Every CSWatch player profile carries a 0-100 trust score. Here is exactly what goes into it, how much each part counts, and how to read the number before you queue with someone.
What the score is
The trust score is a weighted average of seven categories. Each category loses points for specific, named reasons (a VAC ban, a brand-new account, a sudden rank jump). Most start at 100; a few start lower when we have no data to check (skill consistency starts at 70 without Leetify or FACEIT stats, rank trajectory at 90 without rank history). The categories are then combined using fixed weights. Higher means a cleaner record.
It is not a probability. A score of 30 does not mean "30% chance this player is a cheater". It means several independent signals point the wrong way, and the profile shows which categories pulled it down so you can judge them yourself.
The seven categories
Ban record (28%)
Straight from Steam. A VAC ban drops this category to 0. Each game ban costs 40 points, a community ban 50 and a trade ban 20. A ban in the last 90 days costs another 25 (15 if it was in the last year), because recent bans say more than old ones.
Community reports (18%)
Reports filed on CSWatch. Each convicted report costs 20 points and each pending report 5, and both fade over time (a report counts about a third as much after 90 days).
Account legitimacy (17%)
Account age (under 6 months costs 30 points, under a year 15, under two years 5), CS2 playtime, the size of the game library, and whether the profile has an avatar and a name. A cheap throwaway account trips several of these at once.
Skill consistency (14%)
Performance that doesn't fit the account's experience: a very high headshot rate or spray accuracy with few hours, inhuman reaction times, a very high FACEIT ELO with few hours, or a high K/D at a low FACEIT level. Strong players can trip these too, which is why this category only counts for 14%.
Rank trajectory (10%)
How fast the rank moves. A Premier jump of thousands of points in a week, or a FACEIT ELO spike, costs up to 60 points, more when the account has few hours. Fast climbs are what boosted and cheating accounts tend to look like.
Friend network (8%)
Meant to measure how many of a player's friends are banned. That data isn't available from the official APIs yet, so today this category only reflects whether the player has a FACEIT account (60 without one, 100 with one). At 8% it moves the overall score by about 3 points at most.
Profile signals (5%)
Small things: a private profile, no avatar, a profile that was never set up. Each is weak on its own, so the whole category counts for only 5%.
Convictions override everything
If a player has a conviction on CSWatch, the score is set to 0, whatever the other categories say. A conviction is a human judgement based on evidence, and we don't let a clean-looking account average it away.
How to read scores in practice
- 76-100 (low risk): nothing notable in any category. Anti-cheat is never all-seeing, but there is no reason for concern.
- 51-75 (medium risk): a few signals worth a look, often a young account or limited playtime. Check the listed factors before judging.
- 26-50 (high risk): several signals point the wrong way. Look closely at the profile before you trust this player.
- 0-25 (critical): strong negative signals such as bans or a conviction.
What the score is not
It's not a verdict. Convictions come from people reviewing evidence, never from the score itself. The score is a quick summary of the evidence that already exists.
It's not permanent. Reports fade with time, rank and skill signals change as the player keeps playing, and the score is recalculated from current data. Bans are the exception: Valve's bans are permanent, so the ban record stays.
It's not a guarantee. Hardware cheats (DMA) and AI aim can leave an account looking clean. A high score means we found nothing, not that there is nothing to find.
See the reasons yourself
Every profile shows how each category scored, so you can see what pulled the number down instead of taking it on trust. Think a score is wrong? Contact us or file a report with evidence, and it will be looked at.