Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play: Ranks, rules & rewards

Modern Warfare 2 players love playing like the pros while the CDL rages on, and the Ranked Play mode is the best place to do it. Here’s what you need to know about Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play in Season 2.

While most Call of Duty games have a Ranked Play mode, Infinity Ward usually opt not to include one. Instead, Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare included competitive playlists with the same maps and rulesets as the league, but without ranks to grind through.

Luckily, players have access to a full-fledged Ranked Play mode in Modern Warfare 2. Given the success of Vanguard’s system, Modern Warfare 2 players were eager to get the chance to play like the CDL pros in Season 2, grinding the ranks and earning free rewards.

Here’s everything we know about the Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play mode, including Ranks, rewards, and rules.

• Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play release date
• Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play maps & modes
• Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play ranks

Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play release date

Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play arrived with the Season 2 update on February 15.

The wait was a long one for Modern Warfare 2 fans looking to climb the ranks. Since launch, players were limited to the CDL Moshpit mode, which lacked several key features of a proper Ranked Play mode.

Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play maps & modes

Modern Warfare 2 players must adhere to the Call of Duty League rules and restrictions in Ranked Play. For those who aren’t familiar with the CDL, this means 4v4 matches with certain weapon restrictions enforced. You can find the full ruleset on the CDL webpage.

To access Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play, you have to be at least Level 16. Luckily, all unrestricted weapons, attachments, equipment, and Perks will be automatically unlocked for your use. Check out our guide to the best Ranked Play loadouts.

The Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play maps and modes consist of the following combinations:

Hardpoint

• Al Bagra Fortress
• Breenbergh Hotel
• Embassy
• Mercado Las Almas
• Zarqwa Hydroelectric

Search & Destroy

• Al Bagra Fortress
• Breenbergh Hotel
• El Asilo
• Embassy
• Mercado Las Almas

Control

• Al Bagra Fortress
• Breenbergh Hotel
• El Asilo

Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play ranks & rewards

Ranked Play features seven Skills Divisions from the lowest Bronze Division to the very top with the Iridescent Division. In addition to seven Skills Divisions, players will have the opportunity to climb into the Top 250, which can be viewed as the cream of the crop.

If you make it past Iridescent into the Top 250, “your name will be displayed on a special Top 250 leaderboard.” Climbing all the way up to the Top 250 will come with incredible bragging rights.

Much like Vanguard, Modern Warfare 2 players will boast a Skill Rating, otherwise known as SR. Your SR will determine your Skill Division, so that’s the number you’re going to want to see receive an increase after each match.

For more information, check out our complete guide to Ranked Play Divisions and Skill Rating.

A different set of ranks separate from SR or Skill Divisions will also feature in Modern Warfare 2 Ranked Play. This will give players the opportunity to climb from Ranks 1 to 50. This specific Rank does not reset with each season like SR.

Every player will start at Rank 1 and every 5 Ranks will provide an update to the player’s Rank icon and “award a set of exclusive Ranked Play rewards, including Skins at Rank 5 and Rank 50.”

As for Ranked Play rewards, players can also expect to earn Skill Division Skins based on their highest rank in a given season. The first time you finish in the Gold Division or above will come with an exclusive one-time reward.

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For more Modern Warfare 2, check out our other guides:

Best guns in Modern Warfare 2 | How to get Modern Warfare 2 Twitch Drops | How to play Modern Warfare 2 on Steam Deck | Are Modern Warfare 2 servers down? | Do Warzone Double XP tokens carry over to MW2? | Can you mix and match camos in Modern Warfare 2? | Does Modern Warfare 2 have a Tactical Nuke Killstreak? | How to turn off crossplay in Modern Warfare 2

Image Credit: Activision