The variety of skins for all types of weapons in CS2 that players can enjoy now did not come about all at once. Valve gradually expanded and improved this aspect of the game, so that eventually, trading skins and collecting them turned into a whole economy.
A Bit of History
In Counter-Strike 1.6, skins in their modern form did not exist. But players wanted to add variety to the appearance of agents and weapons even then. Therefore, many community-created mods could be downloaded from specialized sites. Developers took note of this and later decided to incorporate them into the next version — Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
However, skins did not appear in the new version right away. CS:GO was released in August 2012, and the legendary Arms Deal update, which introduced cosmetic items, came a year later. Many of the skins released then have become true classics and remain popular to this day. Examples like AUG Wings, MP7 Skulls, or Desert Eagle Hypnotic are comparable to many modern novelties. Besides the CS:GO Weapon Case, which could yield the aforementioned skins, other collections related to competitive maps were introduced in the update. A total of a hundred skins were added, so the choice was quite diverse.
It was from this point that the skin market began to take shape as we know it today. Players had the opportunity to exchange items, as well as sell and buy them through the official trading platform. It's no surprise that the prices for items labeled as "Contraband" or "Covert" gradually began to rise. Simultaneously, third-party platforms emerged that allowed transactions with skins outside the official marketplace. Some services even accept skins as a means of payment.
New Cases and Operations
Of course, Valve didn't stop with the Arms Deal update. Since 2013, another tradition began — regular operations, and gaming events, associated with unique cases and skin sets. Operation Payback was released in August 2013, followed by Operation Bravo, and since then, developers periodically delight players with major updates, albeit not at regular intervals. In 2013-2014, particularly many skins and cases were released. In this way, Valve laid the foundation for the diversity that continues to attract players today.
In February 2014, customization enthusiasts received another innovation — stickers, which could be placed on weapons. Initially, they were not very popular, but soon the situation changed. Rare stickers, associated with major esports events, such as Katowice 2014, can significantly increase the value of a skin, and over time they only become more expensive.
Community Participation and Bright Newcomers
In the early updates, developers preferred more realistic designs, but it quickly became clear that players liked bright and unusual colors just as much. Valve created a mechanism through which the range of skins is constantly replenished with exactly those specimens that the community likes: players can add their designs to the Workshop, where others vote for them. Periodically, the company selects skins for official collections. For the Dreams and Nightmares case, which was released in 2022, Valve announced a contest with a total prize pool of $1 million—each of the skinmakers whose works were selected ultimately received one hundred thousand dollars.
With the transition to CS2, the appearance of skins was also improved. Thanks to the updated lighting system, many of them look brighter, which has affected market prices. Developers haven't forgotten about stickers either: recently, the game introduced the ability to add stickers not tied to specific spots on the weapon and rotate them at any angle, so now there will be even more interesting crafts. Meanwhile, Valve continues to replenish the assortment of skins, releasing new cases. Whether you consider their purchase as an investment or simply want to diversify the game, on Lis-Skins.ru you will find skins from the classic AK-47 Case Hardened to the latest Zeus x27 Olympus at very attractive prices.
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