- 30 min → 2 h → 24 h → 1 week
- One-week probation
- Clean week: −1 level
- Support can't remove them
A competitive cooldown is Valve's timeout: for a set time you can't queue matchmaking on Valve servers. Most players meet their first one after a disconnect they didn't cause, and are surprised when the second one is four times longer. That is the system working as designed — cooldowns climb a ladder, and the ladder only comes down with clean weeks. Everything below comes from Valve's own Steam Support FAQ, checked on 2026-10-15.
- Intent doesn't matter. Valve issues cooldowns for disconnects and crashes too, not just rage-quits.
- The ladder is the punishment. 30 minutes is nothing; the second and third cooldown inside a week are what lock you out for a day.
- Clean weeks are the only way down — one level per week, and levels can climb above 4.
- VAC cooldowns are different: at least a day, every game mode, +1 level, a CS Rating adjustment — and they hit your whole party.
- Your level = your last cooldown's length. Valve gives no counter, but the last non-VAC cooldown tells you.
The cooldown ladder
| Level | Cooldown | When you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 30 minutes | Your first cooldown (or the first after a clean run) |
| Level 2 | 2 hours | A second cooldown within the probation week |
| Level 3 | 24 hours | A third — a full day off Valve matchmaking |
| Level 4 | 1 week | A fourth — levels can go higher still |
Valve's own example shows how the way down works: an account that has dropped back to level 2 through clean play gets a level 3, 24-hour cooldown on its next offence — you don't restart at 30 minutes until you have worked all the way down. Cooldown levels can also exceed level 4, and Valve says those accounts need an extended period of clean play before they fall below level 3.
What triggers a cooldown
Valve lists eight reasons. Explicit warnings are shown before actions that will cause one — but a cooldown is issued whether the infraction was intentional or not.
| Reason | What actually triggers it | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Failing to stay connected | Dropping out of a match and not reconnecting in time — for any reason, including your own network. | Fix the connection before you queue again; rejoin at once if you drop. |
| Kicking too many teammates | Voting yes on kicks too often — pressing F1 counts the same as calling the vote. | Report a griefer instead of kicking; keep kicks for extreme cases. |
| Being kicked from too many matches | Getting vote-kicked repeatedly. | Talk with your team early; the system only acts on excessive kicks. |
| Abandoning matches | Leaving an unfinished match after the warning. | Only queue when you have the full hour. |
| Being AFK or not participating | The server removes players who stop playing — and adds a cooldown. | Ask for a timeout if you need to step away. |
| Too many griefing reports | An excessive number of in-game griefing reports, with safeguards against abuse. | Don't block, flash or damage teammates. |
| VAC flags your gameplay | Irregular gameplay detected — you are disconnected. | At least one day, all modes, and your CS Rating is adjusted. |
| VAC flags a party member | Someone in your party is disconnected for irregular gameplay. | The same minimum one-day cooldown hits the whole party — queue with people you trust. |
Two of these catch honest players most often. Disconnects: Valve is explicit that network, technical or local problems on your machine still count — if you can't reconnect in time, you get the cooldown, so fix a crashing game before you queue again. Kick votes: pressing F1 to agree with a kick counts the same as calling the vote, and doing it too often earns a cooldown even when the kicked player deserved it. Valve's advice is to report abusive players in-game and keep kicks for extreme cases.
Valve's release notes add a few smaller rules on top of the FAQ: players kicked for too many suicides get a cooldown (February 2024), and since August 2024 Valve servers kick players suspected of automating several actions from a single input — the hardware "snap tap" style of counter-strafing.
VAC cooldowns: the big exception
When VAC flags your gameplay as irregular you are disconnected from the match and get a cooldown of at least one day, whatever your current level. It blocks every game mode, not just Competitive, raises your cooldown level by one, and your CS Rating is adjusted. The same minimum one-day cooldown — and the same rating adjustment — hits everyone partied with the flagged player. That last part is why queuing with strangers from a forum for an easy win is a bad idea: their flag becomes your cooldown.
A VAC cooldown is not a VAC ban. Bans are separate and permanent; Valve's FAQ covers them under VAC bans and game bans. If you think a flag was a mistake, Valve says incorrect automated cooldowns are rolled back automatically — Support won't do it by hand.
How to tell your current cooldown level
CS2 shows no level counter. Valve's rule of thumb is to look at the length of your last non-VAC cooldown:
- Last cooldown lasted 30 minutes → you are at level 1.
- Last cooldown lasted 2 hours → you are at level 2.
- Last cooldown lasted 24 hours → you are at level 3.
- Last cooldown lasted 1 week → you are at level 4 (or above).
Then count clean weeks since it ended: each one takes a level off. If it has been three clean weeks since a 24-hour cooldown, you're back near the bottom; if it's been three days, the next mistake costs a week.
Five habits that keep you at zero
- Only queue when you have the full match.
Premier and Competitive matches can run well past 40 minutes with overtime. Abandoning after the warning is a guaranteed cooldown.
- Fix crashes before the next match.
A disconnect you can't recover from counts like an abandon. Update drivers, verify game files, stabilise the connection.
- Report, don't kick.
Voting yes on too many kicks earns you the cooldown. The report button doesn't.
- Call a timeout instead of going AFK.
Servers remove inactive players and add a cooldown on top.
- Party with people you trust.
A VAC flag on anyone in your party is a one-day cooldown and a rating adjustment for you.
- Steam Support — CS2: Competitive cooldowns and bans (levels, durations, one-week probation, clean weeks, levels above 4, the eight reasons, VAC cooldowns, party rule, no manual removal, automatic rollbacks)
- Valve — CS2 release notes (2/28/2024: cooldown for players kicked for suicides; "Side-stepping Skill", August 2024: input automation kicks)
- Checked 2026-10-15.
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