How to Turn Off Prime in CSGO

Prime was given to those CSGO players who had reached rank 21 and verified their phone number, or to those who simply purchased it in the Steam Store. Prime affects the CSGO matchmaking system – players who own it are only paired with other Prime players, while those who don’t have Prime play separately.

This system has its disadvantages that are crucial to some players. For this reason, CSGO developers changed Prime to the Trust Factor. Although Prime can’t be obtained anymore, players that already have it didn’t lose it – and there’s also no easy way to disable it. If you wish to turn the feature off but don’t know how, read our guide.

In this article, we’ll explain how to disable Prime in CSGO. Additionally, we’ll answer how Prime works, why it was removed, and what is a Trust Factor. Read on to find out how exactly the CSGO matchmaking system functions.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Prime Now Uses Trust Factor

CSGO developers have changed the Prime matchmaking system to the Trust Factor. Those players who used to have Prime didn’t lose it, though. Thus, Prime players are still paired with other Prime players, but the Trust Factor is additionally taken into account.

Deleting Prime from your account is deemed impossible – the only way to get rid of it is to create a new account. But if you don’t want to lose your rank, there’s a way around it. Delete the phone number linked to Prime from your current Steam account. This will also delete Prime from your CSGO account. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to link the same phone number to another account for six months. Here’s how to unlink your number from your Steam account:

1. Open Steam and sign in to your account.
   
2. Navigate to Account Settings.
   
3. Open the “Phone” section.
   
4. Select “Remove number,” then “Remove from all accounts.”
   

Optionally, if you can matchmake only with non-prime players for some time, you might break the system so that it will only take into account the Trust Factor. Developers didn’t confirm that explicitly, but a number of players have reported this method worked for them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read this section to find out everything you need to know about the CSGO matchmaking system.

Why Would You Want to Disable CSGO Prime?

The most common reason for CSGO players being unhappy with Prime is that although the Trust Factor is a much better matchmaking system, Prime is still taken into account in addition to it. In other words, Prime players are paired together in most cases, so the chances of them being matched with non-prime players are minimal.

For some, this sets a boundary to playing with non-prime friends. Others may simply want to lift their place on the scoreboard by winning a couple of matches, which is often easier as non-prime players may have a lower rank.

Why Can’t You Disable CSGO Prime?

CSGO developers didn’t give an explicit answer to why Prime can’t be disabled. Of course, it’s possible that they didn’t work on providing this possibility as the number of players complaining about it isn’t high enough.

Prime seemingly works well paired with the Trust Factor, and those players who truly wanted to get rid of the feature found a way around it. Furthermore, it could be considered unfair to those players who have paid to get Prime, at that time, it was given permanently.

Why Was Prime Removed From CSGO?

Prime Matchmaking in CSGO was initially released to enhance the matchmaking experience by pairing players that have linked their phone number to CSGO and, reached rank 21. However, this system had its disadvantages. Those who had Prime could only matchmake with other Prime players, which meant that the system created a boundary for friends that would like to play together.

Later, developers attempted to fix this by allowing those who had Prime to invite non-prime players, but in this case, another issue arose. Non-prime players often had to matchmake with much stronger competitors of disproportionate ranks. For this reason, CSGO developers created a new matchmaking system – the Trust Factor, which takes into account more factors than the presence of Prime alone.

What Is the Trust Factor?

The Trust Factor is a matchmaking system based on players’ behavior and attributes of their Steam account. The exact factors are kept discreet for a couple of reasons. Firstly, to avoid players worrying about doing something wrong during the match.

Secondly, due to frequent updates to the Trust Factor. However, at first, developers reportedly have looked into the time players spent in CSGO, the number of times they were reported for cheating, rank, and even the time spent playing other Steam games.

Can I Find Out My Trust Factor?

No, seeing your Trust Factor is impossible. Developers have no plans on allowing it in the future either, as some players would try optimizing their Trust Factor and this could ruin the gaming experience. It also doesn’t have much sense as players with the same Trust Factor on the server constantly change depending on the time, region, etc.

Does Prime Increase Your Trust Factor?

It does – verified players are more likely to get linked with other trusted players that weren’t reported for cheating and have a higher rank. However, if you don’t have Prime, linking your phone number to CSGO through your Steam account will do the same thing.

How Is Trust Factor Calculated for New Players?

If you’re new to CSGO, you may think that you will get matched with other players randomly. This may be true if you have just created your Steam account, but if you have owned it for a while, the system will take into account your behavior in other games. The number of times you’ve been reported or banned, your performance, and total time played will likely be analyzed to provide you with the best fitting team.

How Does Trust Factor Work if Players From the Same Party Have Different Ratings?

The Trust Factor system isn’t perfect, either. It matches with an enemy team based on the lowest Trust Factor from your party. Thus, if all but one of your friends have a high Trust Factor, you will still get paired with players of lower ranks, those who have been reported more often, and so on.

Build Your Trust

As you can see, CSGO developers had serious reasons to make amendments to the CSGO matchmaking system. Some players are happy with the way Prime works, but if you don’t agree, you now know how to disable it. To improve your matchmaking experience by getting paired with the best fitting opponents, you don’t have to wonder how the Trust Factor is calculated. Instead, concentrate on playing fair, performing better, and behaving well in other Steam games, as that also affects your Trust Factor.

What do you think of the developers’ decision to switch Prime to the Trust Factor in CSGO? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.