CS pros, fans blast state of cheating in Premier matchmaking: ‘Where is the logic?’

Trust in Valve's ability to curb cheating in CS2 has fallen since the launch of the new season of Premier, with notable pro players and content creators dissatisfied with the state of the game this past month.

We're over a month on from season two's arrival but many believe Premier matchmaking is the worst it's ever been thanks mainly to a rise in cheaters — and Valve's apparently inability to stop them.

The call for action comes straight from the top, with big names in the professional CS2 scene and top streamers angry at Valve for letting Premier slip this far. Veteran player and coach Martin "STYKO" Styk said on X/Twitter this past week that of a 30-match span, over 80% had cheating.

There weren't even attempts to hide the cheating, STYKO said, with some blatantly hacking and ruining the experience for other high-ranked players. "Where [is the] logic?" he said, adding that after a few successful attempts to kick the cheaters, Valve would issue a competitive cooldown for "kicking too many teammates."

CS2 commentator Vince "Vince" Hill echoed STYKO's sentiment. He believes that, from 20,000 rating and above, Premier had become unbearable, and that above 25,000 the experience was "out of control."

However, he points to an even worse effect of the cheating. "What I've noticed is the effect it has on people's mentality whereby you're so used to cheaters you start screwing yourself into believing everyone is likely cheating," he said.

"Before the 50/50 you gave the benefit of the doubt, [but] now you're sure. It's an illness that creeps in so easily, and it's understandable," he goes on, adding that teammates often throw in the towel after a couple of rounds when the suspected cheater may not even be cheating. "It takes its toll on people."

MrTweeday, a popular CS2 streamer and personality, said the negative experience has affected him to the point where he shuts down and quits. "I've had a crazy up and down mood lately resulting in a rage quit today on the stream," he said on Feb. 16. He noted how rough it had been that cheaters and stream-snipers had ruined his content, and thus, his revenue stream.

He also believes the high-ranked Premier community have been mentally shattered by the frequency of cheaters. "We are all mistrusting basic shots or moves. The amount of people accusing each other for cheating is insane lately in my games."

Discussion about cheating in CS2 has become heated as a divide between skill groups has emerged. Many players at a lower Premier skill bracket aren't convinced the issue is troublesome, reporting few cheaters at 10,000 to 15,000 — closer to the average skill level in CS2.

"If you hover around 15,000 like me with good Trust Factor, the games are good," one user in a CS2 Reddit thread said. "Cheaters just get pushed up the rankings so fast until they cant climb anymore. The player pool at those top ranks is so small that its just logical the players there will encounter them more often."

In any case, the war between Valve (and other game devs) and cheaters continues to evolve. For every VAC ban wave the developer issues, another cheat provider adapts to security strategies and finds a way through.

However, it's been radio silence from Valve on the topic for some time. The last ban wave was months back, and Valve hasn't said anything about another ban wave soon. The longer the problem goes unaddressed, the higher the exodus of players to third-party platforms like FACEIT — or to other games entirely.

We'll see if Valve acts on these concerns in the coming weeks. For more CS2 news and coverage stay tuned to esports.gg.