Halo Infinite ranking system: All competitive tiers and ranks in order in Halo Infinite's Ranked Arena
How to climb the ranks in Halo Infinite's ranking system.
Ranks in Halo Infinite are how you mark your success in the game's competitive mode, Ranked Arena.
As your skill grows, you'll find yourself progressing through Halo Infinite's ranking system, including the various ranks and tiers it consists of.
Though it's optional, for those who want to make Halo as competitive as possible, aiming to maintain the highest rank possible before the end of the season is a way to keep those multiplayer skills sharp.
On this page:
How does Halo Infinite's ranking system work?
As well as the more relaxed Quick Play and Big Team Battle playlists, there is also the Ranked Arena - essentially the game's competitive mode.
Ranked Arena not only assigns players a rank based on their performance, but also strips away some features seen in other modes.
In ranked matches, the radar and grenade hitmarkers are disabled, friendly fire is on, and everyone has a Battle Rifle by default. Items will spawn in static locations, too.
To begin with Halo Infinite's ranking system, you must play 10 matches within that playlist, which will judge your performance and give you a starting rank. From there, you can move up and down ranks and tiers based on your prowess.
Ranked Arena features various four-vs-four team-based modes - Slayer, Capture the Flag, Oddball and Strongholds - and allows you to be part of a squad or enter solo. (You can also use the mode to work towards your weekly challenges).
By default you'll be playing cross-play and with mixed inputs; if you are solo or in a duo, it's worth changing to the Solo / Duo ranked queue then the input which matches yours and keeps things as fair as possible.
Halo Infinite ranking tiers and ranks in order
Once you have played 10 matches within Ranked Arena, you will be given your first Competitive Skill Rank, placing you within the ranking system. The highest rank you can debut at is Diamond 5.
From there, you can continue to move up and down the ranks based on your ongoing performance.
The first five ranks have six tiers each to move up and down within. Meanwhile, the final and highest rank, Onyx, has a single tier, but has a score rating ranging from 1500 to 2300.
Going from the lowest to the highest, the ranks and their tiers in Halo Infinite are:
- Bronze (6 tiers)
- Silver (6 tiers)
- Gold (6 tiers)
- Platinum (6 tiers)
- Diamond (6 tiers)
- Onyx (1 tier)
How to climb the ranking system in Halo Infinite
Developer 343 Industries has yet to share exactly how Halo Infinite's ranking system works (it promises to offer a "deeper dive into the inner-workings" at some point) but based on in-game descriptions and community experience, we have some idea.
According to the in-game description for the Competitive Skill Rank, "your rank improves when you perform better than expected" - so once you have established your initial ranking, you need to play better and not simply win to move ranks (which sounds obvious, but suggests you need to improve above your average performance).
Based on community findings, this appears to be somewhat true. Players are finding personal performance, as well as team wins and loses, has an impact on your ranking. There are reports of players ranking up even if they lost, seemingly based on how well they did individually, which hopefully means it's worth putting in your all and bettering your personal score even if things are looking a little one sided for the team as a whole.
If you are placing after a ranking reset, your CSR - or Competitive Skill Rank - might be lower than what it was previously. This is normal, says 343 - as it gives players room to then climb.
Halo Infinite Winter Update is here, ushing in the Halo Infinite co-op release date. Starting the story? Learn how to download and install the Halo Infinite campaign and lists of skull locations, Mjolnir Armor Lockers and Spartan Cores. including those for the commando rifle, fusion coil and a killing spree. If you're looking to step up the challenge, then Halo Infinite's ranking system is waiting.
How often do ranks reset in Halo Infinite?
Ranks will reset at the end of each season, and may be reset part way through a season. This happened halfway through Season 1 as part of a mid-season update (a patch which also offered multiple campaign improvements) which saw changes to how the skill ratings were assessed and distributed.
As for when Season 2 and the next reset will begin, 343 Industries has confirmed Season 1 will end in May 2021 instead of March as originally proposed. This is when several new features could be added to the game - including the addition of campaign co-op.
The original plan was for seasons to last three months each - and it's possible this schedule will be maintained from season 2 onwards - essentially meaning each ranking period will be three months as well.
According to head of creative Joseph Staten, the Season 1 extension was made "to give ourselves more time to ensure Season 2 meets our high quality bar and so we can finish development for Season 2 in a healthy and sustainable way for our team."