MW2 ranked play launches with Modern Warfare 2 season 2, marking the first time an Infinity Ward-developed Call of Duty game has featured an extensive ranked mode. Developed alongside Treyarch and the Call of Duty League, Modern Warfare 2 ranked play is set to offer players a unique competitive experience with rewards for the most dedicated players.
There are a number of improvements made to the rank system last seen in the FPS game Call of Duty Vanguard, including the introduction of forgiveness, demotion protection, and skill rating (SR). Here’s everything you need to know about MW2 ranked play, including what level you need to be to play, what the skill divisions are, and more.
How to access MW2 ranked play
In order to access MW2 ranked play, you need to reach level 16 first. Fortunately, players won’t need to reach the level cap or go work their way through any of the weapon platforms to use specific loadouts. Every weapon, attachment, and item is automatically unlocked in ranked play to ensure everyone is playing by the same rules.
MW2 ranked play rules, maps, and modes
MW2 ranked play uses the official competitive 4v4 format using the rules set out by the Call of Duty league. These rules are subject to change at any time, so keep an eye out on the CDL rules page to stay on top of any important updates.
All ranked matches can be played on the following game mode and maps:
Control
- Al Bagra Fortress
- Breenbergh Hotel
- El Asilo
Hardpoint
- Al Bagra Fortress
- Breenbergh Hotel
- Embassy
- Mercado Las Almas
- Zarqwa Hydroelectric
Search & Destroy
- Al Bagra Fortress
- Breenbergh Hotel
- El Asilo
- Embassy
- Mercado Las Almas
MW2 ranked play skill divisions
Your SR is determined by how well you and your team perform in each ranked match. While there are other variables in play, generally speaking, you gain SR by winning games and you lose SR by losing games.
At first, your individual performance does play a role in how much SR you stand to gain and lose. If you’re managing to obtain an extremely high kill-death ratio in 20 consecutive wins, you might find that once you reach a certain skill division, the amount of SR you gain drastically decreases. This is a side effect of the way teamplay is rewarded in the higher-skill divisions. Instead of rewarding the entry fragger or the team’s sniper for racking up loads of kills, the SR is split among the team to reward everyone equally.
There are eight skill divisions in MW2, each division is broken down into SR brackets:
- Bronze – 0 – 899 SR
- Silver – 900 – 2,099 SR
- Gold – 2,100 – 3,599 SR
- Platinum – 3,600 – 5,399 SR
- Diamond – 5,400 – 7,499 SR
- Crimson – 7,500 – 9,999 SR
- Iridescent – 10,000 SR
- Top 250 – 10,000+ SR (depends on the leaderboards)
Every skill division below Iridescent contains three tiers that players must progress through to break into the next division. For example, Bronze is split into three SRs: Bronze Tier 1, Bronze Tier 2, and Bronze Tier 3. At the end of a ranked season, Bronze through Crimson players start the next season one SR back. The only exception to this is with Bronze Tier 3 players, they’re sent back to Bronze Tier 1 with demotion protection for their first three games. A longer period of demotion protection also applies to players starting in Diamond 1, with this shield set to last for several matches.
Unlike some competitive multiplayer games, there are no placement matches in MW2’s ranked mode. All players start out as Bronze players, meaning you could potentially run into a CDL-level team as soon as ranked becomes available, but this is extremely unlikely. The best teams will rank up to the higher skill divisions right away, while regular players might find themselves in the lower divisions until they learn how to play the game effectively.
MW2 ranked play squad restrictions
MW2 ranked play is based around 4v4 action, so you’re going to want to pair up with your friends immediately while you’re all in the Bronze skill division. If one of your mates hasn’t had an opportunity to play just yet, you may still have an opportunity to play with them.
Here are the current skill division restrictions in MW2 ranked play:
- Bronze players can party up with Platinum players without any restrictions
- Diamond and Crimson players can party up as long as they’re within two skill divisions of each other
- Iridescent and Top 250 can party up as long as they’re within one skill division of each other
MW2 rank rewards
Making your way through the skill divisions contributes to your rank and, by extension, your rewards at the end of the season. Everyone starts at rank 1 and can advance all the way up to rank 50. Players earn one star for every ranked win they achieve, if you earn enough stars you’ll progress to the rank. Your rank stays with you between ranked seasons, so don’t expect to reach rank 50 right away. On the plus side, you can’t lose stars when you’re between ranks, so you don’t ever have to worry about losing your rank.
Here’s a list of some of the rank rewards you can receive in MW2 ranked play:
- Rank 5: The ‘Ranked Competitor’ operator skin pack containing one ‘Home’ version and one ‘Away’ version for both the male and female CDL operators
- Rank 15: Pro Issue Sidearm Blueprint, kitted out with attachments used at the highest level of competitive play.
- Rank 30: New gun screen that tracks ranked play wins.
- Rank 40: Pro Issue Combat Knife blueprint, which is another popular competitive Secondary weapon.
- Rank 50: ‘Ranked Veteran’ operator skins (Home and Away) awarded to male and female CDL operators
The latest Call of Duty blog has also confirmed there are guaranteed rewards for reaching certain win milestones. Players can earn a sticker after earning five wins, and a weapon camo that can be used on any gun after winning 100 matches. There are also rewards in between these milestones which include a weapon charm, loading screen, and decal which can also be earned when you reach certain milestones.
MW2 ranked play skill division rewards
MW2 rank rewards can be achieved by anyone regardless of their skill level, but it’s the skill division rewards that separate the casual players from the hardcore. Your rewards are determined by your highest skill division during the season, not by where you ended up at the end.
Here are the rewards for reaching specific skill divisions in MW2 ranked play:
- Bronze: 1x emblem.
- Silver: 1x emblem.
- Gold: 2x operator skins, 1x emblem, 1x animated emblem, 1x weapon charm.
- Platinum: 2x operator skins, 1x emblem, 1x animated emblem, 1x weapon charm.
- Diamond: 2x operator skins, 1x emblem, 1x animated emblem, 1x weapon charm.
- Crimson: 2x operator skins, 1x emblem, 1x animated emblem, 1x weapon charm.
- Iridescent: 2x operator skins, 1x emblem, 1x animated emblem, 1x weapon charm.
- Top 250: 2x operator skins, 1x emblem, 1x animated emblem, 1x weapon charm.
- #1 Ranked Player: one-of-a-kind exclusive animated calling card and emblem, and the rest of the Top 250 rewards.
That’s all you need to know about the long-awaited MW2 ranked play mode. If you’re ready to take on MW2’s most competitive multiplayer mode, you may want to read our best Modern Warfare 2 settings guide to achieve the highest FPS your machine is capable of. Don’t forget to give our best PC games list a look if you want to try out some critically acclaimed titles.