As frustrating as it is, CS2 skins are very expensive. For an average player, getting a good CS2 skin is not affordable. It’s sad to see a majority of the fanbase not able to enjoy the cosmetics CS2 offers because of this high pricing. Giving your CS2 loadout a bit of a flair is every player’s dream, but one that is heavy on the wallet.

So, the question arises. “Is there a way to get CS2 skins for free?” Technically, yes, there are ways to get skins for free in CS2. Sure, you can’t get a Dragon Lore or a rare knife for free. But you can still get some decent skins, which is way better than running the default.

1. Trading Up

If you have been playing the game for a while you will have collected some skins as CS2 awards skins to players as they level up. Sure, these skins aren’t the best and are low in value. But what you can do is combine a bunch of bad skins and trade them for a good skin. For example, if you have a couple of pistol, SMG, and shotgun skins lying around, you can trade them up for a good AK-47 or AWP Skin. This method also applies to any other item you have such as music discs or cases.

2. Selling Cases

Similarly to skins, CS2 also awards cases to players as they progress in the game. These cases are pretty much useless unless you buy a key to open them. But these cases have some monetary value so they can be sold on the Steam Marketplace, and with that money, you can buy yourself a good skin.

On the other hand, buying a key for these cases isn’t a bad idea either. Most of these keys cost around $2-3 and you could unlock some high-value skins. It’s much cheaper than buying some of these skins from the Market. Of course, the skin you get is random and you might even get a skin which is valued less than the key. But, on the bright side, you might get a skin 2-3 times the worth of the key you invested in. Overall, if you don’t mind spending a few dollars this is a great way to get some skins, albeit not completely free.

3. Renting (Not Free but Cheap)

Valve knew that not every player could afford CS2 skins, which is why they introduced a feature that allows you to rent skins. Of course, this isn’t free but it’s worth mentioning because it is extremely affordable and is a great option to enjoy some high-quality skins. All you need is a rentable case and a key. You can then rent that case.

On doing so, you get all the skins of that case, including knives and all weapon skins for seven days. If you are lucky and you have the rentable case all you need to do is buy a key for $2-3 and you can enjoy some good skins for seven days.

4. Competing in Tournaments

If you are relatively good at CS2 then competing in tournaments is the best thing you can do to build your skin wardrobe. You can easily find CS2 tournaments in your region by looking up online or in Discord servers.

The CS2 community is massive and there are likely going to be tournaments you can compete in for either cash prizes or straight-up skins. However, these tournaments are very competitive so make sure you have a good team and have practiced a lot. Getting skins for tournaments is one thing but winning a tournament is another kind of feeling.

5. Third-Party Websites

Another option you can try is getting skins through third-party websites. There are a lot of websites that offer you skins for watching ads or doing certain actions. This can be a dangerous rabbit hole, as there are scams as well. However, there are some legit websites that you can use to get yourself some good skins. You might have to do some research to find what websites are legit and work for you.

6. Playing in Skin Servers

There are community servers in CS2 that have skin plugins in them allowing you to play with any skin in the game. But this is only limited to that server. It’s a really great place to calm down that skin itch. You can play with any skin available in the game, be it a Dragon Lore or a Rare Karambit. All you need to do is go into the server, pick the skin of your liking and start playing.

Conclusion

These are all the legit ways to get CS2 skins for free. Of course, if you scour the web you will find a lot of other ways but they are sketchy. Things like CS2 gambling websites exist, and sure some of them work but it’s not recommended for everyone. You can try these ways to get some decent skins in your inventory, and later when you have some funds you can treat yourself to a better and more premium skin.