How to Start Playing FACEIT in CS2: Sign-Up, Anti-Cheat and First Matches (2026)

FACEIT is where a large part of the serious CS2 community plays: its own servers, its own anti-cheat, an Elo ladder from Level 1 to Level 10 and a Challenger spot for the best 1,000. Getting there takes more than a download, though. You need Prime, a Steam link, a PC that passes the anti-cheat's Windows checks, and ten placement matches before your level means anything. This guide walks through every step in FACEIT's own words, then covers the queues, your first lobby and how not to burn your starting Elo. Checked 2026-10-25.

Step by step: from sign-up to your first match

1. Create a FACEIT account.

   It's free. You can do it on the website or in the FACEIT app; the app is also where the anti-cheat lives.

2. Add CS2 and connect Steam.

   Go to Game settings → Add Game → CS2 and click Connect Steam, then approve the connection in Steam. FACEIT requires Prime status in CS2; accounts with a low number of Counter-Strike hours also have to verify their identity (FACEIT doesn't publish the threshold).

3. Install the FACEIT anti-cheat.

   It's a kernel-mode driver that loads when your PC boots, for Windows 10 and 11 only, and it must be running whenever you play a protected match. TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot have been mandatory since 25 November 2025.

4. Choose your region.

   Pick it in your game settings and stick with the one you have the best ping to — Premium Match runs only in Europe and North America.

5. Queue and play your placements.

   Find a match, accept, and join the server within 3 minutes. Your first 10 matches of a season are placements.

Your starting Elo and the placements

New accounts start at 1,000 Elo — Level 4 on FACEIT's ladder (901–1,050). FACEIT converts your Premier history into a starting Elo instead if you have Prime and a minimum number of Premier wins; it doesn't publish that number. Either way the season's 10 placement matches come next: in Season 9 your starting Elo is set once you've finished all ten, and FACEIT says placements won't swing it by hundreds of points per game.

Treat those ten like your most important matches of the season. A strong set puts you in better lobbies from day one, and a weak set means grinding back the same Elo for weeks. The Elo per win guide explains how the amounts work after that.

Which queue to pick

Start in the standard 5v5 queue: it's free, takes any party and has no party-Elo limit, so you can play with friends at any level — queuing with friends covers every queue's party rules. A FACEIT subscription adds the Super Match queue, map choice in the lobby, captain priority and missions. Premium Match needs a subscription plus Verified and Veteran status and pays 20% more Elo per match, both ways. FACEIT's Season 9 also added a Challenger Queue for the top 500 European players, solo and duo only.

Verification: optional, but useful

FACEIT describes Verification as free and optional — smartphone, face capture and an original ID document. It isn't needed for the standard queue, but it is required for Premium Match. If a low-hours account blocks your Steam link, identity verification is the way through.

Your first lobby: captains, maps and joining

When a match is found you land in a match room. FACEIT picks captains at random from the players with an active Premium subscription; captains remove servers one at a time, then maps. Choosing the maps yourself only works if everyone in your party has a subscription — Premium players select at least five maps. Then the clock starts: you have a 3-minute window to join the server, and missing it gives you a cooldown.

• 3 minto join the server once it's ready
• 5 mapsthe minimum a Premium player selects
• 5+ minaway in total makes you a leaver: double loss
• MR12first to 13 rounds, like Premier

If FACEIT won't let you queue

Five habits for your first week

1. Play placements fresh.

   Ten good matches early beat fifty catch-up matches later.

2. Use voice.

   Short, early calls — enemy count, position, your utility — win more rounds than long explanations after a death.

3. Don't leave.

   Five minutes away doubles a loss — reconnect if you crash.

4. Learn three maps.

   Ban the rest when you're captain; most climbs come from a small pool.

5. Check your level bands.

   The levels and Elo guide shows how far each level is.

Help getting started

• Placements: FACEIT placement matches played by a Level 10 — orders from $3.40.
• Skip the low levels: a FACEIT Elo boost to any target.
• Read next: Premier vs FACEIT and how to reach Level 10.