So, I’m writing this after one of the worst gaming nights I’ve had on this game, but the frustration comes from a broader issue.

I can’t help but conclude that solo queue matchmaking in World Tour is seriously flawed—especially for newer players. And honestly, this might be one of the reasons the game is struggling to attract and retain fresh players. My last gaming session serves as a perfect example:

I'm certainly not a veteran in this game—I’m only level 51 with 40 hours of playtime—but I am a seasoned FPS player, particularly in team-based, objective-focused shooters. For my level, I think I have decent game sense, I play all classes (I pick a class to complete/balance my team comp), and I usually outperform my teammates in terms of combat, support, or objective stats (my K/D is generally over 1.8 when not messing around/testing a new niche weapon). Tonight, I decided to grind some ranks and earn some free Multibucks by playing exclusively in World Tour. I’m currently sitting at Bronze 1.

The result? Absolutely brutal. Over a six-hour session and roughly 25 games, I only won two rounds—not matches, just rounds. I never even made it to the final round.

Most of the opponents who killed me were Platinum or Diamond-ranked, with sometimes Emerald players in the mix. My teammates were often Gold or Platinum, but in about half the games, I’d have another Bronze or Silver player on my team. In nearly every match, at least one teammate had zero kills and a ridiculously low score—whether because they kept rushing alone, trying (and failing) to snipe with the worst aiming I've ever seen, or just standing across the map shooting at barrels (seriously, was that a lost six-year-old?). More often than not, we got absolutely stomped.

To make things worse, about one-third of my matches had at least one (sometimes two) teammates rage-quit. I never left a match myself because I see these moments as chances to improve, and I have a somewhat competitive mindset. But wow—this was hands down one of the worst matchmaking experiences I’ve had in a long time.

Now, I know matchmaking in this game is usually rough, and my win rate isn’t amazing even on a good day, but I can typically win around one in two rounds in Quick Cash. What’s insane is that when I queue solo in World Tour, I constantly get matched against Platinum-to-Emerald players—while I’m sitting at Bronze 1 with just 40 hours of playtime. That makes zero sense.

Weirdly enough, things completely change when I play with a friend. My win rate jumps to about one in two or one in three games of World Tour, which tells me the matchmaking system is flawed, especially for the solo queue.

Conclusion:

This game desperately needs better matchmaking. If the issue is a low player base making proper matchmaking (and waiting times) difficult, then the approach needs to change. Right now, it’s incredibly unwelcoming to new solo players, and unless that changes, the game will need a more rewarding semi-casual experience to bring players in and keep them around.

For those who’ve been playing this game for a while—did you have a similar experience in this game mode when you started? And if so, when (or if) did it start getting better?

Also, if you play regularly, please send me a friend invite! I need to escape solo queue hell and actually have some fun :) Phene#2426