Ranked Matchmaking Update

We’re rebuilding how Ranked matches are made around one rule: fairness comes before getting into matches as fast as possible.

What’s Changed as of Today

Improved Match Fairness

We’ve made improvements to who you’re competing against across all Ranked tiers, which can now mean slightly longer matchmaking wait times. Tighter matches mean longer waits, especially at higher ranks and off-peak hours. We’ll continue monitoring queue times and make adjustments as needed to strike the best possible balance.

We use the extra queue time to generate as many matches as possible before selecting the optimal match for players. That doesn't mean every match will be perfect for you; it just means that all matches picked will be the best for the most players in the lobby at that time.

Matchmaking begins with your current rank and searches for the most competitive matches, so the lobby you drop into should be fair. As a reminder, parties match based on the highest-ranked member.

If you attempt to drop into a match with a higher-ranked friend, you’ll play at their rank. Please expect more difficult matches if you are a Bronze, Silver, or Gold player playing with Elite, Champion, or Unreal friends.

There will be some cases where you land on a server a little farther away than your preferred subregion to prevent infinite wait times for a fairer match.

For tighter queues to work, some matchmaking settings will vary if regions don’t have enough Ranked players at the time they wish to queue.

We’re looking forward to your feedback on how all of these changes feel in Ranked. Please let us know, so we can keep your feedback in mind. See you on the Island!