Are you tired of looking at your boring old default weapon models? You need a flashy CS2 skin you can apply on those weapons to give them a brand-new look. If that sounds like something you want to try, you are in the right place. Here’s an extensive guide on how to get CS2 skins.
Cases
If you follow CS2 content creators on YouTube, then your first instinct of where to get CS2 skins might be cases. Opening CS2 cases is actually one of the most fun ways to acquire skins. You can think of cases as loot boxes filled with CS2 skins, with some very rare and some basic. You open the loot box to get one of them at random.
There are several case types, each with a different collection of skins. There are even custom CS2 cases that you can find at third-party case opening sites, with unique collections of skins that you won’t find in regular CS2 cases. However, keep in mind that even if you acquire cases for free, you’ll need to spend cash for the key that opens the case.
Steam Community Market
As mentioned, getting skins from a CS2 case is random, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a valuable skin or something worth pennies. If you want a particular CS2 skin and don’t mind paying upfront cash for it, you can check out the Steam Community Market, which is the dedicated online marketplace for in-game items from games with Steam trade enabled.
Purchasing skins from the Steam Community Market is straightforward. Go to the Steam Community Market website and search for a skin you want to buy. Ensure you have enough balance in your Steam wallet, and then purchase the skin. Remember that CS2 skins have a variety of classifications within this same skin, like wear condition and pattern seed, which affects its value and appearance. Check out our extensive CS2 skins guide to learn more.
Trading
Up next, we have trading. Trading CS2 skins is the same as trading any other thing. You have something another person needs, and they have something you need. You both give away your items to the other person and in exchange, you both get the things you want. Now, replace that thing with CS2 skins, and you have CS2 skin trading.
However, what’s the guarantee that the other person will give you their skins, and who will send their items first? Valve has already considered those questions and developed the Steam trade window, which instantly transfers skins from one player’s inventory to the others when both players confirm the trade. To learn more about how CS2 skins trading works, you can check out our extensive guide on the topic.
Third-Party Marketplaces
Purchasing CS2 skins from third-party marketplaces is gaining popularity at quite a rapid pace. There are several reasons why that’s the case. But first, what actually are third-party marketplaces? Basically, these are online platforms that sell and purchase in-game items for games like CS2. Some websites cover multiple games, while others are only for one.
Circling back to the benefits of using third-party marketplaces, one of the main reasons why CS2 players are switching to them is that they offer much better pricing compared to the Steam Community Market. If you are lucky, you can find insane deals and grab some of the best-looking CS2 skins at a significant discount.
However, there is one major problem with purchasing skins from third-party marketplaces. The thing is, these third-party marketplaces have no affiliation with Steam. Secondly, anyone with access to the Internet can open a third-party marketplace, including bad people who would want to scam others.
You might think that it’s not that big of an issue, but a surprising amount of people have already lost their skins or cash in a scam while trying to purchase or sell a CS2 skin on a third-party marketplace. So, avoiding scam sites should be on top of your priority list.
Fortunately, you can guarantee your safety from scam sites by implementing a rigorous filtration process. If you don’t know what filtration process you should use or don’t have the time to filter out all the scam sites, you can check out our list of the best places to buy CS2 skins, where we have already done the research for you.
Weekly Care Package
If you don’t want to pay for CS2 skins and want to test a skin out to see if you are even interested in them, there is an option for you. You can get skins for free using the Weekly Care Package within CS2, a reward system that gives players skins, cases, and other in-game items for free. However, you will need CS2 Prime and earn enough XP to level up before getting your free drop.
Gambling
Gambling is something that people do for fun and excitement. For example, playing roulette and watching the wheel spin as the ball gets closer to the number you wagered on. Or, placing a bet on a team currently playing a match in a CS2 tournament and then seeing that team win more rounds.
In other words, winning or losing is part of the game. But when you win, some gambling sites actually allow you to redeem your rewards through CS2 skins. There are actually plenty of CS2 gambling sites on the internet, with each offering a multitude of different gambling activities and games.
However, similar to the issue with third-party marketplaces, you must be careful while selecting a site since there is a risk of getting scammed. Fortunately, we’ve done the research in this area as well. After carefully looking at hundreds of platforms and filtering out all the scam sites, we have created a list of the best CS2 gambling sites.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to get CS2 skins. You can get them from cases, buy them directly from online marketplaces, and even for free through in-game drops. Just make sure that if you get CS2 skins from third-party marketplaces, you must carefully choose legit and trustworthy sites.
