If your merit score has dropped and matchmaking feels broken, you already know why you are here. This guide explains how to increase merit in BGMI the safe way, without risking a ban, and how to keep it high once it recovers. We will cover what merit actually measures, why it drops, and the day-to-day habits that push it back up.
What Is Merit in BGMI?
Merit, sometimes called the Credibility Score, is a behaviour rating attached to your account. It sits separate from your K/D, tier and rating points, and it tracks how you treat your teammates and opponents.
Every new account starts at 100 merit. The score falls when you do things the system flags as bad behaviour, and it climbs back up slowly through normal, clean play.
Why merit matters:
- Low merit blocks you from joining ranked and tournament modes
- It can lock voice chat and text chat
- It reduces daily and event rewards
- Very low merit puts your account on a watchlist for stricter anti-cheat and behaviour checks
If you are new to the game and unsure how the wider system fits together, our what is BGMI explainer covers the basics before you dive deeper.
Why Your Merit Drops
Merit does not drop from losing matches or having a bad K/D. It drops from actions the game classifies as harmful. The most common triggers are:
| Action | Impact on Merit |
|---|---|
| Team-killing (intentional kill of squadmate) | Large drop, instant |
| Damaging teammates repeatedly | Medium drop |
| Leaving ranked matches early | Small to medium drop per exit |
| AFK during a live match | Small drop, stacks fast |
| Reported and confirmed for abuse in voice or text chat | Medium to large drop |
| Reported for suspected cheating | Large drop if confirmed |
| Getting reported by multiple players in short succession | Cumulative drop |
The system is automated for most of this. It does not care about your intent. If you shot a teammate because they pushed into your line, the game still counts it as team damage.
How to Increase Merit in BGMI
There is no button to buy merit back, and no event that hands it out. Recovery is behavioural and it takes time. Here is what actually works.
1. Finish Every Match You Start
The single biggest fixable habit. Do not quit ranked matches early, even after you die. Wait for your squad to finish, or wait until the match ends if you are solo.
- If you die, spectate to the end
- Never tap “Leave Match” during a ranked game
- If your internet drops, reconnect within the allowed window instead of force-closing
Two or three clean, completed matches per day will visibly push merit upward over a week.
2. Stop All Friendly Fire
Team-kills are the fastest way to torch merit. Even accidental teammate damage in tense fights adds up.
- Call out your movements before pushing through doorways
- Turn off friendly fire in custom rooms when practising
- If a teammate is trolling you, mute and report them, do not shoot back
3. Do Not Go AFK
If you queue, you play. Going AFK to grab food or answer a call during a live ranked match is treated the same as leaving.
- Use TDM or arcade modes if you are unsure whether you can commit to a full match
- Set your phone to Do Not Disturb before you queue
4. Keep Chat Clean
Toxic voice and text chat is the second biggest merit killer after team-kills. Reports from strangers matter, but reports from your own squad matter more.
- Mute rather than argue
- Do not send abusive messages in the end-of-match lobby either, those are logged
- If you regularly play with toxic randoms, our how to unfriend in BGMI walkthrough helps you clean your friends list
5. Play Consistently Over Weeks, Not Hours
Merit recovery is slow by design. The system rewards sustained good behaviour, not a single perfect night.
Expect roughly:
- A handful of points per week of clean play
- Faster recovery in the first stretch after a drop
- Slower gains as you approach 100 again
If your merit is under 60, plan for two to three weeks of clean play before you see full access restored.
Things That Do NOT Increase Merit
There is a lot of bad advice floating around. None of the following do anything for merit:
- Buying UC or Royale Pass tiers
- Spending on crates or skins like the M416 Glacier skin
- Changing your in-game name (see our how to change name in BGMI guide if you want a fresh identity anyway)
- Adding friends or joining a clan
- Playing on an emulator or PC setup (if you are curious about that route, here is how to play PUBG Mobile on PC)
- Winning chicken dinners while behaving badly
Merit tracks behaviour only. Wins, kills and spending do not enter the calculation.
When Merit Is Too Low to Play Ranked
If your score sinks below the ranked threshold, the game will lock you out until it recovers. During that period:
- Play classic unranked matches to rebuild without risking further drops
- Play TDM and arcade modes, they still count toward good-behaviour recovery
- Do not create a new account to bypass the lock, linked device bans are common
- Avoid squad play with strangers until your score is safely above the threshold, since one bad teammate can drag you back down through reports
Once you cross back over the threshold, keep playing solo or with trusted friends for a few days before pushing ranked hard again.
How Merit Interacts With Tier Push
Merit and rating are separate systems, but they touch each other. A locked account cannot push tiers at all, which is why fixing merit comes first. If you are unclear on how the ladder itself works, our PUBG Mobile ranks breakdown covers every tier from Bronze up.
Key point: you cannot climb from Diamond to Ace with a merit lockout hanging over you, no matter how good your aim is.
The Bottom Line
Merit in BGMI is a behaviour score that recovers slowly through clean, complete matches and clean chat. There is no shortcut, no purchase, and no reset. If your merit is below the ranked threshold today, expect one to three weeks of consistent, well-behaved play before you are back at full access.
Play your matches to the end, do not shoot your squad, keep chat civil, and the score will climb on its own.
Want to sharpen the rest of your game while you rebuild? Check our guide on how to get free UC in PUBG Mobile for legit ways to earn rewards without touching your merit.