Image Credit: Bethesda
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Confused about ranks in Halo 5: Guardians? Check this guide out to clear everything up!

Halo 5: Guardians Ranking System Guide

Confused about ranks in Halo 5: Guardians? Check this guide out to clear everything up!
This article is over 8 years old and may contain outdated information

The ranking system in Halo 5: Guardians looks confusing at first. There were also changes since beta, so there is some confusion about what the actual ranks are and how the initial rank placement works.

Recommended Videos

Halo 5 uses CSR (Competitive Skill Ranking) to determine your rank, based on winning and losing. I’ll help explain how this works for initial rank placement as well as going up in the ranks. Check out my Beginner Tips and Tricks for general help with the game.

This guide will go over the ranking system in Halo 5 including:

  • Halo 5 Ranks – All of the ranks in Halo 5, the tiers, and how to increase your rank.
  • Halo 5 Rank Placement – How the initial rank placement works.
  • Onyx and Champion – How the last 2 ranks differ from the previous ranks and how to increase it.

Halo 5 Ranks

Ranks only apply to arena games. There are 7 ranks in Halo 5:

  • Bronze
  • Silver
  • Gold
  • Platinum
  • Diamond
  • Onyx
  • Champion

Each of these ranks has a number rank from 1-6. When you win enough games, your tier goes up. If you win enough games at rank 6, you move up to the next tier.

If you lose games your rank goes down, but you cannot go down a tier. For example, if your rank is Gold 5, you can go all the way down to Gold 1 and never back to Silver.

These ranks are only based on winning and losing. It doesn’t matter how many kills you get, how many flags you capture, or how well you do in a game.

Halo 5 Rank Placement

Each playlist has its own rank and you must finish 10 games in a playlist to get your initial rank placement.

Halo 5 rank placement

Your placement depends on winning and losing against other ranked players. If you win against Gold players and lose against Diamond, you’ll most likely be placed in Platinum. The system is not perfect, but this is an example of how they place you at first.

Onyx and Champion

The last 2 ranks work differently than the others. When you leave Diamond and enter Onyx, you no longer have tiers. You get the number rating that shows your CSR. As you win and lose, this number rating goes up and down.

If you reach the top 200 in the playlist, you get Champion rank. So Onyx is the last rank everyone can get, and Champion is reserved for the best players. You can drop from Champion to Onyx if you are not in the top 200 anymore.

There will also be seasons coming later. These reset your rank in certain playlists and lets you do match placement again. The ranks reset each month and you have the ability to earn cosmetic rewards if you do well enough.

I hope this clears up how the ranks work in Halo 5: Guardians. If you want more information on the other multiplayer options, check out my Warzone Guide and REQ Tips. Let me know if you have any questions!


GameSkinny is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Synzer
Synzer
After gaming for 25 years, Synzer leveraged his vast knowledge of RPGs and MMOs into a job as a games journalist, covering the games he loves. Five years later, he's still writing about Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon, and Knights of the Old Republic. Synzer has a bachelor's degree in English and creative writing. You can see him in action on his YouTube channel (https://bit.ly/2F97BrR) and Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/synzergaming).