At some point or another, CS:GO players face a choice: play matchmaking or go to alternative platforms? Today, the CS.MONEY Blog is going to look at the alternatives to in-game competitive mode.
FACEIT
By far the most popular alternative to matchmaking is FACEIT. One of the advantages it offers is affordability: you don’t have to pay for rated games. To take part in matches, you simply need to download FACEIT AC, an anti-cheat service that the player must launch before starting the game. If you wish, you can also buy a monthly subscription that allows you to receive FACEIT points and get rewards for regular play.
As for the gameplay: the tickrate is 128 — that’s two times more than in matchmaking. This decreases the chance to encounter situations where you shot right at your opponent, but the hit “didn’t count.” Simply put, the data exchange rate is twice as high on FACEIT servers. The ranking system is uncomplicated, too, with players distributed between 10 levels depending on the number of ELO points. Here’s a table of levels depending on the score of points:
- 1 lvl — 1-800 ELO
- 2 lvl — 801-950 ELO
- 3 lvl — 951-1100 ELO
- 4 lvl — 1101-1250 ELO
- 5 lvl — 1251-1400 ELO
- 6 lvl — 1401-1550 ELO
- 7 lvl — 1551-1700 ELO
- 8 lvl — 1701-1850 ELO
- 9 lvl — 1851-2000 ELO
- 10 lvl — 2001+ ELO
ESEA League
A little less known platform, compared to FACEIT, is ESEA. The league boast top-of-the-line protection against cheaters, with the company’s anti-cheat considered one of the best in CS:GO. Note, however, that you’d need to buy a subscription in order to play on the platform. It’s priced at around $7 per month.
Just like FACEIT, ESEA provides a 128 tickrate, a value much better than that in matchmaking. One disadvantage is the number of players online: it’s substantially lower than on FACEIT. The distribution of ESEA ranks by ELO points is as follows:
- D-lvl — 0-1500 ELO
- C-lvl — 1500-2500 ELO
- B-lvl — 3000-4500 ELO
- A-lvl — 4500-6250 ELO
- G-lvl — 6250-7500 ELO
- S-lvl — 7500+ ELO
FastCup
Finally, let’s take a look at a Russian alternative to matchmaking. The only thing you need to do to play in FastCup is sign up. It’s suitable for private 5-vs.-5 games and allows you to create your own room. In contrast to foreign counterparts, the anti-cheat isn’t that good: MyAC is quite weak.
Servers have a tickrate of 128 and are located across the CIS region for a comfortable playing experience. The platform’s in-game levels in ascending order are as follows: L-M-H-P-G. After registration, the user has the M rank. Nevertheless, FastCup don’t provide a detailed breakdown of how ELO works on the platform.
Conclusion
These were the most popular matchmaking analogues. If you want to play without cheaters and with a 128 tickrate, your best choice would be FACEIT. ESEA ensures maximum protection from cheater software, but it’s not free. Still, in case you wish to play in a group against each other, you can play better with FastCup, where private rooms are available. It’s all up to you!
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