The player base in CS:GO has slumped by almost 17 percent in the past month. The last time the numbers were this low was in February 2020.
Red numbers are taking over: In June, the average number of players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive dropped by almost 17 percent compared to the previous month. The reason for this seems to be the introduction of CS:GO Prime matchmaking.
Over 110,000 fewer players on average
Valve’s shooter is generally going downhill. Player numbers have been on a steady downward trend since February. June is statistically the weakest month so far, in which almost 17 percent of the average players were lost.
While in May an average of 659,000 users were still playing CS:GO at the same time, the number dropped to 549,000 in June, which means that there were over 110,000 fewer players than in the previous month. Valve also recorded losses in terms of the maximum number of concurrent players. From 1,087,000 in May it went down to 929,000 in June. The last time player numbers were this low was February 2020.
Prime status may be scaring users away
The reason for this is probably the Prime matchmaking. Valve introduced the new system on 4 June. This means that the game itself is still free of charge. However, if you want to play Ranked, climb the rankings and receive drops, you have to buy Prime status for 12.75 euros. The model is supposed to work against the flood of cheaters and smurfs in matchmaking. Valve had announced in its statement on the new Prime mode that it wanted to drive the “bad boys” out of the game.
