MMR

MMR stands for matchmaking rating. It is a number that represents how skilled a game thinks you are, based mostly on your results. Win against strong opponents and your MMR rises; lose to weaker ones and it falls. The game then uses MMR to pick team-mates and opponents for skill-based matchmaking.

In many games MMR is hidden, and the rank you see – a tier such as Gold or Diamond – is a separate, simplified display. Your rank and your MMR usually move together, but not always: a visible rank may lag behind or move faster than the hidden rating.

Roots in chess

Rating systems like this have a long history. The best known is the Elo system, devised by Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American physics professor and chess master, as an improved chess rating system. The United States Chess Federation implemented it in 1960 and the international chess federation FIDE adopted it in 1970. The Elo system has been adapted for esports and video games, and players still say “Elo” to mean their skill rating in many games. Modern game systems often use more complex methods, but the basic idea – predict the result, then adjust based on what actually happened – is the same.

How MMR changes

The size of each change usually depends on expectations. Beating an opponent with a much higher rating moves your number more than beating one with a lower rating. New accounts often see big swings at first while the system works out where they belong, then smaller changes later.

Keeping it in perspective

Matchmaking ratings measure results in one game mode, not someone’s value as a player or person. For young players especially, it helps to focus on improvement and enjoyment rather than watching the number. If ratings become a source of stress, switching to unranked modes for a while is a sensible step.