CS:GO Skins in Counter-Strike 2: Everything You Need to Know

After many rumors and impatient expectations, we’ve finally got an official announcement of Counter-Strike 2.

In general, everything we wrote in this article about the new version of the game and its impact on CS:GO turned out to be correct — apart from the name (probably).

• Counter-Strike 2 is a free upgrade for Global Offensive;
• Smoke is more realistic, which affects gameplay and visual experience;
• CS2 has sub-tick update architecture, which substantially improves movement and shooting (tick rate doesn’t matter);
• The maps look better. And they are the same CS2 maps;
• The in-game actions look and sound better.

In a nutshell, the players have the same game — but significantly improved. Your skills and experience in CS:GO keep their value. You just continue playing, but everything is on the next quality level in CS2.

But what about the skins? They are not directly part of the gameplay, but they strongly affect the experience inside and around the game. What happens with CS:GO skins in CS2?

We have collected the most popular questions regarding this topic and answered them here. So, let’s go!

Will CSGO Skins Transfer to CSGO 2?

Yes. The whole collection of skins from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be playable in the new versions of the game, Counter-Strike on Source 2.

This information has been officially confirmed by Valve. Everything you’ve bought for your CS:GO inventory or got directly in the game remains in CS2.

Rest assured, your AWP | Dragon Lore and literally any other skin will just appear in the CS2 inventory.

What will happen to CS:GO skins when they port it to Source 2?

The game items will look better thanks to the improved lighting and textures of the Source 2 engine.

Basically, the skins are objects in the game code, so the environment of Source and Source 2 allow the developers to transfer these pieces of code without any substantial changes. Both game engines have been created by Valve, and the company knows well how to deal with their internal products.

Dota 2 is a very good example of such a transfer. The MOBA was created on Source and then it totally moved to Source 2. The process did not affect Dota 2 items at all — everything just appeared in the inventory of the improved game.

It’s clearly a pattern Valve is going to follow with porting CS:GO skins to Source 2.

How will CS2 skins look?

The short answer is — CS2 skins will look better.

But the question may be referring to a somewhat deeper aspect. It’s not only about the visual effect (we’ve covered that in the previous answer). It may be about transferring specific images to the new engine.

Weapon skins are pretty important to CS:GO players. They support your status in the community by rareness and variety of items in your possession. But also they create your unique in-game atmosphere, boost your spirit, and effectively help you enjoy many victories.

Everything is fine with the status part. An Aziimov gun will remain the same Aziimov gun (sure, it’s just an example).

And it’s totally true for the actual art of CS:GO skins as well. Nothing will be changed beyond improving lighting and texture. CS2 skins will look just right in game matches.

Will skin prices go up in CS2?

The skins market has the same rules as other markets. Prices here are formed by supply and demand. If a particular skin is rare and many gamers/traders want to buy it, the price will naturally go up.

The release of Counter-Strike 2 certainly shakes the market — and the transition of the community to the new environment might change supply and demand. Two obvious aspects here are the following:

• Some skins look slightly different in Source 2. If they look better, people will want them more. If the supply remains the same, with increased demand the prices go up.
• The drop distribution may change in CS2, so the supply will potentially be different. If there will be more skins, they will be cheaper. If the game drops some items less often, they will be more expensive.

The real situation will only be known after the general release of Counter-Strike 2. In fact, some time will be needed to understand the new market demand and supply properly. There are absolutely no universal rules about skin prices increasing (or decreasing). As the new version of Counter-Strike uses all weapon skins from CS:GO, we could expect the prices to remain relatively stable.

How to inspect skins in CS2

If you have access to the CS2 beta, you can inspect how the skins look in this new game. The method is not as convenient as in CS:GO, but the situation may change after the proper release. It’s only beta, you know.

To inspect skins in CS2:

1. Enable developer console. Or make sure it’s enabled.
2. Copy a skin’s link. It is possible directly on DMarket. Open info on a specific item by clicking the “i” icon in the listing. Look for the “inspect in game” link. Right click it, and choose “Copy”.
3. Paste the link into the developer console and edit it. Press tilde “~” to activate the console. Paste the link and (1) remove everything before csgo_econ_action_preview; (2) replace %20 with a normal space.
4. Press Enter in the console to start inspecting.

Let’s add a practical example for editing a link. Here is one for ★ Butterfly Knife | Doppler (Factory New):

steam://rungame/730/76561202255233023/+csgo_econ_action_preview
%20S76561199479907000A30709817579D14890066515197323519

And here is how it should look after editing to inspect the skin in the CS2 console:

csgo_econ_action_preview S76561199479907000A30709817579D14890066515197323519

Where to buy CS2 skins?

Thanks to proper steps by Valve, the whole industry of skins trading remains unaffected. That means you can buy, sell, and trade CS2 skin on the same best platform — here on DMarket.

Feel free to explore the listings of CS2 skins and get whatever you want in your game inventory. Think about it as about buying CS2 skins. Technically, the items are the same.

How to make CS:GO skins appear in CS2?

No additional actions are needed for transferring your CS:GO skins into CS2. Steam will make the whole magic real. Whenever Counter-Strike 2 is out, you can just launch the game, and your CS2 skins will be there already.

No tricks are needed if you have a skin in your game inventory. Just activate it for your weapon and enjoy how it looks in matches.

Before you start playing, make sure your computer meets the Counter-Strike 2 system requirements.

Trade on the go - install the mobile app of DMarket from Google Play or App Store. Never miss great prices and unique skins. The best CS2, Dota 2, Rust and TF2 marketplace is always at hand!

We’ll keep an eye on everything CS2 related (especially skins) and will inform you guys about the most interesting and important announcements. Follow DMarket on Facebook and Twitter and not miss a thing.