CS:GO currently charges players to access Ranked matches. This led to a drop of 100,000 players. The game saw a 16.75 percent drop in June with this new system.
Previously, players could access Prime status for free. However, recent changes require players to pay after a certain point. The new system has been introduced to combat the cheating in the game, but it appears to have some negative effects as it greatly affects the number of players.
Valve shared about the paid system: “New players can still play all game modes, take part in community servers, and access workshop maps.”
However, only elite players can access ranked matches.
