Prime used to be a status that was reserved for players who bought CS:GO before it became free to play. It helped eliminate cheaters and put you in lobbies with other CS:GO Prime Enabled users.
Nowadays, Prime Status is a symbol of exclusivity in the game and still allows CS:GO players to only match with other Prime users. There are plenty of other benefits and features that are exclusive only to Prime users.
Find out more about CS:GO Prime and determine whether it’s worth it in 2023.
CS:GO Prime in 2023
CS:GO Prime was given to players who bought the game and players who reached rank 21. Its primary feature was to lessen the chances of encountering cheaters in your lobbies because of the high rank requirement.
Unfortunately, reaching rank 21 didn’t do much to stop cheaters. This just gave them a free Prime pass. This led to the eventual removal of the free rank 21 Prime reward in 2021. However, Prime is still available to this day with a variety of new features and only one way to obtain it.
For old players, you should have Prime enabled if you meet one of the two requirements:
- Have bought CS:GO before it went free to play on December 6, 2018
- Achieved rank 21 before the feature was removed in 2021.
For new players, the only way to obtain Prime status in 2023 is to directly purchase it from the Steam Store for $14.99.
All the CS:GO Prime Benefits and Features
One of the main benefits of having Prime Status in CS:GO is to avoid cheaters. Unfortunately, in a game as large as CS:GO, wallhackers and aimbotters are extremely common. No matter how hard you aim train, you’re never going to beat a cheater straight up.
You can search for Ranked matches exclusively with other Prime players when enabled. Don’t worry. You can still choose any CS:GO map you like, and you’ll still get matched with other players within your Skill Group. This applies to both Competitive queue and Danger Zone matches.
Aside from dodging cheaters, Prime users also have the benefit of earning XP, unlocking Competitive Skill Groups, and are can obtain item drops. The weekly XP bonus is definitely nice to have and can help you level up faster. This means that you can get your drops faster as well.
Don’t worry. All of the CS:GO cases and items you can get from drops should smoothly transfer over to CS2 once it releases, so buying Prime now won’t be a huge waste.
How CS:GO Prime Can Help Decrease Cheaters
Cheaters have long been a huge problem in CS:GO. Valve has taken a ton of different steps to combat cheaters. This includes their very own Valve anti-cheat (VAC) software that is used to detect suspicious players. They are even known for VAC banning thousands of players in a day in an attempt to lessen cheaters.
The thing is, cheaters can simply create another account and go back to terrorizing lobbies. We all know how hard it is to climb up the CS:GO ranks, and encountering a cheater in the process just makes it extremely annoying and way more complicated than it should be.
Luckily, Prime is here to save the day. Having Prime in CS:GO allows you to match up with other Prime Enabled users. This drastically cuts down the number of cheaters that you can encounter. This makes your rank experience way better and more fun.
This system works because it costs $14.99 to buy CS:GO Prime. Most cheaters aren’t willing to spend that kind of money because they know that they’ll eventually get banned anyway. They are basically going to be throwing away an extra $14.99 if they decide to buy Prime while cheating.
Of course, there are still going to be ones that do. So you’ll still come across a cheater every now and then, even with Prime Enabled. It’s not a foolproof system, but it gets the job done to some extent and allows you to climb the ranks peacefully.
Is CS:GO Prime Worth It in 2023?
Now, it’s time for the golden question, “Is CS:GO Prime worth it in 2023?” The simple and straight answer is yes. If you’re serious about grinding and are sick of encountering cheaters in your lobby, then Prime should be a no-brainer for you.
If you play a ton of CS:GO, then Prime is also worth it for you. The free weapon skins and other item drops you get can be pretty valuable. You might even be lucky enough to get an expensive one.
Overall, buying CS:GO Prime at $14.99 might seem expensive at first. However, once you consider that it’s pretty much going to be with you for as long as you play CS:GO, it starts to get a bit more reasonable.
Having significantly fewer cheaters in your games already makes it incredibly worth it, in my opinion. All of the other features are just extras at this point. Prime should also transfer over to CS2, making it an investment for the future as well.
Summing It All Up
CS:GO Prime is definitely worth it in 2023 if you’re serious about playing CS:GO. Having Prime allows you to participate in Ranked Matchmaking, where you’ll get matched up with players from your Skill Group. This is the only way you can access Ranked games, which is why it’s necessary if you’re looking to climb the ladder.
Did you buy your Prime Status, or were you one of the OGs who got it for free? Comment it below.
