How To Play FACEIT In CS2

FACEIT is a gaming platform that is separate from Valve’s Premier or Competitive mode ranking system. It is a popular matchmaking tool used by Counter-Strike players who prefer a competitive environment.

The platform covers the most prominent esports titles, such as League of Legends and DotA 2, but is mostly known for its Counter-Strike section. FACEIT has its own league and ranking system that gives players a more accurate representation of their skills compared to the ranks and ratings Valve has provided.

On FACEIT, players can partake in the following activities:

• Play in a 5v5 pick-up game (PUG)
• Participate in FACEIT tournaments (1v1, 2v2, 5v5, and other amateur/professional leagues)
• Get invited to play in a professional circle (FACEIT Pro League)
• Hone your skills with like minded players
• Connect with the FACEIT community which has serious players

Most importantly, players choose to play FACEIT matches over Valve matchmaking because the platform has one of the greatest Anti-Cheat systems in all of gaming. There is an incredibly low rate of hackers and cheaters who can breathe through FACEIT’s Anti-Cheat, and even if they do, players can quickly report them and they will be banned in a matter of hours or days. 

If you’re sold on FACEIT and what the platform offers, let’s cut to the chase and discuss how to play FACEIT CS2. Here is a complete step-by-step guide to how you can create a FACEIT account and begin playing on the platform:

#1 Accessing FACEIT.com

The first step is to access the official FACEIT website. Since FACEIT is a third-party platform, you’ll have to navigate outside of Steam and the Counter-Strike client to join the fun. Don’t worry, the FACEIT platform is trusted by millions of active players, and every professional CS2 player uses it!

To go on the website, head over to FACEIT.com and ensure you are on the correct website. Look for the green padlock that verifies it is the official website and not an impersonator. 

#2 Creating a FACEIT account

Like any other gaming platform, FACEIT requires every user to have an account. Creating an account is necessary to help track your progress, verify your identity, and put you in the platform’s matchmaker. 

On the official FACEIT website, click on the “Start Playing Now!” button which should redirect you to a sign-up page. Here, you must enter your email address, come up with your FACEIT nickname, and also fill up general personal information that isn’t too private. This information includes your name, birth date, and country of residence.

Once you have filled in all the required information, the FACEIT platform will send you a confirmation email for verification purposes. Make sure to check your email and go to the Spam folder if you don’t see it.

#3 Adding Games

The next required step to play on FACEIT is selecting which games you’d like to add on the FACEIT platform. As briefly mentioned earlier, FACEIT supports several other competitive games such as PUBG, DotA 2, Valorant, League of Legends, and Overwatch 2.

Obviously, we’ll be adding Counter-Strike as our main game. Adding other titles is entirely optional. You can add as many games as you want, or only add Counter-Strike. Generally speaking, the Counter-Strike section on FACEIT is the most developed, and other titles aren’t too popular on the platform.

To add a game to your account, follow the steps below:

1. Open the FACEIT website and go to the three dots at the top-right corner.
2. Click the “Your Account” button, which should take you to your profile settings.
3. Next, go to the “Game Settings” section and click the “Add Game” button.
4. Finally, you can select a list of which games you’re looking to play.

#4 Connecting your Steam account

To play Counter-Strike matches, you will need your Steam account. However, FACEIT does not have direct access to your Steam account, so you need to help them out by linking it to their website. Don’t worry, you will not get scammed by doing this. 

To link your Steam account to FACEIT, follow the steps below:

1. Click on the “Play” button on the website to go to its section.
2. Then, click on the “Connect Game” button which should be visible on your screen.
3. You should receive a pop-up menu with further instructions to link your Steam account.
4. Here, log in to your Steam account by entering your username and password.
5. FACEIT will ask you to grant certain Steam permissions, such as accessing your ID, Friends List, and more. Agree to these terms.

None of the information FACEIT requires will allow them to hack into or hijack your account. It is only to help you have the best experience on the FACEIT platform.

#5 Download the FACEIT Anti Cheat client

Before you can hop into a game, you are required to download and run the FACEIT Anti Cheat tool. The platform’s Anti Cheat system is one of the primary reasons why many players choose FACEIT over Premier or Competitive Mode. So, as long as you’re not planning to cheat, downloading the Anti Cheat software should be something you’ll gladly do.

On the FACEIT website, click on the “Anti Cheat” button which will initiate the download for the software’s installer. Wait for the download to finish, then install and launch the program. The Anti Cheat client will begin scanning your computer’s files to detect any malicious hack clients or similar files. Once the process is complete, you will be prompted to restart your computer to finish.

When everything is completed properly, the Anti Cheat logo will light up green, ensuring your computer is clear from hack or cheat clients.

#6 Find a match

Once the lengthy process of making a FACEIT account and downloading its Anti Cheat is completed, you can finally load into your first match on the platform.

To find a match, click on “Matchmaking” to start finding a match. Before you go into the queue, you can always invite friends to the party, like you normally would in Counter-Strike. By linking your Steam’s Friends List, you can easily search for your friends on the FACEIT platform.

Once a game has been found for you, accept the match. Now, FACEIT will show you an IP address to connect to their server in Counter-Strike. Launch your Counter-Strike client, then open the developer console. Finally, type “connect [IP Address]” and hit your Enter key. This should load you into the server immediately for you to play!

Optional: Verify your FACEIT account

Additionally, players can also verify their FACEIT accounts for more authenticity. You will notice that a lot of professional players or streamers will verify their accounts and have a checkmark on their screen to have more recognizable profiles. Still, this is entirely optional and will not affect your FACEIT matches in any way.

To verify your account on the FACEIT platform, you must go through steps such as uploading a selfie and providing official documentation, such as a passport, ID, or driver’s license. The FACEIT team will take time to manually verify the document and selfie.

Once the process is completed, you will receive a mark or badge on your profile after the verification is done. Other users will be able to see this mark on your profile, too. This badge means you are a trusted member of the FACEIT community and are less likely to cheat.

FACEIT has become highly popular for players looking for a more serious environment, which is why most players on the FACEIT platforms are either professional players or amateurs looking to play at the highest level in the future.

Here are the main reasons why players use the FACEIT platform:

• Higher skill ceiling: FACEIT hosts high-skilled players who are looking to play at the highest level, providing users with more challenging opponents than they’d find in regular Valve matchmaking. 
• Advanced matchmaking: FACEIT boasts top-tier algorithms to ensure that matches are as even as possible. Their sophisticated ranking system allows them to rate players based on their true skills to rank them accurately. 
• Community aspects: The FACEIT community has many clans, teams, and networks for players to join. By gathering with like minded people, players can improve their game together and easily find peers to play with.

Let’s go over some pros and cons to why people play on FACEIT over Valve’s built-in matchmaking tools.

Pros: 

• FACEIT has the best servers with 128 tick, while Valve servers are using the sub-tick feature.
• Best Anti Cheat system in the market which is superior to Valve’s Anti Cheat. 
• Very high community presence where players can connect with like minded peers.
• Has an “avoid” system to prevent playing with toxic or unenjoyable players.

Cons: 

• Free FACEIT accounts have matchmaking limitations, not being able to choose specific maps.
• The ranking system is only displayed on the FACEIT website, not in game. 
• Still has the possibility of cheaters even though they have a rigid Anti Cheat system.

Unlike CS2’s skill group system, FACEIT was already utilizing an elo system. Additionally, the platform is very accurate in measuring a player’s true skill. FACEIT’s ranking system divides players into different levels. Here is how the system looks like.