is created and gets a server. The match room shows both teams, the map and how to join.

Players are matched with others near their rating. The allowed gap starts at ±100 and grows by 50 every 30 seconds, up to 400. After 5 minutes anyone is matched, so a small community still gets games. Teams are split so the total rating is as even as possible.

Ratings, XP and levels

Rating: each player has a matchmaking rating, separate from tournament ratings. It starts from their tournament rating and settles after a few matches.
XP: every finished match gives 100 XP, +50 for a win (+25 for a draw), up to +50 for performance, and +100 for the first win of the day. XP never goes down.
Levels show how experienced a player is on the platform. Each level needs a bit more XP than the last.
Leaderboard (Play → Leaderboard): players with 10 or more matches in the last 30 days.

After a match, the match room shows the score, both scoreboards, the rating change and the XP gained. Players can give each other a thumbs up or a thumbs down (with a reason) for 24 hours. Profiles show the totals, never who voted.

Leaving and declining

What happened	Cooldown
Declined or missed a found match (1st, 2nd, 3rd, then more in 24 h)	2 min, 10 min, 1 h, 24 h
Never joined the server, or left for 5 minutes during a match	1 h, doubling within 7 days, at most 7 days

A player who left takes their team's loss in full, gets no XP, and their teammates lose less. Admins can clear a cooldown.