Overwatch - Ranks Guide: how to get ranked and what each rank means

Introduction

If you are new to Overwatch, you might wonder how does the ranking system actually work. Before we start to explain this, it is worth pointing out that the ranking system in this game is not like the other shooters out there. So, before you dive in the competitive matchmaking, let's take a look at some of the most important things you need to know.

The ranks in Overwatch increase after you get 500 Skill Rating (SR), with the lowest tier being 1500 which is Bronze. Needless to sat, grinding your way up is very hard because you get an average of 20 to 25 SR per win

Here are the ranks:

• Bronze – 1,500
• Silver – from 1,500 to 1,999
• Gold – from 2,000 to 2,499
• Platinum – from 2,500 to 2,999
• Diamond - from 3,000 to 3,499
• Masters – from 3,500 to 3,999
• Grandmaster –  4,000+

Similar to other games out there, the vast majority of players is somewhere in the middle - usually Gold. The higher you get, the fewer players you will come across.

How to start your ranked journey in Overwatch?

The next lines are probably one of the most important things you need to do before you start your ranked journey in Overwatch. Needless to say, the first thing that you need to do is get to level 25. You can do this by either playing in Quick Play or Arcade but it seems like the first method is preferable because you will be able to have a similar experience as in Competitive play.

Try to play as many different heroes as possible so that you get a better understanding of the game. Sure, it might be tempting to just spam one hero when you finally get the hang of it but this will not be worth in the long run. Remember that you will have to play different heroes at some point in Competitive.

When you finally get to level 25, it is time to prepare for the ten most important placement matches in your life. Those 10 placement matches will determine what rank are you going to start in. That said, you should keep it in mind that most people usually start either in Silver or Gold. So, even if you are the best player in the world, you won't be able to get the maximum rank right from the placement. 

Just remember to prioritize wins instead of your KDA ratio. This means that it's definitely wise to play around your team rather than alone.

Does the rank matter and what does it mean?

You might often hear people saying that the rank is meaningless. While this can be true up to a point, it's not really the case in 99% of the situations. The Overwatch rank is an adequate representative if your current skills. That's why you can find a specific type of playstyle in each rank. For example, the Bronz players will spam their favourite hero no matter the matchup.

The fun part starts once you get to Gold. You will start meeting a lot of different people, some of which are very good and have big goals, whereas others will just randomly end up there and try to ruin every single game. This is also the place where you will hear people explaining how a certain hero is their "main" and how you should let them play it because they are pretty good at it. Escaping this "elo-hell" is definitely easier said than done. However, if you are patient enough and pick the proper heroes, you will be able to succeed.

The next step is Platinum, where people are a lot better and they finally start using their microphones in order to communicate with their team-mates. In addition to that, you might also come across many people that actually try to climb the other remaining brackets, which is why they will do everything in their power to win, including forming different strategies, combining abilities and more. To make a long story short, this is where competitive Overwatch starts to become interesting.

Diamond is where things really get serious as more and more people are clearly aiming to become one of the best players in overwatch. You can't really find people who got here randomly because you really need to be good to get here. In order to survive, you must work together with your team. If you don't, your chances will become very slim.

The next level is called "Master" and this is where a player can call himself semipro or "pro wannabe" because you can often meet a lot of pro players who are smurfing here. Needless to say, the players here are very good, which means that there is no way of surviving if you don't use communication. Also, by the time you get to master, you should already have an idea what's your main class going to be. This is no place for you to experiment.

Last, but definitely not least, we have the Grandmaster, which is the top 1% of players in Overwatch. This is where you meet pro players, streamers and other famous people in the game.

How to rank properly?

As we mentioned before, the easiest and quickest way to rank in Overwatch is if you win your games. You can do this either alone or in a group with your friends. If you don't have anyone to play with, feel free to check the Looking For Group channel where you will always find someone to team up with. However, if you play in a group you will also face other groups, so keep that in mind.