Valve’s matchmaking is not the only place to play CS2. There is FACEIT with its own Elo and anti-cheat, maps from the Steam Workshop and community servers. This guide covers what FACEIT needs from you (Prime, a linked Steam account, Windows 10 or 11 with Secure Boot and TPM 2.0), how its levels work and how to get into Workshop maps and community servers. Everything applies to the PC version of CS2 as of 19 October 2026, based on FACEIT’s help centre and Valve’s announcements.
What FACEIT is and who it is for
FACEIT is a separate platform that runs its own CS2 matches, its own Elo ladder and its own anti-cheat. You play the same game, just outside official Premier and Competitive. FACEIT says it is open to newcomers, but the player base is experienced and matches are played hard. If you are brand new to CS2, get comfortable in the official modes first. Our guide to ranks and Premier explains how Premier works.
FACEIT also offers a FACEIT Premium subscription for 1 or 12 months. In the Premium queue you can play with friends even if your Elo differs by up to 800 points.
How to get started on FACEIT
Check one thing before you start: to connect CS2 to FACEIT you need Prime Status in CS2. What Prime costs and what it gives you is covered in our guide to Prime and VAC. Players with few hours in CS also have to verify their identity.
Game registration according to FACEIT support:
- Open the game settings in your FACEIT account.
- Click Add Game and pick CS2.
- Choose Connect Steam and approve the link in Steam.
- Select the region you want to play in.
For matches, launch CS2 through Steam, not from a shortcut to the.exe file, and on the Steam account you linked to FACEIT. Otherwise you will not be able to join the match.
FACEIT Anti-Cheat: Windows, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0
FACEIT runs its own anti-cheat, made up of three parts:
- an application that has to run for the whole match,
- a kernel driver that loads when your PC boots,
- a server-side SDK on the game servers.
The anti-cheat only works on Windows 10 and 11. FACEIT does not run on Mac or Linux, even though CS2 itself runs on Linux. You can turn the driver off from its tray icon; restarting your PC turns it back on.
FACEIT also requires Secure Boot and TPM 2.0. It is gradually rolling out, in waves, a requirement for IOMMU and VBS to fight so-called DMA cheats. Details and the current status are in FACEIT’s anti-cheat overview. Check all of this before your first game, not five minutes before a match.
FACEIT levels and Elo
FACEIT rates you with an Elo number that starts at 100 and places you in one of ten levels.
| Level | Elo |
|---|---|
| 1 | 100–500 |
| 2 | 501–750 |
| 3 | 751–900 |
| 4 | 901–1050 |
| 5 | 1051–1200 |
| 6 | 1201–1350 |
| 7 | 1351–1530 |
| 8 | 1531–1750 |
| 9 | 1751–2000 |
| 10 | 2001 and up |
Above level 10 sits Challenger, the top 1,000 players at level 10. The table comes from FACEIT’s Elo and levels article.
Where you start depends on your Premier record. A new player with Prime and enough Premier wins gets a starting Elo converted from their Premier rating in the last season. Everyone else starts at 1000 Elo, which is level 4.
Workshop maps and Open Party
The Steam Workshop is a library of maps and other community content. In CS2 you will find a Workshop Maps section in the Play menu. To get a map there, subscribe to it on the Steam Workshop. A Workshop map can be up to 3 GB.
Since 18 March 2026 you can switch on Open Party for a Workshop map. You host the game on your own PC and friends join straight from your friends list. The Workshop also has Map Guides beyond the official ones that every Active Duty map gets. Our CS2 map pool guide lists the current Active Duty maps.
The community also builds its own game modes. Valve provides special scripting tools for that, so the Workshop is not just practice maps but whole new ways to play.
Community servers and how to join
Community servers are not official Valve servers; the community runs them. Since 2 November 2023 they can host Workshop maps. The game has a Community Server Browser for this, a list of servers you join with a click. If you play in fullscreen, it has opened in the Steam Overlay since 28 July 2025.
- Open the Community Server Browser in the game.
- Pick a server from the list.
- Join. You can also get into a friend’s custom game through your friends list, if the server allows it.
On your own and practice servers, console commands come in handy, for example for infinite ammo or restarting the game. Which ones work and how to enable the console is covered in our console commands guide.
Join our Discord to find teammates for FACEIT and community servers, or to set up an Open Party on Workshop maps together. You will find us at GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
Yes. To connect CS2 to FACEIT you need Prime Status in CS2. Players with few hours in CS also have to verify their identity.
No. FACEIT Anti-Cheat only works on Windows 10 and 11 and requires Secure Boot and TPM 2.0. On any other system you cannot join a match.
With Prime and enough Premier wins, FACEIT converts your starting Elo from your Premier rating in the last season. Otherwise you start at 1000 Elo, which is level 4.
Subscribe to the map on the Steam Workshop, find it under Workshop Maps in the Play menu and switch on Open Party. You host the game on your PC and friends join from your friends list.
Open the Community Server Browser in the game and pick a server from the list. In fullscreen, the browser opens in the Steam Overlay.
Information verified on 19 October 2026. More guides are in our CS2 guides, the latest updates in CS2 news.