The short answer
Academy guidance says game rating is used for balance and is based on skill minus uncertainty, while leaderboard rating uses a harsher uncertainty adjustment.
The two numbers serve different purposes.
Why this matters
- Game rating exists to help build fairer matches.
- Leaderboard rating exists to be a more conservative public ranking signal.
- Confusing the two creates a lot of unnecessary frustration.
What a player should actually do
- Use game rating to understand balancing behavior.
- Use leaderboard rating as a slower and stricter public status metric.
- Do not panic when the numbers feel different. They are designed to be different.
Common mistake
The common mistake is expecting leaderboard rating to mirror lobby balance directly. That is not its job.
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