Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) has been one of the world‘s most popular multiplayer first-person shooter games since its release in 2012. The game builds upon the team-based action gameplay that made the original Counter-Strike so iconic nearly two decades ago.
One of the things that sets CSGO apart is its innovative Trust Factor matchmaking system. This system works behind the scenes to match players based on their Trust score, a metric of how trustworthy, skilled, and decent a player is deemed to be.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explain everything you need to know about Trust Factors in CSGO, including what they are, why they matter, and step-by-step instructions for checking your own Trust Factor score.
What is the Trust Factor in CSGO?
The Trust Factor is Valve‘s proprietary system for matching CSGO players based on their trustworthiness. It works alongside the skill-based matchmaking system by taking into account additional factors beyond skill or rank.
According to Valve [1], the Trust Factor considers factors like:
- How frequently you get reported for cheating, abusive behavior, or other negative conduct
- Your CS:GO game bans and overall Steam account standing
- Your experience level and time invested in CS:GO
- Whether you have a verified phone number connected to your Steam account
- The quality of your in-game interactions, like avoiding stream sniping or griefing
Reddit users have speculated that other potential factors may include [2]:
- Hours played in CSGO and other games
- Steam account age
- Competitive wins
- Steam spending amount
- Commendations and reports received
- Queuing with trusted lobby members
The goal of the Trust Factor is to help match you with other players who are less likely to cheat, smurf, grief, or demonstrate toxic behavior. This creates higher quality matchmaking experiences and reduces the likelihood of running into dishonest, disruptive, or unskilled players.
According to a Steam blog post, Trust Factor matchmaking led to a 20% reduction in reports on average across the CSGO player base [1].
Players with high Trust Factors will get matched together, while those with lower scores will be matched separately. Having a low Trust Factor can negatively impact your matchmaking, so it‘s important to understand how to check your score.
Why Does Your Trust Factor Matter?
Your Trust Factor has a direct influence on who you get matched with during competitive play.
If you have a high Trust Factor score, you‘ll likely get matched with similar players who are seen as highly trusted.
According to Valve, this generally leads to matches with fewer cheaters, better communication, and more competitive balance [1].
High Trust Factor players often report noticeably higher quality competitive matches. As one Reddit user described:
"Once I improved my Trust Factor, it was like night and day. My matches became so much more enjoyable practically overnight. No more obvious cheaters or griefers every other match" [3].
Players with lower Trust Factor scores tend to get matched together in the separate matchmaking pool.
These matches often involve more disruptive players who cheat, grief teammates, or demonstrate toxic behavior like verbal abuse.
One Redditor complained "Having a low Trust Factor is a miserable experience. It‘s cheaters and trolls every single match. I can hardly play competitively" [4].
Low-scoring players may also encounter longer queue times, as the matchmaking system has a smaller pool of low Trust Factor players to choose from.
No one beyond Valve knows the exact algorithm used to calculate Trust Factors. However, having a lower score means you‘ve exhibited more negative behavior or have riskier account factors according to their model.
Checking your Trust Factor and understanding whether it needs improvement is key to improving your overall matchmaking experience.
How to Check Your CSGO Trust Factor
Checking your Trust Factor requires queuing up for a competitive match with one or more friends in your lobby. The game will then display warning messages if there is a significant gap between players‘ Trust scores.
Step 1) Invite Friends to Your Lobby
First, launch CSGO and invite one or more friends into your lobby. Make sure these are trusted friends you play competitively with on a regular basis. Solo queueing won‘t allow you to check your Trust Factor.
Ideally, queue up with 2-3 friends who are active CSGO players with Prime matchmaking enabled. This gives you a useful sample to compare against.
Step 2) Queue Together for Competitive Match
Once your friend or friends have joined your lobby, queue up to start searching for a competitive match. All players must opt-in to the queue.
Selecting maps like Dust II or Mirage can reduce queue times. Make sure all players have competitive matchmaking unlocked as well.
Step 3) Check for Warning Messages
Pay close attention to the messages displayed while matchmaking is searching for a balanced game.
If a warning pops up stating "Your matchmaking experience will be significantly affected because the Trust Factor of party members is significantly lower than yours", this means your friend has a lower Trust Factor than you.
However, if that warning displays on your friend‘s screen instead of yours, it means you have the lower Trust Factor compared to your friend(s).
If no warning displays for either player, it indicates that both players have similar Trust Factors.
Keep queueing up competitively with various friends to get more data points on whether your Trust is lower compared to others.
Here are some example scenarios:
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You queue with Friend A and Friend B. Only you see the warning message. This means you have the lowest Trust Factor of the trio.
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You queue up with Friend C and the warning pops up on their end. Your Trust Factor is higher than Friend C.
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None of your friends receive warnings when queuing with you. Your Trust Factor is likely in good standing.
Step 4) Request Trust Factor Investigation
If your tests consistently show that you have a lower Trust Factor than your friends, it‘s worth investigating further by contacting Valve.
Send an email to [email protected] requesting them to look into your Trust Factor. Explain your matchmaking experience issues you’ve noticed and provide your Steam ID. This allows Valve to review your account status and Trust score.
While Valve won‘t reveal an exact number score, they can investigate if your Trust Factor seems anomalously low based on your demonstrated in-game behavior. If there are inaccuracies lowering your score, Valve can then recalibrate it accordingly.
Be sure to politely and thoroughly explain the impact on your matchmaking experience in the email. Provide your Steam ID and any corroborating details on when issues began. The more information you provide, the better equipped Valve will be to assist.
Tips for Improving Your Trust Factor
Here are some tips to help improve your CSGO Trust Factor over time based on community findings:
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Avoid reports and bans – Don‘t cheat, grief teammates, or demonstrate toxic behavior. This is the fastest way to tank your Trust Factor according to Valve [1].
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Link phone number – Add a valid, verified phone number to your Steam account. Having a Prime account linked phone number may help improve Trust according to player reports [5].
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Play regularly – Remain active in CS:GO matchmaking rather than taking long breaks from play. Inactivity can lower your score over time [6].
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Avoid unusual activity – Don‘t beg for commendations, make trades right after matches, or engage in other odd behaviors which some theorize may seem like manipulation [7].
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Play solo and in parties – Queue up alone and with friends to build a robust matchmaking history. Having 100+ clean matches helps significantly according to Valve [1].
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Opt into Prime matchmaking – Link your account to Prime by verifying phone and buying CSGO. This boosts your Trust per community findings [8].
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Improve Steam account standing – Increase total hours played, build up Steam level, purchase games, and be a member in good standing.
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Queue with trusted friends– Lobbying up with trusted teammates who have high playtime and Prime accounts may help increase your Trust Factor based on community speculation [9].
The Impact of Your CSGO Trust Factor
Your Trust Factor has a major influence on your competitive matchmaking experience. Players with high Trust will get matched together for higher quality games, while those with lower scores will often face cheaters, griefers, and other unpleasant matches.
Checking your Trust Factor periodically by queuing with Steam friends and watching for warning messages can help you determine if your matchmaking experience is being affected.
Focus on improving your Trust Factor over time by demonstrating positive behaviors. Avoid cheating, toxicity, and disruptions. Link a verified phone number to your account. Become a Prime member. And remain an active, trusted player to get into the higher Trust matchmaking pools.
With a better understanding of how Trust works and what impacts your score, you can take the right steps to check on and improve your Trust Factor in CS:GO. This will lead to more enjoyable, skill-based competitive matches over the long run.
